After the weirdly exciting, and kinda surprising, pop detour of 2010's Odd Blood, the Brooklyn-based Yeasayer make a slight return to their more experimental, psych-pop roots on their third album. But they haven't completely abandoned the playful, accessible hooks and tribal thumps that made Odd Blood's "Ambling Alp" and "O.N.E." so irresistible. Songs like "Fingers Never Bleed," "Longevity," and "Henrietta" skirt along electronic lines that pulse with indie-rock currents. At times, they dip into a nostalgic pool on Fragrant World, recalling '80s-era Depeche Mode and other synth-pop trailblazers; other times they target the future with robotic vocals and factory-hissing beats. Fragrant World doesn't have any of the where-did-that-come-from? moments that made Odd Blood so exhilarating. But it's still weird and wild, and only a little bit dull.
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