Yeasayer - ICA, London - 6/3/08
4/5
By: Dan Monsell
A fellow rockfeedbacker recently remarked (in a report from SXSW) that Yeasayer share so much common ground with Animal Collective that they owe the band a sizeable chunk of rent. Others of us at RFB certainly see such a comparison, but also happen to think this band are one of the most innovative and accomplished bands that we've seen this or any other year. If we're not careful, it could all come down to fists...
When we first saw Yeasayer a couple of months back, their brand of grunged-up tribal rock music got us hooked big time. It was hard to say what it was, but we certainly knew that we liked it. A lot.
Being one of the only bands that should probably be seen in a venue as big as possible, tonight the ICA feels small enough to be your living room. Yeasayer create an absolutely massive sound, and it's one that should probably be admired in a stadium the size of a canyon.
All this doesn't stop us loving our shackles being shaken by their space-age sounds in a smaller space, however. Using just a few keyboards, drum pads and the traditional band set-up, the band make colossal waves of harmonious sound. Tracks start with wonderful, futuristic hums, and songs just seem to find themselves within them.
Art-rock, tribal-indie or Animal Collective labels aside, this isn't as wildly experimental as many would have you believe. Other noticeable comparisons (Peter Gabriel or Soundgarden if they went a bit electronica perhaps?) seem to have shown them that, when it all comes down to it, it's still all about the easily digestible popular song. What really grabs you is the melody: the incredible Crosby Stills and Nash inspired four-way vocal harmonies, the lush flower power of Ira Wolf Tuton's guitar, and all manner of mystical layers of keyboard sounds. It's these that really make this band such a wonderful proposition. This is deep, eyes-closed melody. I'm not proud to admit it, but there was swaying.
That said, tonight's set closes with what can only really be described as a tribal-style freak-out, as the band are joined onstage by members of support act, Dragons of Zynth. It's a noisy mess that still manages to hold it all together, with each participant ensuring that the euphoric melody still comes out on top. Bassists end up on the floor, arms are raised, and I'm pretty sure some members of the crowd spoke in tongues at one point. For all their greatness, Yeasayer are just a band. But they are so very, very good. Tonight their fantastic songs and wondrous, layered and beautiful sounds simply knock us down with their unspeakable quality. In short, we're big fans.
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