The word "tween" somehow sounds like a certain kind of awkwardness, and that's usually not so positive. But look at it this way: Something "tween" is about to evolve into something else, and that process has its own beauty. It's kind of cool to recognize and celebrate that - to get involved. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack - the two halves of the band - have described these songs as "not a step forward, but a step to the side in time". In other words, they just didn't fit the fifth album, which will be released sometime in the future. But just because they didn't fit there doesn't mean they don't belong anywhere. To force her into Shriek would have been dishonest; Orphaning them would have been somewhere between criminal and just plain silly. Tween is full of beautiful Wye Oak songs whose only offense was timing and context, made by two people at the height of their creativity. One moment Jenn and Andy embrace their most floating Cocteau Twins instinct ("If You Should See"), the next they're back in Civilian territory ("No Dreaming"), and later they're sleek and electronic and beautifully 80s-esque ("On Luxury"). The common thread: These are not outcasts or excerpts. In fact, Tween might even be more accessible than Shriek. It should be included in the ranks of the great non-albums in history whose names try to downplay their actual quality, such as R.E.M.'s Dead Letter Office, The Who's Odds and Sods, and perhaps even Dinosaur Jr.'s Whatever's Cool With Me.