Man, another day and another British band that's on the best songs of the decade list. But Yndi Halda couldn't possibly be more different from Hot Chip. Taking their cues from the great post rock bands like Godspeed!You Black Emperor and Mogwai, Yndi Halda are a very young band. At the time of this (2007's
Enjoy Eternal Bliss) album's release all five members were nineteen years old (or, in some cases, younger), and it shows. They wear their influences proudly, but have a hard time stepping out of their shadow. Most of the time. "A Song for Starlit Beaches," the albums twenty-minute long centerpiece, is the song where Yndi Halda stop becoming amalgamations of their influences and begin their own musical exploration and it is thrilling. The song has five different movements, starting with a lonely violin, guitar, and banjo melody which slowly give way to the darker second movement, which layers on pianos, more guitars and a healthy dose of drums. This would have been enough for most Mogwai songs, but Yndi Halda push on to a piano based third movement that functions more as interlude than movement. What is so remarkable about this track is how effortlessly these sections flow into one another. Unlike a G!YBE song, where the different movements are demarcated very clearly, Yndi Halda allows these movements to segue into one another gently, delicately.
(more writing and music post-jump)
