Yellow Ostrich - WHALE (mp3)
As much as I prefer to avoid rehashing things said by blogs far more interesting and well-read than mine, I really can't get enough of Yellow Ostrich at the moment. Initially a solo project for New Yorker Alex Schaaf (the band now includes Bishop Allen/We Are Scientists drummer Michael Tapper and more), their much-covered track WHALE quickly became a favourite. When recording my own scrappy little creations I always feel a little conflicted as my ever-present desire to pile instrument upon vocals upon instrument clashes with the lack of percussive devices available to me. So a pretty awesome, rich song based around little but the human voice and a floor tom seems kind of liberating.
Sure the band tend to stick to some of the more well-worn indie tropes of late; a skinny white Brooklyn kid makes rhythmic, catchy animal-related songs with an abundance of Africa-via-Fleet Foxes vocal chanting and harmonies to before acclaim drags him out of the bedroom. Musically they remind me of a stripped back, American Cloud Control in that respect. 'The Mistress' from which WHALE is taken is similarly excellent, if not entirely broad in its palette. The tracks invariably gravitate around an opening, wordless vocal chant that builds in layers of harmonies before the rest of the song takes shape around it, which kind of suggests he draws on looping in his songwriting. Also pretty cool, I think. Either way, what could end up homogenous and repetitive somehow manages to just be plain brilliant, song after song.
