'Odd Blood' near perfect album

What Seattle was to the grunge movement of the ‘90s, Brooklyn is to the indie-rock scene of the 2000s. Already, the borough of New York has spawned heavyweights TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and is now officially ready to welcome Yeasayer into the elite club. However, the others better be careful because with the release of Odd Blood, the trio is giving the scene's juggernauts a run for their money as they are establishing themselves as legitimate contenders for the crown of Brooklyn's most innovative band.

With that said, the album really is something to marvel at. It shines with the colorful chaos of The Mars Volta that will make you feel like you have been on an acid binge for the past week. The hallucinations would first lead you to believe that the atmospheric and experimental elements are the only two present. But with multiple listens it becomes easier to see that Odd Blood is brilliant at balancing the journey of mind expansion with the pure joy and accessibility that comes with lively pop aesthetics. The outcome is a squeaky clean production that lies somewhere between MGMT and TV on the Radio.

Opening cut, "The Children" is by far the album's most unique track. Unfortunately this diversity is really more of a blunder, as it seems out of place with its chopped and skewed approach. Once getting past the misfire though, Odd Blood is nothing but smooth sailing. "Ambling Ape" is an exuberant rush of giddy keys and rubbery bass lines, while the well-traveled themes of "Love Me Girl" and the aptly titled "Rome" brings back the geographical styling that was present on their debut, All Hour Cymbals. Elsewhere, the sing-along gusto and monster synth riffs of "O.N.E" provide enough electric boogie for the album to be considered a dance record.

Odd Blood is certainly a psychedelic album, but it's also the most oddly beautiful and focused one at that. It never strays from its goal of evoking pandemonium while still staying centered. And with that in mind how could you deny the pure fun that comes with bedlam?