Show Preview: Yeasayer @ Mohawk (7.4)

Date Thursday, July 4th
Location Mohawk
Doors 8:00 PM
Tickets $25 from here

If you’re looking for some alternative 4th of July plans, the best show in town on Thursday night has to be the Yeasayer show on the Mohawk outdoor stage. Always a great live band, this show is sure to bring the house down. Make sure you show up early for an opening set from locals Zettajoule followed by a direct supporting spot from L.A. based Steady Holiday.

Also here is Yeasayer’s latest single “Let me Listen in on You” off the new album Erotic Returns out now on all platforms.

Show Review: Yeasayer @ Stubbs (9/6)

When I first heard Fragrant World, the newest record from Yeasayer, I wondered if it would be as impressive as Odd Blood.  It took me a few spins, but eventually, I found it’s progression and warmth more than enjoyable, so I was really looking forward to their live presentation of the new material at Stubb’s on Thursday night.

Read on for my thoughts on the evening, and the great photo set of B. Gray.

Read more

Show Preview: Yeasayer @ Stubbs (9/6)

Date 9/6/12
Location Stubbs
Doors 7pm
Tickets $25 @ Frontgate

Well September is finally upon us and the show outlook for the entire month is looking busy as hell for us music fanatics.  The start of all this madness really kicks off on Thursday night with a sure to be incredible show going down at Stubbs put on by Yeasyaer.  As an ATH staff member that’s seen the band on numerous occasions, I can assure everyone that you’ll be in for a treat (if your skin doesn’t melt off in the heat).  Opening support for the evening is provided by Daedelus.  I’m also going to take this opportunity to post on of the best singles of the year “Henrietta” because, for some reason, we never posted it in the first place.  Dumb.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bd195839-0b03-4d5f-ae38-436906a5bf2c.mp3]

Download: Yeasayer – Henrietta [MP3]

Stream Divine Fits and Yeasayer @ NPR

NPR has full album and track-by-track streaming of Yeasayer‘s Fragrant World and Divine FitsA Thing Called Divine Fits (see pics form the first official show here). These are two of the late summer’s, early fall’s most anticipated releases, so you now have something to wrap your ears around and make the decisions as to whether or not the limited edition vinyl you have on preorder is worth it.

Get your Fits fix here.

Get your Fragrant on here.

New Tunes from Yeasayer

As we draw closer and closer towards the release of the new Yeasayer album, Fragrant World, which comes out in August via Secretly Canadian, more tracks are starting to hit the Internet, building a swell of excited fans. The first track “Henrietta” was definitely a summer banger built for grooving.  This round, the group seems to have a more soulful approach, unfolding a bit slower.  It’s definitely a different spin on the group’s electro art pop, but I admit that I’m really feeling this jam…so I’m sure that the rest of the Internet will be clamoring for more Yeasayer.  A few short months and we can all have the whole record in our hands.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Yeasayer-Longevity.mp3]

Download:Yeasayer – Longevity [MP3]

New Music From Sinkane

Sinkane is the musical project of Yeasayer multi instumentalist Ahmed Gallab.  Gallab actually has been doing his thing under this moniker and touring with bands like Of Montreal and Caribou for a good bit longer than he’s been with Yeasayer, just joining up with them prior to the Odd Blood recordings.  This new song under the Sinkane name is called “Jeeper Creeper” and will appear on a new album entitled Mars which does not have a release date at this point.  What I first hear in the song is a familiar sound similar to the sonic qualities of Odd Blood with that mellow psych feel and soothing repetitive beats. Fans of the style should stay tuned here as I’m sure we’ll shoot you more details as we receive them.  In the meantime, say hi to Sinkane on Twitter or over on Facebook.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/02-Jeeper-Creeper.mp3]

Download: Sinkane – Jeeper Creeper [MP3]

ACL Wrap-Up: The Top Ten Acts

Well, we’ve finally recovered, and we hope your sunburn is peeling and your liver is resting quietly in a tub of water.  After a long weekend, filled with good memories, tunes and pretty much anything else we needed, we got down to the nitty-gritty. That’s right folks, after careful collaboration, and tireless hours of discussion, we bring you our Top Ten Acts of Austin City Limits 2010.

Yeasayer @ La Zona Rosa (4/10 & 4/11)

Date 4/10/10 & 4/11/10
Location La Zona Rosa
Doors 8pm
Tickets $15 for Sat or Sun

Unless you’re currently brain dead, you better be making a point to go see Yeasayer at one of their much anticipated shows this weekend.  Since I am currently gainfully employed with an early wake up time, I’ll be heading out on Saturday.  Now I know some of you people may be gettin’ all hot for that Vampire Weekend show, but let’s be straight here, Yeasayer is a killer live act you can’t pass up.  Be smart.  Opening support on both nights will be provided by buzz band Javelin.  If I haven’t sold you yet, check out their latest single “Ambling Alp” and tell me that doesn’t do it for ya.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/01-Ambling-Alp-1.mp3]

Download: Yeasayer – Ambling Alp [MP3]

Yeasayer – Odd Blood

yeaRating: ★★★½☆

Finally the time has come for the release of the much anticipated follow up to All Hour Cymbals, and Yeasayer has switched it all up for you with the newest release, Odd Blood. Where they once dabbled in world music with a hint of electronic elements, they have turned the tables, choosing instead to go with electronic music that takes aim at taking over the world.  Your first listen might not offer too much, as this is a listen that requires several listens to completely unfold what lies beneath.

“The Children” opens up the album with some gothic samples that recalls old industrial music from the eighties, and the dark auto-tuned vocals keep the mood quite eerie, but there are some moments of lightness, which set the tone for the rest of the album.

We then come to the spectacular “Ambling Alp,” the band’s first single off Odd Blood. You wouldn’t be too far off if you didn’t notice some resemblance to Animal Collective, at least in the usage of samples, but the vocals don’t seem as intrusive as the latter band.  Really, this song is all over the place, which is perhaps why it’s so charming after repeated listens.

For the next three tracks you get transported immediately back to the eighties with Yeasayer. This isn’t an entirely bad thing, as the group doesn’t in their own particular way, incorporating more of their tribal meets world music instrumentation to the tunes. The opening moments of “Madder Red” as the vocals kick in just bring pure ecstatic joy, and “ONE” is just wonderful.  I love the way they play with the vocals, and then bounce right into the dance elements for the chorus.  All these songs benefit from the fact that there are extemporaneous elements all over the place, which makes the spin on such music more diverse than most of their modern-day equivalents.

When you come to the latter half of Odd Blood, you’ll find that the energy isn’t as fast paced as the early part of the record.  It feels as if the band is rushing themselves, especially when you come to songs like “Mondegreen,” a song full of horns and rhythmic vocal displays, but the elements here don’t seem to be as cohesive as they were on the early half.  Those extra touches that added so much to the first six songs sort of dissipate; this is something that causes the second half of the record to seem a bit less powerful than the first.

Throughout its duration, Odd Blood is full of so many different twists and turns that you have to give the band credit for being so exploratory in their efforts.  It might not be the most complete album the band will make, but it demonstrates that Yeasyer are willing to push themselves, and their listeners, towards a maximum musical listening experience. Cheers to that.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/01-Ambling-Alp-1.mp3]

Download: Yeasayer – Ambling Alp [MP3]

Top Ten Fun Fest Artists

FFFFest2009_Top10We hope all of you stayed dry on Sunday at the Fun Fun Fun Festival and we also hope you soaked in the great weather of Saturday. All in all we had a great time over the weekend and saw tons of great bands.  Just as we did with ACL, we’d like to give you a brief recap with our top 10 favorite bands from the weekend festivities. We’re putting these in no real order and just listing them with some brief reasons why we liked them so much. Follow the jump for our top 10 Fun Fest bands.

Read more

1 2