So I'm listening to Yeasayer's All Hour Cymbals, and my first reaction is to get annoyed at how much they rip off Peter Gabriel.* But then I remember kinda feeling the same way when I first heard TV On The Radio, and they went on to become recent favorites truly respected by me. The primary difference is that the first TVotR track I heard was "Staring At The Sun," which even with the vocal and stylistic nod to Gabriel was pretty astonishing.So I've learned not to jump to immediate conclusions. At the same time, Yeasayer seems to be missing the layered complexity TVotR has, and they certainly don't have the soul. That much is apparent even at this early juncture. And here's what I guess kind of bothers me most; I don't think Yeasayer would exist without TVotR, and bands that mimic other bands that are nearly their contemporaries always rub me the wrong way.
So I'm still holding back my final judgment, but at this juncture I've got to say the band's fighting an uphill battle to gain my allegiance. I mean, I sort of enjoy them, but can't figure out why everyone else seems to be going apeshit for 'em. Only time will tell.
MP3: Yeasayer "Sunrise"
*Though, to be fair, I'm beginning to hear more David Byrne than Gabriel in Yeasayer, which actually isn't helping since the last band to rip off Byrne so raised my ire.
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