Comprised of Chris Keating (vocals, songwriting and production), Ira Wolf Tuton (vocals, songwriting and production) and Anand Wilder, the New York-based experimental/psych pop/electro pop trio Yeasayer have been blogosphere darlings since playing at SXSW back in 2007 for a sound that meshed elements of Middle Eastern music, gospel and spirituals, Bollywood soundtracks and a variety of other world music. Over the years, the trio have wildly experimented with their sound with their last album 2012’s Fragrant World being their most digitally focused — and most abstract and darkest overall sound.
Interestingly, Amen & Goodbye, the long-awaited follow-up to Fragrant World was recorded to tape at Outlier Inn Studio in Upstate New York has the band moving away from the digital-heavy approach of their previous efforts. The band then asked Joey Waronker, best known for his work as a member of Atoms For Peace and Beck‘s backing band to deconstruct everything to complete the finished album. Reportedly, the album thematically has a loose concept with an underlying narrative informed by religion and spirituality, the search for meaning, and transcendence and the afterlife. And as you’ll hear on the album’s latest single “Silly Me,” manage to pair 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.
The band will be on tour throughout the Spring and Summer and it kicks off with a set at Brooklyn’s House of Vans next week. Check out tour dates below.
Tour Dates
March 16: Brooklyn, NY: House of Vans
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