YEASAYER
LABELS: Secretly Canadian • Mute • We Are Free  |||  TEXT: Jill Blocker  |||  PHOTO: Jason Nocito

Yeasayer bases its music on the importance of harmony, guitarist Anand Wilder said in an interview with Pitchfork, that’s what makes the song. The simplistic technique apparently worked for the electro-tribal group of three, which including Wilder, features singer Chris Keating and bassist Ira Wolf Tuton. Even if you’re not into their self-described "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel" music at first, listen to their songs a couple more times and you will likely find yourself singing along with the catchy beat.

Wilder’s orchestra and choir childhood training, Keating’s informal sense of melody and songcraft, and a 2008 acid trip in New Zealand that made them listen to their music differently, has taken them from their first single, consisting of tracks “Sunrise” and “2080,” to their 2007 debut album All Hour Cymbals to their second album, Odd Blood, released in February 2010.



Read the Groovemine.com review of Odd Blood

New fans who get swept up in Yeasayer’s electronic, soothing pop melodies and hip-hop drum beats don’t get to experience the same vibe of low-mixed vocals and frazzling guitars of their early fans, but neither group of devotees seem to care. Since Yeasayer’s 2007 South By Southwest mainstream-debut performance, the Baltimore-based group is now officially the world’s most blogged-about band, according to aggregator Web site, Hype Machine.

Yeasayer gained massive hype by touring with MGMT and Man Man in 2008. “Their melodies were stunning, an uncategorisable ambient haze of psychedelia, world music and krautrock,” said Dave Simpson from UK’s The Guardian newspaper in a review. “I remember telling MGMT's Ben Goldwasser—as diplomatically as I could under the circumstances—that the opening act were one of the best new bands I'd ever seen.”

For their upcoming tour, Yeasayer says they have big plans. Custom-built light columns, giant illuminated balloons and warm-up routines including fantasy role-playing will be sure to have every fan rocking out. “I get into characters—like, pretend there’s a witch,” Keating said about his warm-ups in Rolling Stone. “Whoo! It’ll be a blast.”


PRESS

“Yeasayer demonstrate a rare craftsmanship and consideration that's too often shoved under the rug in modern indie music. Their lyrics may not say much of anything, but their agile arrangements, sense of dynamics and pacing, and singer Chris Keating's expressive vocals communicate plenty.” —Pitchfork

“Ultimately, however, it’s the commitment to innovation and new musical ideas that will see Yeasayer through a healthy, multi-album indie career.” —Alec Brinegar, Groovemine



LINKS
Yeasayer Official Website
Yeasayer on Myspace
Yeasayer on Facebook
Yeasayer on Twitter



LATE SPRING 2011 TOUR

May 21 • Solana Beach CA – Belly Up Tavern*
May 22 • Pomona CA – The Glass House*
May 23 • Los Angeles CA – The Music Box*
May 24 • Los Angeles CA – The Music Box*
May 25 • San Francisco CA – The Fillmore*
May 26 • San Francisco CA – The Fillmore*
May 27 • Portland OR – Wonder Ballroom*
May 28 • Vancouver BC – Commodore Ballroom*
May 29 • Seattle WA – Sasquatch Festival
May 31 • Aspen CO – Belly Up Aspen*
Jun 01 • Denver CO – Ogden Theatre*
Jun 02 • Lawrence KS – The Granada Theatre*
Jun 03 • Columbia MO – The Blue Note*
Jun 05 • Houston TX – Free Press Summer Fest
Jun 06 • Detroit MI – Majestic Theatre*
Jun 07 • Toronto ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre*
Jun 08 • Montreal PQ – Club Soda*
Jun 09 • Boston MA – Royale Nightclub*
Jun 16 • Washington DC – 930 Club*
Jun 17 • Philadelphia PA – Trocadero*
Jun 18 • New York NY – Terminal 5*

*With Smith Westerns, Hush Hush




FREE MP3: “O.N.E.” (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “Madder Red (The Golden Filter Remix)” (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “Ambling Alp” (right-click & save)