song performed: “2080” from the album All Hour Cymbals
conan’s reaction: “hey, liked that *shakes bass hand*  hey, nice job *shakes anand hand*  that was fantastic *shakes guitar hand*  that’s my favorite song in a long time. yeasayer everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back.  *fade off* that’s great. *pats anand’s back*”I can’t help but compare these guys to animal collective to begin with.  Tonight’s song starts with a similar sound machine.  But quickly the song takes a turn from dreamy psychadelical to rhythmic euro rock.  leadman anand (?) sings with the hollow tunes of a Mark Hollis from Talk Talk but a bit more spastic.  He’s on stage with bassist, drummer, and rhtythm machine/guitarist.

It starts to dawn on me after a new intro that this band may be trying too hard to be odd.  Things start with Anand’s loud as a car accident-inthe-daylight shirt. Then I start noticing all of the props.  Round flashing lightbulbs surround oddly heightened tables that hold the instruments.  Anand looks like a girly court reporter punching sound effects to the beat.  There is a giant inflated wishbone looking thing, and then three back-up singers that are all in teal tees and uh…don’t move. when they do move it is by robot movements only.  I thought they were inflato dolls at first.   That is odd for show, not for odd.

Then it becomes a bit clearer.  The song breaks and ala MAN MAN, all of the guys on stage start chanting loud to some lyrics.  The song has a neat eastern syncopated rhythm to it, although by the end I start to feel that these guys from Brooklyn are a new wave Aussie group.

playing:
3.12 la zona rosa - austin