Song of the Day: Wild Yaks - Father

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richard, is "Father" by Wild Yaks from the 2012 album Million Years on Ernest Jenning Record Co.

Wild Yaks - Father (MP3)

To quote the New York Times, Brooklyn's Wild Yaks are "a roman candle of a band" - they light up, shoot off, explode, and then fade out. What Wild Yaks lack in finesse is more than made up for in their enthusiasm, which in a post-Strokes world, is a refreshing change of attitude from the slew of too-cool indie rock bands. A highlight from their second album, Million Years, "Father" is a two minute, twenty four second tribute to... well, everything. As singer Robert Bryn shouts through a series of (maybe true, maybe not) anecdotes about his father that run the thematic gamut. Both serious and flippant, the band's rowdy execution captures the same wearily optimistic sentiment that pushed "The House The Heaven Built" to become the summer 2012 anthem for unsatisfied twentysomethings everywhere. It's a crowded field, but in the pantheon of 21st century garage rock, "Father" is about as messy (and beautiful) as they come.

Wild Yaks have a pair of Northeastern dates lined up this month, but no Northwest shows booked yet, so keep an eye on their Bandcamp and Facebook if they announce plans to head west. Watch John Richards interview the band (in which lead singer Robert Bryn tells more than a few good stories) at SXSW 2009 below: