Album Review: YACHT – Shangri-La

Where do I begin with this album? YACHT’s latest effort has so many layers, so many themes, so many noises – it’s impossible to discuss all of them at length. From the disco-on-crack “Utopia” to the happy-go-lucky title track, Shangri-La covers every inch of the pop music spectrum, runs it through a wood-chipper and then reassembles it as a disorienting, apocalyptic collage. Here, time and space no longer matter. It is the only place where electric guitars, catchy piano riffs and protest-inducing lyrics can comfortably coexist with bass-heavy wobbles, club beats and T-Pain-esque Auto-Tune.

Shangri-La is much more focused musically and lyrically than See Mystery Lights. The acclaimed predecessor was rather mellow and eclectic, but now composer Jona Bechtolt siphons all of his energy into perfecting one fresh and inventive brand of pop music. The resulting sound is aggressive, yet bubbly and distinct. Perhaps his new family at DFA Records (co-founded by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy) has rubbed off a bit? Regardless of what inspired it, Shangri-La demonstrates brilliant promise for the future of electro-pop.

This release is also YACHT’s first attempt at a concept album. Recurring themes of the end of the world, the afterlife, utopia and unconditional love suggest an interesting concept: “the end of the world is inevitable, so let’s enjoy it while we still can.” This is made clear early on with the opening track “Utopia” and its darker counterpart “Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire),” in which they offer the twist on an old party theme: “The Earth, the Earth, the Earth is on fire/ We don’t have no daughter, let the motherfucker burn.”

Such heated topics are accompanied by the much bolder vocals of Claire L. Evans. Her lazy Sonic Youth drawl that haunted See Mystery Lights is now a commanding force of protest. She sings, shrieks and shouts about the Earth’s fiery finale and blames it all on humanity’s ambitious tendencies. In this regard, the album has its anti-capitalist moments, but as a whole is not especially political. More than anything, it is meant to be a wakeup call to people who are never satisfied with the present.

Of course, Shangri-La is not all fire, flames and negativity. When they aren’t chastising humanity for the destruction of the planet, YACHT are encouraging everyone to take a load off, love each other and dance the night away. On “Holy Roller,” Evans sings “Don’t you worry about God up above/ We’ve gotta live life in love.” This suggests that stressing about the future, or in this case the afterlife, is a waste of energy that detracts from what is really important: family, friends and other simple pleasures.

The duo criticizes society for constantly trying to achieve utopia, but then they present their own idea of utopia: a world where people enjoy the lives that they have rather than dream about a brighter future. When this concept is coupled with Bechtolt’s party-starting tunes, listeners can’t help but bob their heads and tap their feet uncontrollably to the sounds of the apocalypse.

Erin Donaldson, Contributor

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