The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL NEW MUSIC: NYTE SKY EXPOSE THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC WITH THE INTROSPECTIVE SINGLE “DOING TIME”
SPILL NEWS: THE MARS VOLTA ANNOUNCE RUN OF HEADLINE TOUR DATES WITH SUPPORT FROM TERI GENDER BENDER
SPILL NEW MUSIC: MELØ – “DON’T CHANGE”
SPILL NEWS: SPARKS ANNOUNCE BIGGEST NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR IN THEIR MORE THAN 50-YEAR HISTORY | ‘THE GIRL CRYING IN HER LATTE’ ARRIVES MAY 26 VIA ISLAND RECORDS
SPILL NEWS: RENOWNED ALTERNATIVE SINGER/SONGWRITER LLOYD COLE SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘ON PAIN’
SPILL NEWS: FINCH ANNOUNCE FIRST LIVE SHOWS IN 10 YEARS WITH 20th ANNIVERSARY RUN OF DEBUT ALBUM ‘WHAT IT IS TO BURN’
SPILL TRACK OF THE MONTH: ASTARI NITE – “BOWIE IN DAYDREAMS”
SPILL NEWS: RICKIE LEE JONES NEVER DID FOLLOW THE RULES | ‘PIECES OF TREASURE’ OUT APRIL 28 (BMG MODERN)
SPILL NEW MUSIC: INDIE POP SISTER TRIO JOSEPH RETURN WITH ANTHEMIC NEW ALBUM ‘THE SUN’ SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 28 ON ATO RECORDS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: H.C. McENTIRE – EVERY ACRE
SPILL NEW MUSIC: BODYWASH ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘I HELD THE SHAPE WHILE I COULD’ + SHARES NEW SINGLE
SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE BOO RADLEYS RELEASE NEW SINGLE AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JERRY LEGER – LIVE FROM PARADISE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – FRAGMENTS – TIME OUT OF MIND SESSIONS (1996-1997) THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 17
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARIANNE FAITHFULL – KISSIN’ TIME (REISSUE)
SPILL NEWS: YOUNG THE GIANT ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH MILKY CHANCE STARTING MAY 30
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
271
previous article
SPILL NEWS: NEWS: BAEBLE MUSIC: CHVRCHES LIVE AT SUMMERSTAGE IN CENTRAL PARK, NYC TO BE RELEASED ON 4/5!
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: COM TRUISE - SILICON TARE EP

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YEASAYER – AMEN & GOODBYE

Yeasayer

Yeasayer
Amen & Goodbye
Mute Records
RATING

Many bands make careers out of applying the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy: Rage Against the Machine did it for a few years, Motörhead did it for decades. Brooklyn art-rock outfit Yeasayer on the other hand, ostensibly come from the “if it ain’t broke, let’s see what broke sounds like” camp.

Four records deep, Yeasayer refuse to sound like one band, or even a couple of bands, and they seem pretty dead-set on keeping it that way. Saxophones, drum samples, harpsichords, children’s choirs and theremins are all hastily jammed into Amen & Goodbye like clothes into a suitcase after a domestic dispute.

This album doesn’t always quite make sense, but at least it’s interesting. Some of the tracks are manic-depressive; yanking listeners’ ears from one mood to another, while others are acid-laced expressions of sheer ADHD indulgence, jumping across genres and geographical regions in a cacophonous celebration.

“Silly Me” is benign new wave, “Dead Sea Scrolls” is a tug of war between helium-infused jingles and pitchy electro-pop, and “Divine Simulacrum” is a jittery torch song equal parts Portishead and George Harrison.

These songs demand your attention and energy like a toddler at a theme park. But, hey, you still end up really enjoying some of the rides.

But neither the eccentricity nor the hooks are what make Amen & Goodbye work, it’s the delicate mixture of the two, and when they start to separate, the record suffers. “Child Prodigy” sounds like a band too eager to prove how far off the deep end they can go, where at this point in the record, and in their career, it’s unnecessary. Conversely, album closers “Daughters Of Cain” and “I Am Chemistry” don’t merit anything more than a shrug after the deranged euphoria of “Uma” and the Wilco-esque “Cold Night.”

Co-vocalists and principal songwriters Chris Keating and Anand Wilder are nothing if not ambitious. They write lovely pop hooks, but just to make it a little more interesting, they structure their songs the way David Lynch structures his movies, adding layers and caveats that can be mystifying, but seldom leave you bored.

Band Links

band websitefbTwitter-iconinstagram-icon

close

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YEASAYER – AMEN & GOODBYE

Author

Marko Woloshyn

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
—
7.0
Total Spill Rating
—
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewsamen & goodbyecold nightdivine simulacrummute recordsumayeasayer
album reviews, amen & goodbye, cold night, divine simulacrum, mute records, uma, yeasayer
About the Author
Marko Woloshyn
Marko Woloshyn is a Mississauga-based writer and musician. He owns a limited edition repressing of Mclusky Do Dallas and one time at a concert a drunk woman told him he looked like Keira Knightley.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewsamen & goodbyemute records
 
8.0
H.C. McEntire

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: H.C. McENTIRE – EVERY ACRE

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 27, 2023
H.C. McEntire Every Acre Merge Records Durham, North Carolina might not exactly be a renowned music center, but that there is quite a good chance that singer-songwriter H.C. McEntire and her latest release, Every Acre, might give that city a [...]
 
8.0
Jerry Leger

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JERRY LEGER – LIVE FROM PARADISE

by Bryan Williston on January 27, 2023
Jerry Leger Live From Paradise Latent Recordings Toronto singer-songwriter Jerry Leger is one of those artists who does not sit still for too long. With his solid motivation and work ethic, it’s little wonder that he is releasing some choice [...]
 
9.0
Bob Dylan
10

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – FRAGMENTS – TIME OUT OF MIND SESSIONS (1996-1997) THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 17

by Aaron Badgley on January 27, 2023
Bob Dylan Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 Legacy/Colombia/Sony Bob Dylan continues his bootleg series with number 17. For this box set, Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996 – [...]
 
8.0
Marianne Faithfull

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARIANNE FAITHFULL – KISSIN’ TIME (REISSUE)

by Aaron Badgley on January 27, 2023
Marianne Faithfull Kissin’ Time (Reissue) BMG By 2002 Marianne Faithful was eager to return to a more contemporary sound following albums in which she focused on Kurt Weill. These include Weill recording and performing his opera The Seven [...]
 
8.0
Kevin Morby

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KEVIN MORBY – MUSIC FROM MONTANA STORY

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 25, 2023
Kevin Morby Music From Montana Story Dead Oceans If there’s an artist who can come up with a soundtrack for a neo-Western film today, Kevin Morby might not be the usual choice, but just might be a great one. Scott McGehee and David Siegel [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: H.C. McENTIRE – EVERY ACRE
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JERRY LEGER – LIVE FROM PARADISE
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – FRAGMENTS – TIME OUT OF...
9.0
10
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARIANNE FAITHFULL – KISSIN’ TIME (...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KEVIN MORBY – MUSIC FROM MONTANA STORY
8.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

* Mandatory Field

Check your inbox or spam folder now (just in case!) to confirm your subscription.

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUADECA – I DIDN’T MEAN TO HAUNT YOU
2326
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE HUMAN LEAGUE – THE VIRGIN YEARS
1835
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ELVIS PRESLEY – ELVIS ON TOUR
803
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SHRIEKBACK – BOWLAHOOLA
769
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BOB DYLAN – FRAGMENTS – TIME OUT OF MIND SESSIONS (1996-1997) THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 17
564
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: SUEDE AND MANIC STREET PREACHERS @ THE COMMODORE BALLROOM, VANCOUVER
521
 
SPILL NEWS: RICKIE LEE JONES NEVER DID FOLLOW THE RULES | ‘PIECES OF TREASURE’ OUT APRIL 28 (BMG MODERN)
517
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHEAP TRICK – LIVE AT THE WHISKY 1977
497
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAVID CROSBY & THE LIGHTHOUSE BAND – LIVE AT THE CAPITAL THEATRE
356
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NAZZ – LOST MASTERS & DEMOS
332
 
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: GRAMERCY ARMS – “YESTERDAY’S GIRL” FT. LLOYD COLE
319
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LITTLE RIVER BAND – ULTIMATE HITS/MASTERPIECES
318
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOAN ARMATRADING – LIVE AT ASYLUM CHAPEL
310
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES