Yeasayer

Back in 2006, it almost seemed as if Brooklyn's awesome band generating machine might be running out of steam, but then along came Yeasayer to get bloggers, critics and snooty hipsters all jazzed up again. Taking a cue from both old electronic records and a few crates full of African and South American world music albums, Yeasayer wrap up their pop songs in layers of polyrythmic drums and the odd synth blips and bleats, all of which made 2007's All Hour Cymbals something of a revelation. Critics latched on to the world music component, forever linking Yeasayer with fellow African music aficionados like Vampire Weekend, but such a specific take on the band proves limiting. Yeasayer are first and foremost a great, if somewhat unusual, pop act, a revelation made clear on the band's sophomore album, Odd Blood. The band might be speaking from a much more multi-cultural vernacular than most of their peers, but their goal remains a simple and elemental one: to make people dance.