If Children
2007 studio album by Wye Oak
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If Children is the debut studio album by Baltimore-based band Wye Oak, originally self-released in 2007 under the band name Monarch,[1] then re-released on April 8, 2008 by Merge Records.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| American Songwriter | [4] |
| Robert Christgau |  [5] |
| Exclaim! | (favorable)[6] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 81/100[1] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10[7] |
| Prefix | 7/10[8] |
| Seven Days | (favorable)[2] |
Writing for Pitchfork, Mike Powell gave If Children a 7.1 out of 10 rating, saying that the album "displays a band that knows how to vary a theme just enough to keep momentum."[7] Robert Christgau gave it a 2-star honorable mention rating, which corresponds to a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy,"[9] and said of the album that it was "Poised warily between innocence and experience, d/b/a melody and chaos."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Please Concrete" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Warning" | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Regret" | 2:25 |
| 4. | "Archaic Smile" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "Family Glue" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Orchard Fair" | 3:45 |
| 7. | "I Don't Feel Young" | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Keeping Company" | 3:52 |
| 9. | "A Lawn to Mow" | 3:10 |
| 10. | "If Children Were Wishes" | 5:28 |
| 11. | "Obituary" | 3:40 |
| Total length: | 41:41 | |
Personnel
- Jenn Wasner – instrumentation, vocals
- Andy Stack – engineering
- Eric Morrison – mixing
- John Golden – mastering