Brooklyn experimental psych-pop band Yeasayer made their way through the Paradise this past Friday night and delivered an inspiring set that distinguishes them from the few contemporaries they once emerged alongside.
It takes a second to think of any other band that might be similar to Yeasayer. Their sound is so distinctive that anyone who has heard them before could easily pinpoint a new song of theirs. When they gained an initial buzz back in 2009-10 with progressive dancey oddball pop songs like “Sunset,” “Ambling Up” and the now indie classic “One,” they might have been indirectly lumped in with other experimental groups (Animal Collective, MGMT) coming out of Brooklyn at the time. Seven years and three records later Yeasayer are still churning out weird, interesting, yet not overthought alt-pop songs, pushing them out onto their own island of musical wonder and appreciation.
Yeasayers persistence since being penned one of internets most buzzed about bands, however much criticized, analyzed, or ridiculed, could never be argued against the evolution of their dynamic live show. This is a major nod at a time when manipulating the sounds of a transcendent record in the studio doesn’t always translate well to the stage. The stage is indeed where Yeasayer takes a consistent turn away from their peers in not just recreating their studio ambience but elevating their pocketed electro pop sound to a full on, dare I say, fun rock show. Friday night Yeasayer was out in support of their fourth studio album Amen and Goodbye, a somewhat of a concept album that they self described as “collection of strange fables from the Bible of a universe that does not yet exist” yet. Its loftiness in approach makes it easy to critique, but at the end of the day sounds simply like more Yeasayer. For the fans that packed the Paradise and squished up to the front in anticipation of their set, this is fairly obvious and a good thing.
The stage design featured lit stand up cut outs from their very Tim Burton meets Sergeant Peppers album cover inspired by renowned sculptor David Altmejd. Three piece opening band Young Magic, also from Brooklyn, played around the set. Grounded by two drummers, one on a straight kit, the other with drum machine with added percussive elements, Young Magic pinned interplay between the two drummers against spacey dreamscapes vocals . The onslaught of drum work juxtaposed against the subtle bass lines and brushed airy reverb soaked vocals and lightly strummed guitar of charismatic singer Melati Malay. Hints of Phantogram emerged at some points when Malay got peppy, almost rapping some verses against the thumping beats, but their formula never strayed too far from worldly electro-synthesizer-less dream pop.
From the very beginning of Yeasayer’s set, songs like “Half Asleep” and “Cold Night” immediately made Amen and Goodbye worthy of a listen, or second listen for fans driven to the show to rehear their early career staples. Mid-song comments like “this must be a new one” were rampant but never jaded. The band set up around their freak-show stage was un-ironically in the shape of “Y” with lead vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating directly in front of their new drummer, and bassist Ira Wolf Tuton, and singer/guitarist Arnand Wilder tiered to his left and right. “Sunrise” and “2080” songs from 2007’s All Hour Cymbals made up the middle part of the set and represented early songs that Yeasayer earned their Middle Eastern sounding branding from. More tidbits of material from Amen and Goodbye followed with the only waning song of the night “Divine Simulacrum” and the bouncy “Dead Sea Scrolls.” “Tightrope” was a mid-set breath of fresh air fan favorite, and the set closed with lead Amen and Goodbye single “I Am Chemistry” that represented just how much Yeasayer can take a somewhat flat song in the studio and light a flame under live. The catchy kids choir bridge melted perfectly back into the chorus that didn’t seam nearly as washed out as it does on the record.
All seemed to be feverishly awaiting “O.N.E” for the encore, but would have to endure three songs starting with sleepy “Uma” first if only to build up tension. Then “Silly Me,” the second single off of Amen and Goodbye, and the perhaps second most plain old fun song of Yeasayer’s catalogue made everyone forget about “One” for a hot minute and got the entire crowd, borderline running man, dancing. The interestingly awkward beat of “Ambling Up” followed suit and seemed to start off rusty before Keating managed to get the entire crowd to sing along to the final chorus lines. Then, finally, “O.N.E.” which however overstated is clearly and by far Yeasayer’s most noteworthy and defining song. Emotional closed eye sing alongs proved that just about everyone in the audience had connected with the feel good break up vibes that permeate the lyrics of “O.N.E.” at one point or another in their lives.
In the end, however much of a critical lens you want to dissect Yeasayer’s newest studio effort with, its easy to see Yeasayer shines brightest in the live setting. Their ability to continue to carve out a place for themselves in the changing musical landscape that they might no longer be trending in relies on the simple fact that Yeasayer’s shows are a lot of fun, and if given more space than the Paradise had to offer, turn into total dance parties. At a time in our culture where everyone seems to be very serious about everything, our politics, our music, or lives, a Yeasayer show offers a sense of escapism that just might be the remedy many of us need to well, get a little silly to.