Wye Oak has always sounded like a dream-pop band in a six-string world, a group whose 4AD-worthy spellcasting wouldn’t feel wrong at a basement punk show. For the Baltimore-formed duo’s new album Shriek, however, singer Jenn Wasner traded roaring guitars for pulsing bass, and drummer Andy Stack’s one-hand synth-playing now envelops their sinuous melodies in a woozy, diaphanous cast. The mode suits Wye Oak—while the tension of Wasner’s crunchy guitar playing was a useful foil, she all but exhausted it on the band’s excellent 2011 album, Civilian. If anything, Shriek could use more of the energy that animates Wasner’s synth-forward extracurriculars, the rave-up pocket pop of Dungeonesse and the arty yacht rock of Flock of Dimes. The confident, mid-tempo “Despicable Animal” gets closest: It’s loungey, late-’80s R&B transmuted into something much cooler and more askew. “If I can bring us to water, will you promise to drink deep?” Wasner sings, her vocals caked in fuzz. Here, you will. Wye Oak performs with Braids at 7 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $22. (202) 265-0930. 930.com.