photo by sarah mulligan

Yellow Ostrich’s release, The Mistress, is among my favorite albums from 2010.

Alex Schaaf, the main guy behind Yellow Ostrich, is a treat to listen to for several reasons. First, he makes fantastic music — some have even started comparing his unique style to a modern day Neutral Milk Hotel. And second, he is the rare musician who has a true sense of what music is all about. Instead of hiding in the crevasses, attempting to create a masterpiece for years (and promoting it for even more years), Schaaf has been completely transparent with his development as an artist. Since 2009, he has released 3 albums and 4 EPs. Some of these bedroom recordings are better than others, but that raw look in is completely genuine. Artists often times are afraid to risk putting out music that might not gain traction–and are often discouraged when they don’t instantly receive positive reinforcement. It appears that Schaaf isn’t like that at all. He is on a journey with his music and has invited us along for the ride. He can make an EP with the lyrics being only words from Morgan Freeman’s Wikipedia page, and feel good about it. I think that’s pretty awesome.

The Mistress is Schaaf’s stand out album. A few of my favorite tracks include “WHALE,””Hahahaohhoho,” and “Mary.”

Schaff is from Appleton, Wisconsin (Midwest, represent!) and recently moved to New York City. He just announced a US tour supporting Say Hi (dates below), and you should definitely try to see him if possible. As rumor has it,  part of the joy of  seeing him live is watching him multitask with his pedals, kind of like Andrew Bird. He is backed by Michael Tapper on drums, who has played with We Are Scientists and Bishop Allen.

The Mistress (2010):

Yellow Ostrich – WHALE (mp3)

Yellow Ostrich – Mary (mp3)

Fade Cave EP (2010)

Yellow Ostrich  –  Bread (mp3)

site | bandcamp (FREE!)

tour dates after jump:

03-03-11 @ Mohawk Place — Buffalo, NY
03-04-11 @ El Mocambo — Toronto, ON
03-05-11 @ Casa Del Popolo — Montreal, QC
03-06-11 @ Middle East Downstairs — Cambridge, MA
03-07-11 @ The Bowery Ballroom — New York, NY
03-08-11 @ Johnny Brenda’s — Philadelphia, PA
03-09-11 @ The Black Cat — Washington, DC
03-10-11 @ The Grey Eagle — Asheville, NC
03-12-11 @ Backbooth — Orlando, FL
03-13-11 @ Crowbar — Tampa, FL
03-14-11 @ Club Downunder — Tallahassee, FL
03-16-11 @ Fitzgerald’s (Downstairs) — Houston, TX
03-17-11 @ SXSW — Austin, TX
03-18-11 @ SXSW — Austin, TX
03-19-11 @ The Loft — Dallas, TX
03-22-11 @ The Rhythm Room — Phoenix, AZ
03-23-11 @ Plush — Tucson, AZ
03-24-11 @ The Casbah — San Diego, CA
03-25-11 @ The Echo — Los Angeles, CA
03-26-11 @ Bottom Of The Hill — San Francisco, CA
03-28-11 @ Mississippi Studios — Portland, OR
03-29-11 @ Lucky Bar — Victoria, BC
03-30-11 @ The Media Club — Vancouver, BC;