Pitchfork

In their Daytrotter Session write-up, Brooklyn's Yeasayer state that this non-album track is "our dance party on the eve of the Armageddon." But it could also be their soundtrack to a horror film by Italian director Dario Argento, maybe during a cat-and-mouse scene between the puzzled protagonist and the mysterious madman who has been murdering beautiful models in Rome. "Final Path"-- even the title is ominous-- begins with an establishing shot of an ambiguous percussion/synth groove, until drums, a creepy cello, and a horrorshow organ lead the song into an dark abandoned warehouse where there really is an end-of-the-world dance party going on. "Everybody's got a bomb," Chris Keating sings, his voice nearly hysterical with fear or resignation or maybe resolve. The sun may burn out, the waters rise, and civilization implode-- the music feeds their fear but also moves their feet, striking a fine balance between dread and determination. "We're gonna dance till we're gone."

MP3:> Yeasayer: "Final Path" (Daytrotter Session)

If "Final Path" is the action sequence, "2080", an early single to be included on their forthcoming full-length debut, is the closing credits, foregoing it's-the-end-of-the-world-as- we-know-it doom for do-you-realize??? acceptance. A blog fave for a while now, the song strings together two choruses-- one weightless, the other chanted-- over a curlicue bassline and pointillist guitar work that belies the band's world-music interests. "In 2080 I'll surely be dead," goes one chorus, but it's wistful, not fearful. In the meantime, "It's a new year/ I'm glad to be here," which sounds like a hard-fought admission of contentment. Just to make sure we get the point, Yeasayer bring in a gaggle of children to sing as the song fades out, with no trace of insincerity as they keep dancing till they're gone.

MP3:> Yeasayer: "2080"
[from All Hour Cymbals; due 10/23/07 from We Are Free]