All Hour’s Old Blood replaced with more than O.N.E. Synth

We first heard the name and music of Yeasayer as tracks from their debut album All Hour Cymbals ripped around the internet fueled by the growing blogosphere back in 2007. Well, the Brooklyn based trio are back with a new album and  a whole new sound. Aside from the more professional and clean sound of Odd Blood (officially released yesterday, but leaked way back in October), this new album will no doubt treat Yeasayer fans to a quick head-scratch or brow-furrow (maybe even both) as they wonder whether they had picked up the right album. That electro-pop oozing into your ears is the new sound of Yeasayer. 

Although it has been floating around for some time now, I only just got around to listening to Odd Blood, and was quite surprised. I had heard this album described as more modern and digital than All Hour Cymbals, but hadn’t realized the extent to which this modernity had infiltrated the Yeasayer sound. Replacing the minimal, yet intricate and interesting percussion beats are static drum machines. The harmonization found in almost every song from All Hour Cymbals has been replaced with vocals dominated by a singular, sometimes digitally altered, voice. Rhythms created with intertwining guitar, piano, and random other instruments (which kept the sound of All Hour Cymbals interesting and innovative) have been replaced with effects-laden, blooping keyboards and synthesizers up the wazoo. Odd Blood sounds more like an electro-pop album than any sort of experimental or indie-rock style that Yeasayer had come to be associated with (a sound the band describes as “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel”). But that just might have been exactly what Yeasayer had been aiming for. In an interview with the New York Times, band member Chris Keating described the creative process for Odd Blood: “It was only natural to find the specific elements, the defining elements, of the last record and to eliminate those and create holes. Then you had to fill those holes in with other stuff that we like, which is a lot of electronic, dance-inspired production and cool synthetic tones that haven’t been heard before.” 

Ambling Alp – Yeasayer

Love Me Girl – Yeasayer

Tightrope – Yeasayer

Despite these electronically-filled holes, Yeasayer manages to maintain certain elements of their sound from All Hour Cymbals. Structurally, “Waiting for Summer” and “Love Me Girl” are very similar, despite outwardly sounding so different (though the ‘build up’ of “Love Me Girl” turns out to be more exciting and fulfilling). And, although produced on a drum machine, the intricacies of the beats on tracks like “O.N.E.” and “Strange Reunions” are quite reminiscent of those from their debut. The more I listen to Odd Blood, the more Yeasayer I hear creep through, and the more the album grows on me.

Ambling Alp (Alan Wilkis Remix) – Yeasayer

O.N.E. (XXXChange Remix) – Yeasayer

Dub Love. See you at Emalkay tonight! Emalkay is stuck in NYC!! No show tonight. Koi says they will reschedule.