Odd Blood, the sophomore release from Yeasayer is just that; odd. Fans who had All Hour Cymbals stuck on heavy rotation will find this album strange and well, an odd departure. It’s processed and electronic rather than worldly and organic. For all these differences, the album cannot be dismissed as there are several standout tracks throughout the album. So lets dig and explore this audio mystery.
“The Children” starts in with heavily processed vocals with a churning sludge-like beat. It’s very mechanical and already an immediate departure from what we were expecting from the band. It took a couple of listens but the song has plenty of interesting elements and is certainly engaging if not immediately accessible. The same could not be said for “Ambling Alp”, the first single. The song is a true gem, which showcases Chris Keating’s range and urgent vocals. It’s poppy and unbridled with a great falsetto breakdown. It’s an early highlight and the beginning of several stellar tracks in a row.
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“Madder Red” is another track that has been around for awhile and feels like a great bridge of the earthly elements of the band, the tribal funkiness of it and Anand Wilder’s vocals are silky smooth and a nice contrast to Keating. The processed guitar towards the end is an interesting dynamic adding a searing wrinkle to the band’s sound. The song is still very heavy on the electronic elements and that is a prevalent trend throughout the album.
“I Remember” is fantastic with Keating’s vocals being the centerpiece of the song. The twinkling keys, looping synth samples, and bubbling bass all build and wrap around his voice. When the drums finally crash in, it’s a compelling breakdown and some of Yeasayer’s best work as a band. The song is a ballad in the best sense of the word showing real heart and emotion. “O.N.E” signals the beginning of a dramatic shift in the album and will be the focal point for most people who will dislike the album.
Read more of the review after the jump
“O.N.E” is a dancey club jam that is pure pop and infectious as hell. The song is more fitting of the next big Brooklyn dance act rather than Yeasyaer, but they pull it off and it’s one of the best songs of the very early 2010. Wilder’s vocals are perfectly suited for this tale of moving on from a broken relationship. It is bliss to the ears and pleasant surprise (well not really as this song has been around for awhile). So, that’s five songs down and five to go. So far it’s a great review. Well, what “O.N.E” signaled comes to full bloom when “Love Me Girl”. This is where Yeasayer make their biggest leap forward.
Whereas time and the elements of context in society and culture and shaping a future dominated the band’s songs in All Hour Cymbals, Odd Blood is hopelessly romantic. The songs in Odd Blood are more grounded in the present, more reactionary and focused on personal relationships. This shift of focus is perfectly suited for the lyrics and smart compositions the band are known for.
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Yeasayer felt like a group of wandering nomads. The knowledge from their travels revealed to us in the tracks that made up All Hour Cymbals. There was always a sense of detachment and the specter of being unfulfilled lingered in their songs. On Odd Blood, the band is grounded with an attachment to their surroundings. This context makes for a compelling listen.
“Love Me Girl” belongs to the land of techno and bangers. For roughly two minutes, the song is a buzzing electro tune with odd samples and then Keating’s falsetto hits and it is pop glory. The song does not feel worldly or grounded in any of Yeasayer’s previous catalog. The electronic flourishes and samples have been a vital component to the band’s music in the past and to make them the focal point of this album is interesting, at least it is understandable and rooted in history. This song and the upcoming tracks are the work of Yeasayer’s pop doppelganger. Love it or hate it, you are in for a saccharine sweet roller coaster for the rest of the album.
Hearing Keating wonder what his girl is up to, if she’s messing around, well that’s something I didn’t expect. I also think that weird robotic sample is saying “The humans are running scared”. An interesting detour and an anomaly if that was the only track like it. “Rome” is another fun romp with a thumping beat. “Strange Reunions” feels like it belongs in the first half of the album as it falls back on the worldly inspirations but with plenty of hand claps and falsetto.
“Mondegreen” will be the make or break point for listeners. Some may hail it as a work of genius while others will claim it as the point they stopped listening. The song is just pop as can be and mentions Keating’s baby and how people wonder about them and also their “making love into the morning light”. Everybody. There are moments of counting, hand claps, funky horns. It’s like Mardi Gras in here. “Grizelda” closes the album on a more familiar note after the dizzying high of “Mondegreen”. Wilder’s vulnerable vocals are endearing and the band’s electronic leanings are played to great strength, adding tension and creating a sparse feeling of doubt. It’s ghostly and haunting, the last lingering note on a fantastic journey.
Odd Blood may have been risky but that’s what you expect from Yeasayer. The band refuses to rest on its laurels and the record pushes the band to its furthest extreme. The thought, insight, and care are all there in the music wrapped in layers of pop and electronics. Odd Blood is a provocative album that will endear and enrage. What more could you ask for?
