Yeasayer, the New York-based experimental/psych/electro pop trio comprised of Chris Keating (vocals, songwriting and production), Ira Wolf Tuton (vocals, songwriting and production) and Anand Wilder have been blogosphere darlings for the better part of a decade for a difficult to pigeonhole sound that possesses elements of Middle Eastern music, gospel and spirituals, Bollywood soundtracks and a variety of other world music genres, as well as psych pop, electro pop and others — and perhaps more important for a now, long-held reputation for relentless experimentation. In fact, the trio’s last effort 2012’s Fragrant World possesses the most digitally-leaning, most abstract and darkest overall sound.
Recorded to tape at Outlier Inn Studio in Upstate New York, Amen & Goodbye, the long-awaited follow-up to the critically applauded Fragrant World reportedly has the band moving away from the digital-heavy sound and approach of their previous efforts. Then the members the New York-based trio asked Joey Waronker, best known as a member of Atoms for Peace and Beck‘s backing band to deconstruct everything they recorded to complete the finished album. Interestingly, as the band mentions in press notes, the album thematically speaking has a loose concept with an underlying narrative informed by religion and spirituality, the search for meaning, and transcendence and the afterlife. Now, earlier this month, I wrote about “Silly Me,” a single that had the members of Yeasayer pairing an infectiously upbeat and breezy melody with shimmering synths, down tuned strummed guitar, skittering drum programming and an anthemic hook with deeply introspective lyrics that give the song a heft that belies it’s ethereal and playful nature — all while sounding like the material MGMT sound have made after Oracular Spectacular. Amen & Goodbye‘s latest single “Gerson’s Whistle” may arguably be the most In Ghost Colours-era Cut Copy-leaning single on the entire album as the band pairs a trippy, bubblegum psych pop and anthemic hooks with propulsive boom-bap electro pop and prog rock. Structurally, the song defies familiar or predictable song structures — the song is comprised of about four distinct sections held together by the trio’s sense of harmony and melody.
The band will be on tour throughout the Spring and Summer. Check out tour dates below.
Tour Dates
May 12: Portland, ME: Port City Music Hall
May 13: Boston, MA: Paradise Rock Club
May 16: Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
May 17: Philadelphia, PA: Union Transfer
May 19: Asheville, NC: The Orange Peel
May 20: Atlanta, GA: Shaky Beats Music Festival
May 21: Nashville, TN: Exit/In
May 22: Detroit, MI: The Majestic Theatre
May 23: Chicago, IL: Lincoln Hall
May 24: Minneapolis, MN: First Avenue
May 27: George, WA: Sasquatch Music Festival
May 28: Canada: Vancouver, BC: Imperial Vancouver
May 29: Portland, OR: Wonder Ballroom
May 31: San Francisco, CA: The Fillmore
June 1: Los Angeles, CA: The Fonda Theatre
June 2: San Diego, CA: The Observatory North Park
June 3: Santa Ana, CA: The Observatory
June 10: UK: London: Oslo
June 11: UK: London: Field Day Festival in Victoria Park, Main Stage
June 12: Belgium: Gent: Handelsbeurs
June 14: Norway: Oslo: Parkteatret
June 15: Norway: Bergen: Bergenfest
June 17: Denmark: Aarhus: Northside Festival
June 19: Netherlands: Beekse Bergen, Best Kept Secret Festival
June 20: Switzerland: Lausanne: Les Docks
June 21: Italy: Marina Di Ravenna: Hana Bi
June 22: Croatia: Zagreb, INmusic Festival
June 24: Germany: Scheeßel: Hurricane Festival
June 25: Germany: Neuhausen: Southside Festival
