Sunday, April 24, 2011

Yeasayer - End Blood EP review

Yeasayer released an EP (more like a single) consisting of two previously unreleased songs for Record Store Day back on April 16th.  The band had this to say:

"We are releasing these two tracks to purge our brains and make way for new sounds/ideas."

The two songs are called "Swallowing the Decibels" and "Phoenix Wind", both of which can be heard below.  Apparently these songs were written during the Odd Blood recording sessions, but were left unfinished, that is, until now.  Upon listening to the tracks, one can easily imagine them being included on Odd Blood.  Despite the similarity in sound, neither song is particularly interesting or strong in comparison, which may explain why they were left off in the first place.

"Swallowing the Decibels" is an eerie, slow burning song completely with the heavy electronic accents that came to define Odd Blood.  "Phoenix Wind" is like listening to Yeasayer underwater, or in slow motion.  The vocals undulate like a slow rolling tide against the backdrop of a lazily plucked guitar riff.  This release is a companion piece to Odd Blood (hence the title, End Blood), however at the same time it posies some questions about the direction Yeasayer may take in the future.  Their debut saw the band experimenting with world sounds and indie pop, whereas their second effort was more accessible and electronic.  Will Yeasayer further redefine their sound?  It remains to be seen.

Yeasayer - End Blood by Stereo/Pirate

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