Has anyone noticed that music seems to have gotten weirder in the last few years? This is by no means a complaint, merely an observation. In keeping with the trend started with bands like Animal Collective, Gang Gang Dance and, of course, the Flaming Lips, Yeasayer’s Odd Blood is a wild trip into the strange, the psychedelic and, ultimately, the melodic.
Odd Blood is all about the little details. The bulk of the album seems to draw heavy influence from 1980s pop. Wrapped in a haze of odd, soaring, high-pitched vocals, it’s the heart-pounding drums on tracks like “Madder Red” and “Ambling Alp” that add that special extra something to the mix. The group manages to blend in unconventional sounds with almost prog-rock like guitar bits.
On the other hand, Yeasayer also strays nicely from the 1980s sound so heavily employed on their album with songs like “Love Me Girl,” which employs some lovely piano riffs, techno-y drums beats and auto-tune that won’t make you gag, to create a rich soundscape with more of a modern twist.
One weak spot on their album is that the band does get a little carried away sometimes with how their songs progress. “Rome,” for instance, is enjoyable, but a little on the cracked-out side. They could have taken out a couple of instruments and slowed it down for a much more listener-friendly experience.
As mentioned before, it’s clear that people have been getting funky with their music in the last few years and in most cases, that’s fine. However, the term experimental is getting a little overused at this point. What sets Odd Blood apart from the pack is its careful blend of off-kilter sounds woven into fairly traditional song structures and harmonies. This winning combination makes their music interesting yet accessible, a feat that is often overshot in a misguided attempt to sound original. Yeasayer has proved that music can be unique without sounding like a garbage disposal full of hippies.