THIS WEEK: BANDS I’LL SEE ON FRIDAY AT THE ‘PALOOZA
“Sunrise“
from the album All Hour Cymbals
2007
iTunes
Yeasayer’s first album is an inviting collection of organic psych-rock that conjures spirits of a desert party. Full of entrancing effects and bouncing rhythms, All Hour Cymbals is both difficult and childlike in its mad carnival vibe. Multi-vocal chants, acoustic flares, and otherworldly sounds create a wonderfully engaging atmosphere.
The Brooklyn band’s supernatural sense of rhythm sets All Hour Cymbals off, allowing their various speeds and intensities to all feel like part of the same flow. The good-tempered backbeat drives the jams while keeping the slower tracks on a coasting tempo.
The album begins with a flickering clapbeat that slowly builds using a pounding kick drum, metallic effects, and wild-eyed vocal track on “Sunrise.“ It eventually melts into a piano-licked chaos that shows off the band’s erratic, but heavy, nature. “Wait for the Summer” is similar, with a danceable rhythm decorated by several shimmering instruments and a melted vocal duet. “2080” combines a gripping ’80s drumbeat with a wash of guitars with agile crooning and shouting that eventually gets the kid treatment.
On the slower tracks of All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer employ similar elements of outdoorsy rhythms and imaginative guitars, sometimes in even stronger doses. The cascading rush of “Germs” might be their most striking. “No Need to Worry” caterpillars along its stark, psychedelic trip. Meanwhile, “Worms” acid-croons along a rolling drum line before finisher “Red Cave” celebrates the shuffle along an Eastern path.
Rhythm might be Yeasayer’s best friend, but the imaginative effects on top of it set it apart. All Hour Cymbals has a thorough cohesion thanks to the seemingly seasoned pros’ ability to expand each track. Their debut is inspired, yet playful, while almost constantly near the point of mind-bending.