Alex, we are getting old. It’s hard to believe I first wrote about the music of Alex Schaaf in 2008 when he (and I, for that matter) were still both in school, except he was playing in a (now defunct) band called The Chairs. I still give him grief about the track “Polly” from his days in The Chairs because it was such a banger, often begging him to play it live. I digress but for good reason, why relive the past when Schaaf’s future was so bright after he birthed the moniker Yellow Ostrich?
He left the snowy Wisconsin midwest for the somewhat less snowy Brooklyn northeast, self-releasing until landing his own deal with Barsuk shortly thereafter. Yellow Ostrich are prepping to release a new record titled Cosmos that continues Schaaf’s forward momentum into the future, that is if we’re using lead single “Any Wonder” as a taste of things to come. With memorable vocals, strong songwriting, and a bass hook that contains elements of Colin Greenwood – “Any Wonder” catapults Yellow Ostrich from bedroom rock into a more alternative fueled universe.
Cosmos drops February 25th.
