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Yeasayer: Odd Blood

Secretly Canadian

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BY Chris Bilton   February 03, 2010 21:02

Editorial Rating:

Brooklyn’s Yeasayer is one of the many bands in the latter part of the last decade to make a significant splash in the blog pool by pairing an arresting sound with danceable beats. But on their sophomore disc, Odd Blood, their earworms’ production-heavy hooks and insistent grooves go right for the jugular. Packed with ’80s synths and drum programming, as well as vocals that alternate between Animal Collective-esque yelping, Depeche Mode’s cool and the casual crooning of Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth, the band seems as though it’s trying to capitalize on everything that defined the late-2000s aesthetic. Sure, it’s shameless, but it works. “O.N.E” and “Ambling Alp” are certified dancefloor fare, a theme throughout the album that hits a fever pitch with the exuberant “Rome.” A huge improvement over the obvious weirdness of All Hour Cymbals, Odd Blood is a near-perfect blend of art-damaged sugar pop.

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