Spunk Discography
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Artist Links
http://www.yeasayer.net
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
Video
Biography
After the astonishing success of their single Ambling Alp, Yeasayer look set to be the somewhat unlikely stars of 2010 with their highly awaited sophomore album ‘Odd Blood’.
Already one of the most anticipated releases of the new year, making it on to Best Albums Of 2010 lists in NME, Uncut, Spin, Pitchfork, Stereogum and more, ‘Odd Blood’ comes two years after this pioneering Brooklyn band’s critically acclaimed debut album release ‘All Hour Cymbals’.
While the band’s debut was conceived in total artistic isolation, constant touring forced Yeasayer to finally engage with their contemporaries when writing their follow up album. Inspired by their musical friends, both those devotees of sonic experimentation as well as those more comfortable in a pop context, early 2009 saw the band take a break from touring and retreat to a woodland cabin in upstate New York eager to begin phase two. The result is ‘Odd Blood’ which finds their domain spanning the musical spectrum, blending the twisted, ambient rhythms and global sound of their debut release with forceful ambitious electronics and hook-laden playful pop. ‘Odd Blood’ could equally act as the score to a scene from Blade Runner, or as the soundtrack to a journey through one of Oscar Neimeyer’s concrete modernist temples or one of Salvador Dali’s epic surrealist paintings.
The album begins with The Children, a twisted chopped and screwed stomp, full of sub bass and spooky keyboards. Distorted vocals create hidden hooks and it’s immediately clear: this isn’t the same Yeasayer. After the rubble clears the album leaps into Yeasayer’s versions of the pop anthem with Ambling Alp, Madder Red, I Remember, and O.N.E. Yeasayer have plunged into the craft of pop music, and the exercise has paid off! The second half of the record is slightly more experimental, full of the playful and the strange. Sci-fi musical jams (Mondegreen), maniacal rants (Grizelda), and suspicion (Love Me Girl) show the band exploring more paranoid motifs, yet never deprive the listener of the hooks and delicious pop ear candy the band have come to love.
‘Odd Blood’ plays out at a blistering pace, but never sacrifices depth or content. It is immediately evident the band has greatly advanced in their song writing as well as their sonic craft. Lyrically, it is a more mature and honest album than the first, demonstrating a confidence to explore more personal themes alongside vividly depicted tales. With the release of ‘Odd Blood’ one thing is certain: Yeasayer are accomplished audiologists who are willing to delve into decades of pop sensibilities and cultural history to create something that is uniquely their own.
