At first glimpse of the band onstage, Wye Oak is downright puzzling. The band's recent release (the excellent Civilian) is full of layers of colorful swells, beautiful moments of grace, and chaos that blend perfectly into an incredibly intense experience. Onstage, when Jenn Wasner andAndy Stack go full-bore into a song, the entire audience is smacked in the face with a thick, surprising wall of noise that sounds like it's being channeled from somewhere devilish.

Looking at the action onstage, it's hard to believe that dizzying spectrum of colorful chaos is coming with little to no help from backing tracks, laptops, or other prerecorded gimmickry. That monstrous jet engine of noise is coming from two mild-mannered people who look approachable, like they probably check in with their parents every couple days. People who might be in a kickball league and may very well prefer tea to coffee.