Live Review & Photos: Yeasayer @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg, 12/6/08

When Yeasayer left Brooklyn, it was as scrappy newcomers with an impressive debut album and growing internet buzz. After 14 months on the road, the band had more than earned the hearty Brooklyn homecoming they received last Saturday. Playing to a sold out crowd at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Yeasayer seemed less like a group of up-and-comers and more like a group of road-hardened veterans, performing their unique mix of Western pop and globe-trotting rhythms without breaking a sweat.

The band opted for a low-key opener, starting off with the slow-burn of "Many Waves" and "Worms.” After the modest start, they then dove headfirst into an anthemic version of “Tightrope,” one of the most exuberant tracks off All Hour Cymbals. The group waded deeper and deeper into their repertoire, building up to their triumphant single “2080.” By that point, the crowd was hooked. If these tracks are a sign of things to come, 2009 might be a very good year for Yeasayer.

For better or worse, inide rock has a habit of placing songwriting and experimentation above technical ability. But Yeasayer is one of the few bands able to maintain a healthy balance between both the former and the latter. Watching guitarist Anand Wilder effortlessly noodle through winding melodies was a thing of beauty, and bassist Ira Wolf Tuton even took the lead on "Alp," performing the track's complex hook as if it was second nature. Quite simply, the band made it look easy.