It begins today.

I think Ambling is the closest tie to the previous album. The rest kind of goes in a different direction of sorts.

It holds together quite well after a couple listens. I am a lot more into it the second time through. They lost a bit of the overt eastern influences and replaced it with more electronic parts and horns/piano/etc. It's a very intriguing record.

while i like it quite a bit so far, i can't really grasp my thoughts on the album after 2 listens as it's just SO all over the map.
i can see this album getting some rave reviews, but also some poor ones too. dunno that this will be exactly universally acclaimed by critics. i guess we'll see.

now i just want to see them live again. hopefully they announce a full US tour soon. still bummed about Luke Fasano leaving the band, he was a way better drummer than either of the two new guys.

YEASAYER
ODD BLOOD CD / LP (SC210, released: 02/09/10)
Since the release of their critically acclaimed 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer has been around the world and back again. While their first record was conceived in total artistic isolation, constant touring forced Yeasayer to finally engage with their contemporaries. Inspired by musicians hell-bent on sonic experimentation as well as those more comfortable in a pop context, Yeasayer find their domain spanning across the musical spectrum. Studied, road worn, and eager to begin phase two, Yeasayer retreated to upstate New York to begin work on their new album titled ODD BLOOD.

If All Hour Cymbals was Yeasayer's attempt at global and ambient cultural mash-up then ODD BLOOD takes place in an off-world colony sometime after the Singularity. Glimmering reverb haze is eschewed and replaced by a cavalcade of disorienting pitch effects and flickering ectoplasmic wisps. Instead of layered vocal harmonies the processed vocals congeal into blots and blobs of otherworldly chatter. Many organic elements are left behind and replaced by sounds and rhythms that inspire the body as much as the mind. At times Yeasayer sound as if they would be at home playing live in scene from Blade Runner or inside one of Oscar Neimeyer's concrete modernist temples from the 1960s.

ODD BLOOD is an album divided into two halves; the first being top heavy with pop songs, while the latter full of the playful and strange.

Side One. 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 version 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.

Side Two. The second half of ODD BLOOD is slightly more experimental in nature. Sci-fi musical jams ("Mondegreen"), maniacal rants ("Grizelda"), and paranoia ("Love Me Girl") show the band exploring more paranoid motifs, yet never deprive the listener of hooks and ear candy.

ODD BLOOD plays out at a blistering pace, yet it never sacrifices depth or content. It is immediately evident the band has advanced in songwriting as well as sonic craft. Lyrically, it is a more mature and honest album than the first, as the band demonstrates a confidence to explore more personal themes alongside vividly depicted tales. One thing is certain: Yeasayer are accomplished audiologists who are willing to pilfer decades of pop sensibilities and cultural history to create something that is uniquely their own.


From the secretlyCanadian website. Explains it pretty well I think.

Madder Red sounds kind of like Maynard on an APC song lol.

EastHastings, search next time

THis is the post leak - discussion of the album thread.

can you imagine doing that for every Radiohead and Josh Homme album? Forum would be destroyed.

Grizelda is a fucking awesome song.

lol, i didnt noticed that until your post, now i notice it everytime...damn


i dont hate The Children, but..............

Ambling Amp -> Madder Red -> I Remember -> ONE

that foursome is killer

definitely a nice record

2 til 5 still the best part for me

I love every song. I find myself going through the album from 1-end a lot more than any other recent album.

Madder Red

i love his vocals on this one

Pull me like before
Pull me like you used to
Control me like you used to

The singing on this record is infectious.

I haven't heard this album, nor do I know if this song is on it, but Yeasayer's Tightrope from the "Dark Was the Night" compilation is the best song of 2009 imo.

This record is still great. It gets better and better. The singing really draws you in, even after a month or so.

i've been into this album big time recently. i listen to it all the way through.

I really like this album. Keating's voice is just plain good.