Many bands endure the galling process of getting grades from critics (A for "next Radiohead," D for "next Nickelback, if they practice harder"). Wye Oak is one of the few to be graded by actual professors.

Somewhere between Neko Case's reverb-drenched Americana rock and Beach House's shoegazing whimsy is Wye Oak, a Baltimore duo whose new album, The Knot (out July 21 via Merge), is in heavy rotation here at SPIN.com.