My new apartment building is called Brooklyn, and it is radical. So radical, my real estate agent is even called ‘Rad’, for reals. Yeasayer are also from Brooklyn, and last week, with a sigh of serendipity and a cup of tea, I settled in for repeated listens to their new album, Odd Blood.
Probably I should have gone with some sort of crazy, fizzy, sherbet beverage, because listening to this is one whacked-out pop journey. This album is sonically glorious and lyrically rich. So many instruments and sounds fill your ears over ten genre-bending tracks, mine were literally buzzing with excitement by the end of it.
The opening song ‘The Children’, with it’s almost clunky piano, ominous beats and vocals that sound like they have been through a paper shredder via Darth Vader’s helmet, had me thinking I was in for one hell of a rollercoaster ride, before swiftly changing tack and depositing me on the ferris wheel, so to speak.
Getting all slow and serious, ‘I Remember’, with Chris Keating on vocals, just about breaks my little heart in two, as does ‘Ambling Alps’. The father to son-esque ode is rousing, sure, but it makes me think of a little boy being bullied in the playground for the Dad to have sung it to him in the first place.
‘O.N.E’ is an early contender for one of my fave songs of the year so far – seriously fun in every respect; melody, beat, rhythm, vocals, lyrics and cowbells. That’s right, cowbells.
All in all, Yeasayer has delivered a strong second album, one that treads a more electronic path than 2007’s All Hour Cymbals, but the multicultural influences are still there, which is what gives Odd Blood such a richly textured and diverse vibe.
Fingers crossed that I haven’t offended anyone too much with this week’s column title; but today’s mini-mix is all about the redheads. Not in jest, but in total, 100% adoring love. I’m what’s known as a “Banger”, or bottle ranga, meaning I have to dye my hair for it to be a beautiful shade of red. I think natural redheads are awesome, and if the little boy in ‘Ambling Alps’ was getting picked on for being a ginger, I’d ninja kick the bully in the nuts.
Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love
Dear anyone, for my birthday this year I would like a giant glittery moon and some leg extensions. Thanks in advance! Katie Dazzle xx
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La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy
She came here once and she’ll come here again! Ms. Jackson, a.k.a La Roux, is Oz bound in March for the Bacardi Express Tour 2010. One can’t help but hope and dream of a secret Sydney sideshow…
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Kate Nash – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
Joy to the world, Kate Nash has a brand spanking new album coming out in mid-late April! Pop tarts for everyone! It’s untitled right at the minute, but you can click here to get a full track listing, and here to get a FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE FIRST SINGLE! She is the nicest thing ever. And she does a pretty swish cover of the Black Kids too. Laters alligators! xx
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