Secretly Canadian

Fragrant World, Yeasayer’s follow-up to 2010’s polished Odd Blood, is a strange album, but it is also strangely compelling. From the first track, “Finger Never Bleed,” where the melody becomes conflated with the sound of a siren, to the disc’s flagship single “Henrietta,” there are slightly-left-of-center tones and moments of borderline cacophony. But somehow, it all comes together, particularly on “Longevity,” a synth-driven track that aptly pairs unconventional noise with pop hooks and a sing-along chorus, and the dance-inducing “Reagan’s Skeleton.” It’s as if the band is suggesting that compelling numbers don’t have to sound as you might expect them to and that bizarre structures can still yield catchy songs. At least, they do here.