Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Yeasayer gig w/ support acts Hush Hush, and Smith Westerns
Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, Canada, 10.30 pm
Opening with Madder Red, Anand Wilder’s hauntingly hazy hurt of “it’s getting hard to keep pretending I’m worth your time” juxtaposed with the cheery dance anthem reverberated above and within the crowd. Who could only answer “hells to the yea-h!”
The self-confessed “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel” Brooklyn bois prove they are worth much more to the sold-out venue last night. Yeasayer’s choose-your-own-genre-adventure set [sometimes said by Wilder to be “pop music” for simplicity’s sake] had the crowd in the palm of their hand, which so happened to be the dance floor of the Phoenix.
Hey boisos.
United we stand…
Empirical and lyrical floor-ready beats coupled with psychedelic falsetto ranges invigorated and set charge to the humid energy of Toronto. With the absence of a traditional ‘lone frontman with sex appeal for the whole band’, one might lose each band member in the sonic psychedelic drawls from the multitude of instruments on stage. But each Yeasayer held their own – Ira Wolf Tuton, oddly clad in a black hoodie provocatively unzipped down his chest who said “every other gig I wore a wifebeater”, upsurged the crowd with his bass chords. Keyboardist, Chris Keating, more casually and appropriately rocked an outfit of a tshirt, jeans and sideways turned mic for his raw yet processed nasally vocals. And Wilder just got hotter despite changing from t-shirt to a maroon singlet, from guitar to boards, vocalising and equalising greatness.
Hood-star.
Stand-out sounds
Drummer, Jason Trammell, didn’t dress to impress in a white tee and cap but certainly drummed to impress! And this is what I love about Yeasayer. Their experimental sounds lend their hand and ear to a snappy combo of sounds, like snare and cowbell [in Sunrise] and maracas against cymbals. I know, I know. Freaking awesome. Forget drumsticks when you have percussion on percussion, not to mention Keating beating a tambourine on the crash at times to emphasise a rising bridge. The other member who I will assume is Bommel [or Ahmed Gallab] deserves a head nod as well.
Percussion!
Switch v Switch
Yeasayer played their music and expressed their words in juxtapositions that the fans have come to accept but simultaneously not knowing what to expect. Mondegreen got jacked up to a few more bpms. The intros from 2007’s All Hour Cymbals and 2010’s Odd Blood were so mashed-up it took a bit to recognise favourite songs. Confusing? It is, but in a good way. They also threw in a couple of new unreleased songs “even though we don’t have a new album but we’re working on it”. See the set list below for the titles.
Anand was a lil bit elusive for pics.
And this is testament to the progressiveness of Yeasayer – their switching beats make you feel and think, and then think again, and then almost automatically turn those emotions and thoughts upside down and back again. Switching yet so seamless when you allow yourself to be drawn in the lullabies of their electro echo. And you know you will because you can’t help it. Wilder once said Yeasayer liked playing with juxtapositions. Harmonised vocals? More like computer processed vocals. Chippy 80’s love song called O.N.E? More like a love song for The One who, thank god, got away…she was called alcohol. Grizelda make you think of a Cinderella-like fairy tale? Oh, this time you’re correct, it is a fairy tale…about a Miami drug murder.
All the pretty colours.
The NY caste are a bit of a juxtaposition too. They look deep, dark and brooding, but they are extremely polite chaps. Complimenting the beautiful women in Toronto [won 2 points] but then specifying them as Canadians [lost 32849234 points, what about the Australians???!]. Constantly thanking the supports of “sexual” Hush Hush and the “really beautiful” Smith Westerns. [Again, any mention of beautiful, sexual, really beautiful Australians, huh? Huh? I’m still tallying points here!] Including a stage diver in the set by singing towards him, not complaining when he got in the middle between Keating’s keyboards and Tuton’s bass, and definitely not forgetting him by saying after the song: “It’s always guys who do that, not girls.” [… Still waiting for reference to beautiful Australian girls, oh, okay, I’ll let that ship sail. All the way back to Australia. SIGH.]
Atypical archetypes
One typical thing Yeasayer did do was state Ambling Alp as their last song, when clearly it wasn’t. The lights were off, typical encore clapping starts, foot stamping. Lo and behold, what a surprise, the boys come back after 30 secs off stage! Big props to Keating acknowledging [in Tame Impala fashion] that “encores are stupid, aren’t they?”
FYI I am disappointed they didn’t play Love Me Girl. I thought for sure this would be the encore/finale! Sad face. I get no love, not even in song form.
Everybody say yea.
The Brooklyn bois gave it all they got with a new song as encore and 2080 as the finale. The energy never tiring throughout their entire set, the vocals never trying more than was needed without being nonchalant. They were in the moment. Their anthemic lyrics of 2080 reached a particular poignant point – this may be Yeasayer’s last tour for quite a while [presumably to record this new album they keep banging on about]:
So don’t look ahead, never look ahead
It’s a new year, I’m glad to be here
It’s a fresh spring, so let’s sing
Good set – yea or nay?
The yeas(ayer) have it.
[Check out the opener "Madder Red" taken at actual gig by Heyo0077.]
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65iYxTPqS8g
Set list
Song shout-out to Sunrise.
The Children [intro]
Madder Red
Tightrope
Henrietta [new song]
One
Devil and the Deed [new song]
Mondegreen [liked the sound on this!]
Rome
Wait For The Summer
Grizelda
Sunrise
Ambling Alp
Demon Road [new song] [encore!]
2080 [finale!]
Support site
Only saw long-haired and bearded Hush Hush’s last song, where he was gyrating in his gitches with a gold necklace. Oh, he did that throughout his entire support set? Okie-dokie.
Chicago outfit, Smith Westerns, smoked it, though the crowd [except one] didn’t match the quality of their set with its enthusiasm. Loved the spotlight on drummer, Hal James, in the middle of the stage where drummers belong [on a raised platform of course]! Though preferred not to look at him, as his demeanor did not give his grooves and flowing drum fills justice. He clutched his sticks like a gold-digger’s grip on her 90 year old husband’s oxygen tank, making me wonder how they rolled so effortlessly over the toms. His facial expression, when you could see it through his curly locks falling into his face, was one of concentrated apathy. I never saw anything more difficult than someone trying so hard not to look like they were trying so hard. Phew! Yeasayer were correct – the Omori brothers, Cullen and Cameron, were so cute.
