In the pre-Vampire Weekend era (i.e., last month), indie world-rock was getting made most smartly by Brooklyn's Yeasayer. The group combines thumping non-Western rhythms with quite Western (read: hipster) fragile vocals. Impressively, it's NY world-tinged art-rock that doesn't ape David Byrne.
YEASAYER’S components are four, with each one a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and chanter. Founded by half of a barbershop quartet, then followed by the rhythm, YEASAYER is a tight brotherhood undisrupted by external forces. Live, the four bring out the boogie, radiating heat waves and rhythms. Songs once laid to tape are constantly restructured and reworked, show to show, for a new experience. First slated as a Monitor release, our bath of renewal brought forth thoughts and ideas. A change will do you good…right? Enter the WE ARE FREE group, the new label and management project created by Jason Foster of Monitor. WE ARE FREE will be the first home for YEASAYER’S “ALL HOUR CYMBALS” and subsequent releases. After mountains of anticipation, sooth-saying chanters YEASAYER have released their spellbinding debut, ‘All Hour Cymbals’ via We Are Free.