CD of The Week

Yeasayer - Amen & Goodbye (Mute)

Four albums into their career, Yeasayer have cemented their spot alongside bands like Animal Collective and MGMT as the psychedelic standard bearers of the current indie rock scene. On their fourth record, Amen & Goodbye, the trio doesn't break any new ground but continue to stake out their corner of this universe.

Lead single 'I Am Chemistry' takes a few listens to sink its teeth into you, and is surprisingly not about taking drugs, but a critique of chemical warfare. It also features a fairly left-field cameo from Suzzy Roche of the folk rock trio The Roches, singing the bridge that sounds like a choir of children. The new single 'Silly Me' is catchy, funky and among their best tunes.

Other highlights throughout Amen & Goodbye include the folk-ish 'Half Asleep' and 'Dead Sea Scrolls' with its 'ba-ba-ba' hooks and great bass work. Speaking of the bass, Ira Wolf Tuton does his best Peter Hook impression, channeling New Order on 'Cold Night.' Props to Yeasayer for working the AV Club-originated term 'manic pixie dream girl' into 'Divine Simulacrum,' which may be a lyrical first for anybody. And if you're wondering who 'Gerson' is in the song 'Gerson's Whistle,' it appears to be a reference to Max Gerson, a physician who developed a diet-based cancer treatment in early 1900s.

With Amen & Goodbye, you know what you're getting from Yeasayer at this point: a fun, trippy mix of spacy-yet-groovy tracks. Hear how they sound in concert when the group plays Union Transfer on May 17th.

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Review by Joey O.