So this remix of Yeasayer‘s anthem “Ambling Alp” is the only one I’ve found to be worthy of the genius of the original track, which makes perfect sense as everything The Very Best touch turns to gold. It’s been floating around for a while, but is still worth mentioning. I’m very excited to be catching them when they grace DC next Sunday along with Ninjasonik and Tabi Bonney (crazy line-up!).

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp (The Very Best Remix)

It’s that time of year again, Valentine’s Day, the holiday that divides us all. A year ago today I made a mix for my friends to celebrate the joys of friend love (and beautiful music of course), and I’m at it again, only now I have a lot more people to share this with. So make the most of today, and never fear, regardless of whether or not you’re in a relationship, always remember, Danger Loves You. Download the mix here.

Track Listing
1 “Always Love U” – Theophilus London
2 “Make You Mine” – Breakbot
3 “Always Like This” – Bombay Bicycle Club
4 “Lover of Mine” – Beach House
5 “Love Me Girl” – Yeasayer
6 “One Life Stand” – Hot Chip
7 “July Flame” – Laura Veirs
8 “Odessa” – Caribou
9 “I Want A House” – Twin Sister
10 “In The Bedroom” – Xylos
11 “Billie Holiday” – Warpaint
12 “Time For Us All To Love” – Bullion
13 “Let Go” – jj
14 “So Light Is Her Football (Breakbot Remix)” – Air
15 “Stars” – The xx

I’ve been listening to the new album from Yeasayer for almost two weeks now, and it didn’t make sense until just now. The track placement seemed disjointed, but the reality was I just wasn’t realizing how that tension was really brilliance disguised. The album starts off with the hymnal, at times bordering on funereal, “The Children” only to smoothly drift into “Ambling Alp”, easily the most uplifting song on the album, which is somehow jarring and soothing at the same time. It makes perfect sense though for the introduction to Odd Blood, where the tracks hit hard, genres are indistinguishable, and songs never end up where you thought they were going. With influences all over the board, the true brilliance of Yeasayer lies in their ability to string all the chaos together into a truly marvelous creation that makes every bit of sense. My difficulty upon first listen was surely due to my inability to simply accept what I was hearing. So let go of all of your expectations and listen to this album now, it is sure to please your ears and expand your mind. I can’t wait until they’re in DC in April, it’s sure to be irresistible.

Yeasayer – I Remember
Yeasayer – Love Me Girl

So I’ve been listening to the new single from Yeasayer nonstop for about a week now (I just sort of forgot to write it up), and was generally ignoring the buzz surrounding them prior. Well I was foolish, because this track is fantastic, and I can’t wait for the rest of the album to be released. There is also a very lame remix of this floating around by Memory Tapes, which makes me so sad, because I love nearly everything else he does. The original just didn’t need that much improvement. Inspirational, undeniably catchy and featuring some Ethio (inspired?) samples (my people!), this song is all over the place, but miraculously manages to seem put together at the same time. One of the loveliest things to happen this fall for sure.

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp