Yeasayer coming to The Fox Theater in September

Disco-shamans Yeasayer are gearing up for the release of their third full-length collection of aquarian-alt-dance-funk tunes, Fragrant World. The album is set to hit shelves and iTunes’ servers August 21, just 11 short days before the Brooklynite trio is scheduled to play The Fox Theater in Oakland, Sept. 1.

I’ve been following Yeasayer since I had the good fortune of happening upon them when they opened up for Man Man at the Great American Music Hall back in 2008. The band has tightened its sound significantly since that year’s All Hour Cymbals, moving away from delay-drenched, prancing-round-the-Maypole psychedelia. The followup to that record, 2010’s Odd Blood felt much more punchy.

If Fragrant World‘s debut single, “Henrietta,” is any indication, Yeasayer have decided to go even leaner this time around. The track lets the drums and bass do most of the work for the first minute or so — punctuated by sharp, trebly reed-organ swells and Chris Keating’s urgent vocals, which still come wrapped in the familiar vocal modulation and slap-back delay deployed throughout much of the band’s canon.

But just because the band is paring back the excess instrumentation doesn’t mean they are any less meta or metaphysical. For evidence of this, look no further than the apparent inspiration for the lyrics to “Henrietta.”

No word yet on a supporting act for the Fox show, but electro-Afro-popper, Delicate Steve, is slated to open the tour’s preliminary dates in June, and if he were to stick around until Yeasayer reach The Town, I certainly wouldn’t be upset.