The Brooklyn-based band Yeasayer describes its sound as "Middle Eastern-Psych-Pop-Snap-Gospel." It's already been labeled the latest in a line of indie acts working in the long shadow cast by the highly influential collaboration between Brian Eno and David Byrne in the late '70s and early '80s. Yet, among Eno/Bryne's sonic progeny, Yeasayer has offered one of the most impressive takes on Byrne's haunted robotic gospel, as well as the pair's love affair with world music.
Yeasayer's standout first single, "2080," gained recognition early in 2007, and attracted comparisons with the similarly hyped work of TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear, and Animal Collective.
The band's debut, All Hour Cymbals, builds upon the style and tone set by "2080." The disc is packed with similar themes: modern man lyrically and musically at odds with primitive spiritualism, filtered through an entrancing wall of layered electronic effects. Yeasayer's prominent sense of dread lends the album a memorable dramatic punch. Its dystopian sensibility, international range of sounds, and smart, chic nod to the some of most respected innovators of '80s new wave and post-punk music results in a memorably stirring entry into the budding genre of indie-rock world music.
Copyright 2008 XPN