Yesterday You Said Tomorrow references a saying that Scott's grandfather would use to emphasize the importance of recognizing the work at hand and making the most of the available time to complete it. Aided by guitarist Matthew Stevens, pianist Milton Fletcher, Jr., bassist Kristopher Keith Funn and drummer Jamire Williams, Scott addresses the issues head on, regardless of how uncomfortable the subject matter may be. He opens the set with "K.K.P.D.," a track full of dark harmonies and tense, competing polyrhythms. The title stands for "Ku Klux Police Department," a reference to what Scott calls the "phenomenally dark and evil" attitude held by some of the local police toward African American citizens of New Orleans when he was growing up - and the similar dynamic that persists there and in other cities to this day.
Scott wipes away some of the darker shades in "The Eraser," the melodic second track penned by singer-songwriter Thom Yorke, co-founder and frontman of Radiohead ("The Eraser" is the title track to Yorke's 2006 solo debut). The aptly titled piece resets the tone of the overall recording, says Scott. "With that song, we're erasing the issue that was raised in the previous song, and then the album starts," he says. "Those first two songs are very much a part of the album, but they're there to establish an environment where you're willing to listen to whatever else we have to say, because you've been opened up to the validity of the original argument."
