Yeasayer @ Òran Mór, 17 Feb

Article by Dave Kerr | 22 Feb 2010

Having shed their ‘Enya with bounce’ mantra to become ‘Depeche Mode on peyote,’ as facelifts go Yeasayer have undergone more than a little nip and tuck since 2007’s All Hour Cymbals. As if announcing this renewal of aesthetic purpose, the icy echo of Q Lazzarus’ Goodbye Horses ushers the Baltimore-via-Brooklyn trio – tonight fleshed out as a five-piece – onto a stage lit like a neon karaoke booth.

Clearly liberated in their embrace of euphoric pop cheddar and squelchy euro house, there’s no danger of a limb staying still. Sure, The Children crawls out of the speaker like a legless Terminator from a hydraulic press, but it’s the most downbeat thing they’ll play all night. Soon we've got Tightrope – taken from last year’s all-star Dark Was the Night compilation – making a welcome appearance, a firm middle ground between their debut’s infatuations with tribal percussion and Odd Blood’s ‘synthesizers gone wild’ predilection. But it’s the epic oriental vibe of Madder Red – helmed by Anand Wilder's lilting vocal – and the arms aloft glory of Love Me Girl which attest that this about-turn might ultimately prove to be Yeasayer's best foot forward. [Dave Kerr]

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