First We Take Brooklyn…

After the Strokes-led slew of Manhattan-based rock bands that dominated the early 00s, the musical impetus in NYC has shifted to Brooklyn, with the new vanguard led by experimentalists like Animal Collective and Black Dice. Yeasayer and Suckers, both based across the East River, are perhaps not as far-out as some of their local contemporaries, but both bands’ recent albums are overflowing with unusual influences and a rabid lust for musical invention. Yeasayer’s lead single from sophomore effort Odd Blood was "Ambling Alp," a head-spinning concoction of tribal drums, playful synths and a joyous melody of grin-inducing proportions. Suckers’ debut Wild Smile proves them to be as equally adept at wild indie-disco stompers (“Black Sheep”) as they are African-influenced slow-burners (“King of Snakes”). “All anyone wants to talk about when we come to Europe is Brooklyn or New York. It’s kind of weird,” says Yeasayer’s Chris Keating. Tourmate Austin Fisher from Suckers adds: “If you want to do something creative in the United States and you live on the East Coast, you move to New York. It’s not by any crazy coincidence that bands are coming out of Brooklyn, because rent is cheaper than Manhattan.” Keating points to similarly vibrant scenes in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Providence and Pittsburgh, but in the end concludes: “New York is the one. You get the most exposure and the most opportunities, and there are also the most people here, so it’s always going to be the most interesting.” Click play to listen to Yeasayer’s latest single, "Madder Red." 

Yeasayer on stage in Paris. Photo by Columbine Goldsmith, 2010