Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz!” Review
Brooklyn art-rock trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs broke out in 2003, when it seemed everything coming out of NYC was hailed the next big thing; the Strokes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Bravery and other “garage rock revivalists.”
Their major label debut, 2003’s Fever To Tell, was quite a skillful, boisterous affair inspired by early Sonic Youth, yet it produced a bona fide hit in the indie lullaby “Maps,” and further pushed charismatic lead singer Karen O. toward becoming a music/fashion icon. The follow-up, 2006’s Show Your Bones, was mostly a letdown despite “Gold Lion,” while the following Is Is EP seemed to please their fan base. At their core, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a guitar-based band, but it appears that with It’s Blitz! the band is effected by the new sound in indie, where beats and loops loom over heavy drum programming. The new record, produced by Nick Launay and TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, carries the band closer to the sound of the streets of Brooklyn, er… Williamsburg, where Santigold meets Grace Jones and everyone is nightclubbing. While Karen O. isn’t making any grand statements, her songs swing with a melancholy new swagger, while being a bit less bombastic in its delivery and sonic assault. The influences of both Blondie and Berlin are pretty obvious.
The album’s first single, “Zero,” isn’t exactly a riot starter, but the explosive, hyper “Heads Will Roll,” layered in strings and synths with hypnotic beats, more than makes up for it with its calls to the dance floor-“Off with your head, dance til your dead.” The ultra pop of “Soft Shock” and the hauntingly gorgeous “Skeletons” suggest a band maturing and unafraid to make delicate ear candy. Guitarist Nick Zinner shreds on the standout rocker “Dull Life” as Karen O. chants, “We sing the nightmare of the lies that you speak, and the beast that I lie beneath is coming in.”
The raucous “Shame and Fortune” is another highlight, one where Zinner and drummer Brian Chase get to shine. The romance of “Runaway” finds Karen O. wrapped in atmospheric lush strings, pleading with a lover, “I’d like you to stay, want you to be my prize.” The minor funk of “Dragon Queen” is enjoyable with an assist from TV on the Radios’ Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, and sounds like Karen O. fronting Tom Tom Club. The album eventually closes with two ballads, the elegant “Hysteric” and the anonymous “Little Shadow,” which is a bit indicative of the record itself. For all those who would complain it’s not rock and roll enough or doesn’t sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs of old, just consider it a Karen O. solo record. At 41 minutes, It’s Blitz! is a short, somewhat adventurous record that feels like two EPs-one filled with soft-core melodies and orchestral pop, and one that wants to rock, albeit softly like Debbie Harry. Even though it’s uneven, It’s Blitz! proves its worth with keepers “Heads Will Roll,” “Dull Life,” “Shame and Fortune,” and “Runaway.”
[review by guest contributor Jon Jon Scott]
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Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Love these guys, great review.
GREAT review, great album, and Karen O is sooo hawt!
“Zero” took me right from the start, think it’s going to take a little more time before I’m able to really say whether or not the entire album follows suit.
Not to say that I want the band to stay the same, but damned if I wasn’t hoping for something similar to Is Is.
Good call on the solo album mention Jonny, toss it into a different scenario and the direction is far less questionable.
i’m kinda with you Chris… i did really enjoy Zero (maybe not as much as the singles on the previous 2, but still really solid), but on the whole I just come away wanting quite a bit more.
whether it’s more energy, more Nick Zinner guitar freakouts, i dunno, but as enjoyable as the album is, it’s still a bit underwhelming overall.
and i’m not one who wants a rehash either, but the second half of the record unfortunately loses my interest.
I like it…I wouldn’t mind if they went back to the noisy-garage rock sound they do so well on their next album, but I like them trying something new, even if it may be the flavor of moment sound. I wouldn’t say it is their greatest album, but I think it is strong enough to hang with the 2 LP’s and 1 Ethe previous stuff they have put out. Should be interesting to see these songs live…I wonder if they will really fall flat compared with the more upbeat older material.
ah I think the point of new record was to move away from their predictable art-noise slugfest, see “Maps”. It feels like it will grow on ya…still feels disappointing to many, not for the style change as mush as the lack of urgency. Then again whatever Karen O does we’ll all pay attention disco or boutique noise cuz she gotta it like that.
i like the change… i like that they still have a YYY “sound” and yet it’s unpredictable.
love love love
Scribes should do their research. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s guitarist is Nick Zinner, not Skinner.
ah yes, Nick Zinner, YYYFan please forgive me
thank you
Bloody let down. they were my favorite band. The previous albumns were classics, this one is dull!!!
Agree with this post, and the part about Dragon Queen especially. I was thinking Tom Tom Club too. You can hear the clip on this vid for those who still haven’t heard it.
All and all, I dig it. I do wish there were at least a few tracks that reflected their raw side such as “Rich” and “Tick” did on Fever, but still an enjoyable album.
best pop album in years.
yyy showing they have depth and the ability to grow.
just keep listening to it.
I love this cd and every cd ever made by the Yeah yeah yeahs! They rock and I love Karen O. “It’s blitz” shows they have different sounds that can still keep you tunned in. Rock on YYY’S I love it!