Yeasayer – Odd Blood | The Line of Best Fit

Yeasayer

"Odd Blood"

11 February 2010, 14:00 | Written by Erik Thompson

(Albums)

(Yeasayer)

Anyone who claims that Odd Blood, the new record from Yeasayer, is all over the map or a tad uneven clearly hasn't had much exposure to All Hour Cymbals, the bands untamed, genre-blending debut. It's quite clear they've been musically schizophrenic right from the get go. And that unpredictable, unsettled quality was what a lot of listeners gravitated towards and identified with, intrigued by never entirely knowing what the next song was going to sound like. But the scene Yeasayer returns to with their first full-length in three years is noticeably different and perhaps even more jaded than they remember, now even more entrenched in the 'what have you done for me lately?' mentality. The multi-generational terrain that the band has mined so successfully over the years has been scorched by overuse, and their 80's-aping, international sound isn't quite so unique anymore. But the band is persistent, and, to both good and bad effect, they remain pretty true to their roots while still delivering a mostly fresh, modern twist on a familiar style and sound.No matter what your expectations were for Odd Blood, the sinister stomp of album opener 'The Children' is bound to catch you off guard. The vocals are distorted and ominous, and the beat sounds as if the band is banging on pipes in the basement of an abandoned building. For such a generally upbeat album, this is a rather atypical, menacing introduction, which I'm sure is exactly what the band intended. Shock and awe, indeed. And while the sound of 'The Children' proves startling, the instantly recognizable sound of lead single 'Ambling Alp' leads the listener towards much more familiar sonic territory. Even though the Joe Lewis-Father/Son anthem of 'Alp' is enjoyable and enlivening, I find that it clearly has a shelf life, and after hearing it for more than a year now it has started to sound stale. Especially when placed alongside the contemporary, New-Romantic elegance of 'Madder Red' and 'I Remember,' two of the best songs on the album. The moody, reverb-heavy 'Madder Red' soars naturally, with Chris Keating's impassioned vocals blending well with the bands signature tribal beat (although the unhinged drumming of Luke Fasano is clearly missing on Odd Blood). 'I Remember' is an instant classic -a thoroughly modern, synth-laden ballad that doesn't sacrifice a bit of the bands inventive tendencies while still revealing enough of their souls to produce a tender, wistful love song.'O.N.E.' continues the great run of songs on the albums first half, with disco heavy grooves and a carefree, festival ambiance that is catchy and impossible to resist. And by the time the Bee Gee's-like breakdown hits at the end of the song, more than likely the listener is buying whatever Yeasayer are selling. It's unfortunate, then, that they don't build on that connection, and instead retreat to more conventional, unimaginative material on the records rather bland second side. There are attempts at the jubilant chaos of Animal Collective ('Strange Reunions') and the vocal theatrics of Dirty Projecters ('Grizelda'), two bands du jour that have perfected their sounds enough to make it easy to spot the imitators. And even when the band is trying to sound like themselves ('Rome'), it seems like the spark has just grown faint. The music is vibrant (even if it clumsily echoes Daft Punk), but the chorus of 'Mondegreen' is so ludicrous and puerile that it's impossible to get beyond it to enjoy the song in any way.So what was once a promising album fizzles out spectacularly, and while it is easy to focus on the songs that don't quite work, it's easier instead to concentrate on the marvelous tracks at the start of Odd Blood. Those songs set such a superior standard that even second-rate tracks seem uninspired by comparison. There's clearly a lot to like on this record, and it certainly is refreshing that Yeasayer didn't play it safe and deliver anything predictable or a rehashed version of their first album. Ultimately though, Odd Blood is like a New Year's Eve party that starts with fireworks and make-out sessions but fails to even last until midnight.