Review of Yeasayer - Odd Blood

I have been listening to "Ambling Alp" probably for the past 2 weeks on repeat. But I haven't had the time to actually pick up the album. So I finally got the album and I simply had no idea what to expect. Yeasayer's All Hours Cymbal was an major part of my life as a sophomore (2007-2008) in college. It represented all the things that I loved at the time which was mostly music and partying. It beautiful and crazy which represented the chaos that was my life at the time. It was pure fun and yet at the same time a certain sadness which can be heard through out the lyrics of that album. So with that in mind, I didn't know what current Yeasayer would mean to me in this present time of my life. Would it still be the craziness that I knew it as 2 years ago? Would I be utterly disappointed that the music lacked the nostalgia it held for me so long ago or would I be disappointed in the lack of development the musicians have?

So I put on Odd Blood before I got ready for whatever I had to do that morning. The album started with "Ambling Alp" which I thought could not get any better than that song. As I continued to listen to the album, I noticed that their music was a lot more "chill" or "calmer." The tribal driven beats were not as prominent although the bass drum seems to be more thought out in placement than usual. The electronic synths were the focus of their songs as well as the lyrics. Before, lyrics seems to be part of the music sound and usually incomprehensible. The lyrics of this album are more reflective and discuss the issues of growing older and apart. So like Yeasayer, I seem to have grown up with them. The sounds of their music seem now to morph into something like Hot Chip and Peter, Bjorn and John which is great because I love both of
those bands.

Everything seems to sound like a cirque du soleil soundtrack on this album.

Madder Red - Chinese Acrobat Theme Song
O.N.E - Knifeish


So I mean to say that my love for Yeasayer is a personal matter and that what you take from it may be completely different from mine. If you were searching to hear music that Yeasayer "used" to make than this album may not for you. There is no doubt that they are great musicians and you should enjoy their music for what you can and not necessarily what they mean to others, but yourself.