Album Review: Yeasayer - Fragrant World

Yeasayer's latest offering strays away from their previous two albums in terms of melody and likability, offering a minimalist sound with an end result that can only be described as 'thin'. Two years ago, Odd Blood overcame the difficult second album syndrome; unfortunately Fragrant World struggles to reach the same heights.

Opening track Fingers Never Bleed sets the record on a cracking pace with plenty of synthy goodness and a catchy, yet fairly unmemorable melody. Lead single Henrietta begins with plenty of potential but falls a bit short of the mark. Possible standout on the album Devil And The Deed has a cool electro beat, and uses an octave generator to create a glockenspiel-esque, gently undulating sound. However, unlike the previous tracks, it uses its monotony to its advantage. No Bones possesses a stilted, yet glamorous sound. With the use of an omnisphere and electribe, the sound would not be out of place on a space-themed video game. Background vocals from Ira Fox create a creepy haunted-house vibe. At the very end of the album is a remix of Helador Negro, but unfortunately it does not add another dimension to the tune. Reagan's Skeleton is reminiscent of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and Gypsy & The Cat, and is perhaps one of the most energetic and varied songs on the 11-track album.

With this album, the Brooklyn five-piece create an effective minimalist soundscape, but as well as being fairly simple, it is also quite an ominous and claustrophobic sound. The rest of the album dissolves into a fluid, yet somewhat monotonous, series of songs. For a band that seems to attract very mixed opinions, it will be up to the fans to decide if it is a success or not.