Bands: Nephew

Albums We Like: Fragrant World - Yeasayer

How do you explain a musical style you've never experienced before? 
It's like listening to a new-found color. 

Fragrant World is an album for listeners who believe the word genre is synonymous with prison. You'll definitely find flavors of Miike Snow, The Glitch Mob, Peter Gabriel, Ratatat, David Bowie, and other eclectic tribal-ness throughout the album.

TOP TRACK: Longevity

Yeasayer is Longevity. The song spans about five genres in just over three minutes, with a strange mix in vocal style of Michael Jackson and Depeche Mode. It's such a unique sound, and Yeasayer has capitalized on it.

The album starts off conservatively with Fingers Never Bleed, which is a great groove, again with that 80s-esque vocal punch. By the third track you're standing between a middle-eastern 808 drum, rock and roll, and STOMP. It's almost as if Yeasayer knows they're going out on a musical limb, and are trying to ease us into their latest sound.

I was pleasantly surprised with the final track Glass of the Microscope. I was expecting another cacophony of random clicks and slams that seemed to inspire the album, but instead I was treated with a reigned-in, sophisticated ballad. While still staying true to their distinct sound, Yeasayer uses this final track to reassure us that they can still pull at our heartstrings. I think I enjoy this track so much because it was such an unexpected conclusion to the album, like the band's final exhalation whispering "Goodbye for now, thank you for listening". Think tribal Imogen Heap for this song.

With an album so original as Fragrant World, it's reassuring to know there is still direction left to go in a modern musical world plagued with remixes and recycled material. There has never been an album like this before, and for a band as sonically evolved as Yeasayer, I have a feeling they're already exploring the depths of other sounds we've never heard, too busy to give us more of the same.