yeasayer

Words by Dillon "Banana Nut Pancakes" Lamb | Photos by Anna "Hash Browns" Vernon

Holy Shit! People still go to shows in Dallas?!? These were my first thoughts as I arrived at the Yeasayer gig at the Granada. I knew the show had sold out, but I suppose it did not hit me until I saw a line snaking around the building for will call. A packed house seemed appropriate for Yeasayer, a band who seem to have all the ingredients for taking off in a major way. Their first release, All Hour Cymbals, garnered comparisons to other mystic-dancepop darlings Animal Collective and TV on the Radio, while their latest, Odd Blood, is lighter on the critical praise and heavier on the shake-your-ass.

It was hard to know what specifically to expect from this show considering the many stylistic differences from the Yeas’ first to second discs. Would they continue to forsake the more organic, tribal dance sound of All Hour Cymbals? Would this Brooklyn three-piece prove to be Dave Gahan’s progeny?

Read the rest of the review after the jump.

One thing that has come to bother me about our city's music scene over the years is that bands will come through one of our small venues such as Walter's, play a well receptive set to a packed room, then altogether skip Houston for several years to follow. When these bands do actually make it back, it's after a huge swell in their growth, and they end up playing much larger and less personal venues such as House of Blues. One band that most recently did this exact thing was Brooklyn indie-freaksters Yeasayer. They came through with MGMT (another band currently in the same situation, coming to HoB soon...) back in January 2008, and haven't been to Houston since. Yes, they've played Austin on numerous occasions, Dallas as well, but for some reason we didn't make the grade. Maybe because we're lacking a non-corporate venue that is between Walter's and HoB in size, and has a certain indie draw? Hopefully the new Warsaw (formerly The Engine Room) will help us out there.

Despite the two-plus year absence from the Bayou City, I still welcomed them back with open arms, and walked into their show excited to hear them showcase their new material. Check out more from the show after the jump.

Yet another night spent in Omaha at the Slowdown on April 19th, 2008. The night was sure to be an interesting one with some experimental rock provided by Yeasayer out of Brooklyn, NY. Following them was Man Man, who could only add to the madness with their gypsy styled grooves out of Philadelphia, PA. I have had the chance to check out both of their studio releases, particularly Man Man, as they have been on the scene for some time. After knowing what both of these acts were all about, I thought that it would be interesting to see them live. The complexity of each of these acts seemed as if it would be a great one two punch.

Chris Keating, Luke Fasona and Ira Wolf Tuton of Yeasayer

Man Man

Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, The Raconteurs, Wilco and Kanye West are all set to headline the 2008 edition of Perry Farrell's brainchild, Lollapalooza. Also on the bill are Lolla-alumni Gnarls Barkley, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, G. Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler and Mates of State. Other acts set to appear are Bloc Party, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Girl Talk, Kid Sister, Office, the Cool Kids, Battles, MGMT, Yeasayer, Jamie Lidell and Grizzly Bear (who will be opening up for Radiohead on the second half of their tour).

The full line-up after the jump!

If you ever find yourself perusing the internet with no specific destination, and are in the mood for the most creative, original music videos that you could ever see, head on over to La Blogotheque to get your fix. This Parisian music blog looks like it would be a great read, but unfortunately my French comprehension skills are currently at a second grade level. Merci beaucoup is pretty much all I know (I have to admit that I even googled the spelling and babel-fished this post's title). Fortunately for us non-French-speaking people their videos do all of the talking.

#87.1 - Yeasayer - No need to worry / Redcave

Check out some of my favorite Blogotheque videos after the jump.

Click the BOTheads below to listen to this week's highlighted tracks:

Pancakes: Ralph Stanley & Patty Loveless - Pretty Polly
Eggs: Yo La Tengo - Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind
Cereal: Sia - The Girl You Lost To Cocaine
Toast: Yeasayer - Waves

Just recently got into this percussion oriented group out of Brooklyn. I definitely recommend checking them out, as they are now on tour with Man Man.

The second annual Mess With Texas party is set to take place on Saturday, March 15th in Austin at Waterloo Park. It will feature many of today's up-and-coming and established indie acts that will be in Austin for SxSW. Leading the bill are the recently re-united Breeders, punk rock mainstays NOFX, Canadian folksters Islands and English electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco. The musicians are also going to be sharing the stages with many of today's headlining comedians including Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, Brian Posehn and Human Giant (Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer). The best part about this event is that it is FREE!

Check out the full lineup after the jump

Today the SxSW Music Conference announced their full list of showcasing artists. There are hundreds and hundreds of acts that are going to be making their way to Austin next month for the world renowned multi-media conference. I included the full list after the break for any of you music nerds who need to read every band (like me). For those of you who just want to see some highlights, check out the tags for this post. Also, for all of you Houston readers, I went ahead and bolded all of the bands that are coming from the Bayou City (congrats guys!).

2008 Showcasing Artists for the SxSW Music Conference:

This is a big time for bands that fall under the umbrella we like to call indie-rock. People are sick of the same old thing on the radio, or on that certain music television channel we all love to hate. More and more people are now searching out music that they can't find on the Billboard Top 200 (or top 2000 for that matter). One of the major reasons for this is the ever-growing popularity of the independent music scene. This growth is particularly evident in types of bands we are now seeing at all of your major music festivals. I am pretty sure that I can speak for Cereal, Doughnut and Coffee when I say this: I have been eating this damn indie-rock thing up. I can't get enough of it! I used to be excited when I heard that a band like Umphrey's McGee or Particle was going to be in the area. Not that I don't now, but in my new indie-rock-discovery-mode I wouldn't think twice about skipping them to go see The National or Yo La Tengo. Fortunately, I did not have to miss another band on Sunday, January 20th when Walter's On Washington played host to MGMT and Yeasayer, two of Brooklyn's finest new offerings to the indie music scene.

Check out the review, pictures and video from the show