Album Review: Yeasayer - Fragrant World

Yeasayer
Fragrant World
Rating: Woof Daddy

On their 2007 debut album All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer epitomized the height of Brooklyn hipster cool, merging all sorts of world music genres into a surprisingly cohesive mix of dancey electronic pop. 2010's Odd Blood found them trying to expand upon that sound, and while featuring some really great tracks, seemed to be a little too much too soon, as if their vision was greater than their abilities. On their third album Fragrant World it feels like those abilities have finally coalesced, delivering 11 tracks that each stand on their own and also function as a whole, seamlessly flowing together.

Working more from a electronic bent, Fragrant World is a swirling mix of gorgeous electronic atmospheres, hooky synth lines, dense drum programming and percussion, and tweaked and pitch shifted vocals. This change in direction is immediate from first track "Fingers Never Bleed" where drum pads seem to replace more traditional percussion, synths bubble up in the mix, and Chris Keating's distinctive vocals are stretched and twisted throughout. Interesting Middle Eastern flourishes propel the track which is another classic Yeasayer anthem.



From there, the tracks veer between more thoughtful mid-tempo numbers to all out synth rave-ups. The first peeks at the record seemed to indicate that it was going to be a more moody record. "Longevity" slides along a dubbish beat and low end heaviness. Keating's vocals triple-tracked and bent into all sorts of shapes, imploring "live in the moment/never count on longevity.



Likewise, "Henrietta," while boasting a more forceful reggae-esque beat, is still more thoughtful and introspective. The delightful synth hook buoyed by whooshes of underlying synths and treated guitars, and a haunting synth breakdown in the middle.



But just when you expect each track to follow the same path, they throw in some more upbeat jams, like the whip-lash funk of "Devil and the Deed," which explodes at the chorus,



the buzzy synth-pop of "Reagan's Skeleton,"



and the deceptively lowkey start of "Damaged Goods" quickly morphs into another liquid art-funk jam.



Of course, Yeasayer's bread and butter are the more experimental tracks, which surprisingly here never veer too far from a more pop bent, which keeps everything grounded. "No Bones" ricochets scraping synth patches and samples off one another in a brutal art-funk haze,



"Folk Hero Schtick" flows flute samples over a murky soup of bass blurts and electronic burbles,



and "Blue Paper" adds a more thoughtful, measured pace, the synths building and crashing over a delicate vocal.



It all comes to a brilliant end with the concluding track "Glass on the Microscope," Keating's voice almost twisted into unrecognizable shapes, slipping within a oceanic tide of liquid electronics.



So far, 2012 is hitting the ball out of the park with amazing music. After the relative disappointment of Odd Blood, Fragrant World is a huge leap in the right direction for Yeasayer. Showing a phenomenal mastery of their songcraft, Fragrant World easily jumps in league with the best albums of the year.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.