The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been one of the most prominent bands in rock 'n' roll in the double-'0s.
After bursting out of the Strokes-charged New York rock scene in 2001 with a pair of dynamite EP's ("Machine" and "Yeah Yeah Yeahs") lead singer Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase took the leap to Interscope for their tremendous garage punk debut "Fever To Tell" in 2003. In 2004, the single for "Maps" caught fire and set the buzz for 2006's more polished follow up "Show Your Bones."
And now in 2009, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs continue their album-every-three-years trend with "It's Blitz" in stores April 14 and on the Internet.
In a recent cover story interview with SPIN magazine (who may or may not still be relevant, based on this) it was revealed that eccentric lead singer Karen O told Zinner that she didn't want any guitars on the album. This must have seemed perplexing, considering that Zinner is the band's guitarist, and a damn good one at that.
So where will the focus of "It's Blitz!" lie if not with gritty guitar work?
"There's no comparison to the feeling you get when you're dancing like your life depends on it," Ms. O told SPIN. No guitars? Dancing? Yep, you guessed it. This album's definitely synthy. Well, not Chromeo-synthy, but synthy nonetheless.
This in and of itself is a somewhat surprising move, considering that the we all know that the YYY's play some of the best gritty guitar rock out there, and it would be nice if someone would have the kind of guitar-busting energy that early YYY's had these days.
But "It's Blitz!" is not the type of heavy synth-driven third full length that the Killers "Day & Age" is, or even that Brian Eno and Coldplay's Grammy-winning "Viva la Vida" is.
No, "It's Blitz" is better.
It's own unique animal, done in true Yeah Yeah Yeahs form - in your face, but with some cleverly ironic distance.
This is a testament to a band willing to make progress and also to frontwoman Karen O's progression throughout the band's three-album career. Screaming and crazy and full of punk rock energy in "Fever To Tell," intensely passive but still riotous in "Show Your Bones" and now energetic and danceable, yet reflective on "It's Blitz!" For tracks like lighter-raising standouts "Hysteric," "Skeletons," and the album-ender "Little Shadow" Ms. O proves she is a true talent not bound by genre.
But the slow jams aren't what makes this album what it is. What makes this album so good is the band's ability to bring the same energy and intensity that they brought to their last two albums to the dancefloor in such a unique way. Zinner and Chase's not only adapted to a relatively new style, but they thrive in it. First single "Zero" (which debuted on Kanye's Blog, strangely) and likely-next single "Heads Will Roll" are tremendously well-crafted and catchy as hell.
While the album is certainly more synth/dance-driven, guitars aren't entirely absent on this album. In fact, in some songs, like early standout "Dull Life," guitars add a vital piece to the puzzle, adding a welcome diversion back to their earlier days.
Certainly, some fans of their more gritty material will brush this off as an unabashed attempt at the mainstream, but such is not the case. "It's Blitz!" is a logical progression for the band and their ability to successfully cross genres will translate well for the band in the long term.
Plus, it's not like the recordings for "Art Star" or "Machine" or "Man" have been lost in time, or the records are difficult to find. They're literally one google away. Such is the beauty of the MP3 Era.
But for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, "It's Blitz!" is a deliciously catchy album that brings the punk rock energy of their earlier releases to a dancefloor near you.
4 / 5 stars. (Definitely worth the hard drive space; buy it if you're not foreclosing on your house or losing your job.)
Daniel Shafer - Daniel Shafer is a writer and journalist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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