It’s always interesting when a band decide to experiment. In a lot of ways, Yeasayer [Twitter/Facebook] have constantly experimented throughout their career, so I wouldn’t be particularly sticking my head above the parapet when I declare that their evolution since 2007’s All Hour Cymbals has been fascinating to watch. Last time out, though, the then-trio (Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder) decided to experiment by writing – gasp – pop music. The result of that push for mainstream attention was that 2010’s Odd Blood was a sensational album, proving that the band could work with more conventional methods to produce the same quality of music.
I was unable to keep from listening to it for long periods of time in early 2010, and it says a lot that I never got burned out on it; indeed, I went back to it before diving into the Fragrant World of the band’s third album, and yes, it is still brilliant. The question that needs to be answered about LP3 is, well, is it as good as its predecessor? I’ve been living with it for about three weeks, and I certainly think so. Even if some may feel that Yeasayer have shifted away from the hyper-immediate music that defined their second album, that accessibility is still there; it’s just not as readily apparent.
They like throwing curveballs, anyway, so what did you expect? Remember how Odd Blood began with the oddly sinister-sounding, pitch-shifted rumble of The Children? You should, because the band (now expanded to a quintet, including Jason Trammell and Ahmed Gallab) have always had a mischievous streak, as well as a liking for keeping their fans on their toes. On the whole, the new record finds them further indulging their love of R&B; there’s plenty of that on offer here, as fans will already have gleaned from the first part of lead single Henrietta, which bursts to life with one of the album’s most direct melodies before taking a deft U-turn near the two-minute mark, a glorious organ line leading into a sky-scraping chorus, backed by plenty of rhythmic invention and some well-placed harmonies.
This sort of schizophrenic approach is elsewhere on the album, too: the cinematic-sounding Blue Paper is guided along by rattling hi-hats and chunky basslines, through two verses and choruses, before suddenly taking a detour and becoming this weird hybrid of gospel, funk and pop, with the band finding the space to throw in all manner of embellishments. One thing that can be said about the album is that it’s a very busy-sounding record; songs like the effortlessly-crafted Longevity and long-standing live favourite Devil And The Deed (the one song which is Fragrant World‘s shot at the pop charts – as strange and cluttered as it sounds, it works brilliantly and has a monster of a hook) have so much going on that they’re difficult to take in on first listen. This sort of gleeful experimentation is what makes the album so consistently thrilling, however.
The stuttering introduction to No Bones leads into a song in which the group put their playful side on display more clearly than arguably anywhere else on the album, sounding like they’re having the time of their lives leading the song through its verses before delivering a humdinger of a chorus (of which there are plenty on here), while the menacing synth bass that opens future single Reagan’s Skeleton is sure to help the song go off in a live setting. Indeed, one wonders at times how different (or otherwise) the new material is going to sound live, but if its studio incarnation is anything to go by, it’ll be hectic and non-stop fun. Even the slow-burning closer Glass of the Microscope is an infectious pop song at heart. Yeasayer can do what they like to obscure their true intentions, but their third album is every bit as triumphant-sounding as what’s come before. Odd Blood was the sound of a band taking a leap into the big leagues; Fragrant World proves that they can make such places their home.
Fragrant World is released on Mute on August 20th.
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