Yeasayer Preview New Tunes in Los Angeles

Surrounded by stuffed antelope and dinosaur bones, Yeasayer previewed several new tracks from their forthcoming album, 'Odd Blood,' at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum Friday night. It was the first stop on the Brooklyn band's three-month North American tour supporting their sophomore full-effort, which is set to be released Feb. 9.

A sold-out crowd braved a rare Southern California downpour to be among the first to hear several new tunes from the genre-melding five-piece. Kicking off with the banging album opener 'The Children,' lead singer Chris Keating effectively delivered eerie vocals through a vocal distorter. The band took their time meandering through numbers that combined Indian, Middle Eastern and African elements rolled up into their own unique brand of indie rock.

"Thanks for coming out," Keating told the crowd. "We like playing in places like this with antelope and bison. They're gonna start dancing." They weren't the only ones. Large segments of the audience danced throughout Yeasayer's 75-minute set, including fans that overflowed from the main hall into the foyer outside, where the performance was projected onto the walls using special 3-D technology.

Yeasayer also played a handful of tracks from their debut album, 'All Hour Cymbals,' but focused largely on the new material. Toward the end of their set, the band were having trouble with their sound monitors, making it difficult for them to hear themselves. "We're totally flying blind up here," Keating said. Despite this, the band delivered their trademark three-part harmonies with ease, bolstering the spirits of the soggy crowd, which responded enthusiastically to the unfamiliar tunes. "Thanks for coming out, we love you guys," Keating said before asking for the time. "Cool, we have 15 minutes!" he said before launching into three final tunes with reckless abandon, broken monitors be damned.

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