With its mixture of world music rhythms, westernized pop structures, and ethnic weirdness, Yeasayer's debut finds a home somewhere between the trendy bars of Brooklyn and the villages of developing countries. On paper, the album looks like an all-out mess, a jumbled pile of sitars, synths, bongos, sequencers, fretless bass, choir harmonies, and whatever else Yeasayer deems necessary to conjure up the globetrotting images that fuel these 11 tracks. But All Hour Cymbals rarely strains under its own weight, even when it mixes Beach Boys harmonies with minimalist art rock ("No Need to Worry") or steel drums with sludgy, Sabbath-styled metal ("Wait for the Wintertime"). New York City has hosted its share of experimental bands in the early 21st century, from TV on the Radio to Animal Collective to the otherworldly experiments of Grizzly Bear. Still, Yeasayer's appeal is not that they're otherworldly, but are instead entirely grounded in this world. Rarely does a debut album sound so geographic, so well-traveled -- even if the journey through All Hour Cymbals feels slightly odd, as if the bandmates constructed some Paleozoic musical map in their heads where the landmasses of Africa and America had been pushed together, blending the disparate traditions and instruments from both continents. Sequencers figure prominently in some songs, but they're trumped by the clannish, tribal sounds that bring Yeasayer back to earth: the polyphonic percussion, the chant-like melodies, the Middle Eastern influences. Throughout it all, the band remains rooted in pop music, and songs like "2080" (which was tossed around the Internet in early 2007, bouncing from blog to blog in a game of hipster hot-potato) have instantly memorable hooks and gorgeous, airy harmonies. The real treat is when those styles collide -- the western and the Middle Eastern, the urban and the native -- as they do on "Wait for the Summer," where guitarist/vocalist Anand Wilder echoes the anticipation of many an American grade-schooler ("Wait for summer, we'll sleep when we wanna") over a bed of sitars and vaguely foreign scales. Who cares if it's often hard to hear what Wilder is saying? His melodies are mumbled, harmonized, repeated, and hidden under piles of instruments, so they may as well be delivered in some indigenous language by the time all is said and done. "Wait for the Summer" consequently comes across as ritualistic, something with which to praise the sun or awaken the rain gods, but it also serves as a bizarre "School's out!" anthem for the indie crowd. Could Yeasayer be indie rock's answer to the absence of adventurous worldbeat figures like David Byrne and Peter Gabriel? It's too early to tell, but All Hour Cymbals is a mature, cohesive, and highly recommended debut.
--- - |- Photo by Jon Behm Given the amazing year they've had since the release of their breakthrough LP All Hour Cymbals, it's hard to believe that Yeasayer have not yet had the pleasure of headlining their very own tour. That'll change this fall, when the band embarks on a North American jaunt that will, in some ways, see them bidding a fond farewell to the album that helped secure them a ...
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Pics: I skilfully capture the lead-singer playing keyboards and then clearing his throat. I went with my mate Richie to see Yeasayer play in Whelan’s, Dublin last night. It was good fun...(Before the gig)Me: There was a bloke in the toilets leaning forward with his head against the wall, having a piss. When he finished, he went straight to the hand dryer. Richie: He didn’t wash first?Me: Why w
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Last night we saw the Brooklyn based band Yeasayer playing at London's ICA. A sold out night in this cozy venue still meant being able to get up close to the band. In fact so close that I think my husband and I actually stole Yeasayer's seats when they were having photos taken!The rest of this review is on my "music blog":http://terriblelovesongs.blogspot.com/2008/03/yeasayer-ica-london-photos-...
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Yes, I think so. This is probably one of the most melodic, atmospheric tracks I've heard in awhile from the genre. Unlike a lot of their musical peers, Yeasayer doesn't have to try very hard to be retro. It sounds more like an homage rather than a parody, which a lot of Indie acts seem to trap themselves into. Seriously if this was on the radio in, like, 1982 I doubt anyone would think twice a...
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No Need to WorryOver the past few years, a few of the most talked-about indie bands have been those making music with an ahistorical sense of mythic drama. TV on the Radio, Celebration, Grizzly Bear, and Animal Collective, among others, have been variously and inventively appropriating rock'n'roll's roots in ritualistic sounds, working toward individual aesthetics that merge mutual appreciatio...
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Pics: I skilfully capture the lead-singer playing keyboards and then clearing his throat. I went with my mate Richie to see Yeasayer play in Whelan’s, Dublin last night. It was good fun...(Before the gig)Me: There was a bloke in the toilets leaning forward with his head against the wall, having a piss. When he finished, he went straight to the hand dryer. Richie: He didn’t wash first?Me: Why w
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No Need to WorryOver the past few years, a few of the most talked-about indie bands have been those making music with an ahistorical sense of mythic drama. TV on the Radio, Celebration, Grizzly Bear, and Animal Collective, among others, have been variously and inventively appropriating rock'n'roll's roots in ritualistic sounds, working toward individual aesthetics that merge mutual appreciatio...
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I have listened to this a few times now this morning... and I am really getting into their sound...
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Photo: Yeasayer by Sarah Hajjar Yeasayer played to a sold out-crowd on Saturday, December 6 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was the last show on a 14 month globe-spanning tour in support of their amazing debut album All Hour Cymbals. Yeasayer - Sunrise [MP3] Yeasayer - 2080 [MP3] Photo: Gates of Heaven by Sarah Hajjar The show started [...]
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Last night we saw the Brooklyn based band Yeasayer playing at London's ICA. A sold out night in this cozy venue still meant being able to get up close to the band. In fact so close that I think my husband and I actually stole Yeasayer's seats when they were having photos taken!The rest of this review is on my "music blog":http://terriblelovesongs.blogspot.com/2008/03/yeasayer-ica-london-photos-...
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Oh how time passes back in march of 08 I posted about the amazing remix Pocketknife did on Joanna Newsom and today I bring you an equaly briliant Remix of Yeasayer . Do I belive this remix is bound to change your life, no, but its a very awesome version of "Sunrise" full of echoes and durms and noses, brilliant thats what it is. Old post Joanna Newsom Pocketknife remix (Link) Yeasayer - Sunri...
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There is something in the air today, though I can't put my finger on it. It's something like hope, maybe.I'm not usually a fan of remixes (not really at all) but this one is almost too good and I'm pretty certain I will be playing this repeatedly straight into the New Year.
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Whoa. So I'm lying here, checking out the Yeasayer album, which is very excellent. And I'm taking it all in, which is pretty harsh at times; the tone isn't exactly sunny all the way through. It's done, and silence fills my home.I get up, but about twenty seconds later, an acoustic guitar stars strumming, rather pleasantly. Layers build up, slowly but surely, and soon, there are a couple peo...
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--- - |- Photo by Jon Behm Given the amazing year they've had since the release of their breakthrough LP All Hour Cymbals, it's hard to believe that Yeasayer have not yet had the pleasure of headlining their very own tour. That'll change this fall, when the band embarks on a North American jaunt that will, in some ways, see them bidding a fond farewell to the album that helped secure them a ...
More >
Tracklist: 01. Sunrise 02. Wait For The Summer 03. 2080 04. Germs 05. Ah, Weird 06. No Need To Worry 07. Forgiveness 08. Wintertime 09. Waves 10. Worms 11. Red Cave Genre: Experimental Indie Rock Website: Myspace | Release Date: 2007-10-23 Label: We Are Free One more example of an album I picked up but never gave the attention it deserved. My boy Logan told me to give them a be...
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This song is monumental and epic! I love when indie psychedelia gets reworked into electro dance. Pocketknife and $hine really brought the bass up in this song. I look forward to having more tracks like this show up in our inbox. What a good song choice! Yeasayer- Sunrise (Pocketknife and $hine Remix) - MELROSE
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They are headed back to the Bay Area on November 22nd, 2008. Here's a little message from the Yeasayer's Band Manager: After nearly a year of incessant touring totaling over 200 shows we are happy to announce a wrap-up of sorts for the propagation of YEASAYER's debut LP All Hour Cymbals. Over the last couple years we have been working away on a grassroots policy that was void of any puff~~
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Yes, I think so. This is probably one of the most melodic, atmospheric tracks I've heard in awhile from the genre. Unlike a lot of their musical peers, Yeasayer doesn't have to try very hard to be retro. It sounds more like an homage rather than a parody, which a lot of Indie acts seem to trap themselves into. Seriously if this was on the radio in, like, 1982 I doubt anyone would think twice a...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Sunrise |
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| 2 Wait for the Summer |
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| 3 2080 |
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| 4 Germs |
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| 5 Ah. Wier |
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| 6 No Need to Worry |
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| 7 Forgiveness |
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| 8 Wait for the Wintertime |
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| 9 Many Waves |
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| 10 Worms |
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| 11 Red Cave |
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Click to purchase…
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 "All Hour Cymbals")
