#4 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

There are only nine bands on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar that I didn’t see live this year. Four of them are in the top 10, and Yeasayer is one of them. But it wasn’t supposed to be this way: as I mentioned at #12, I had to leave the sold-out Sleigh Bells / Yeasayer show at Neumos early because of a medical emergency at home. I think it’s probably the only show I’ve ever left early that wasn’t my choice, and it could have been the highest-ranking show of the year (excepting Sasquatch!).

But even without having seen them live, Odd Blood, the second release from this Brooklyn band, sees regularly play at home. Like Contra, it’s been out for nearly the entire year (released Feb. 8), and has been in heavy rotation ever since.

It’s an interesting album. The first song, not even a song really but more like an intro to a horror movie, with heavily distorted Pink Floyd-esque vocals, doesn’t sound like it belongs at all. I’d love to know why they decided to put that “song” on the album at all, let alone first up. (According to Wikipedia they put it there because it was meant to be a major departure from the last song on their debut album, All Hour Cymbals. It feels to me it was meant to deter people from giving the album a cursory listen and then buying it, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d want to deter anyone from buying your album.)

The strength of the album can be demonstrated by the difference in length between the Wikipedia page for the album, which is over five times longer than the entry for the band itself. Hit play on the video above, but don’t let the ridiculousness that ensues deter you from purchasing the album. This is a great record that would fit right in where Duran Duran left off back in the 80s. Which, strangely, isn’t a bad thing.

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5. Mines by Menomena
6. Contra by Vampire Weekend
7. Go by Jónsi
8. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors