Whatever you may read (in just about every kind of publication right now) about the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs' album, It's Blitz!, know this: I have gone out of my way to avoid reading any blog, review, or musical analysis of It's Blitz! as well as hearing any verbalization regarding the new material since it has been leaked earlier this month. I wanted to decipher for myself the surprise I felt when hearing the new songs for the first time. As a result, listening to a legal download of the entire album now allows me to interpret their "sound". So follows my impressions . . .
Karen O, Nick Zinner (r), and Brian Chase (l) are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but their newest batch of tunes doesn't fall in line with what you may be used to from the garage/dance punk outfit also capable of engaging in expressive lyrical content. The days of Fever to Tell are over . . . at least for now.The new found direction of the band comes about as a result of the trials and tribulations all musical acts experience when you have creative differences, personal growth, and of course, natural progression of the music and the scene itself. Since moving to L.A. in 2004, Karen O has gotten the much needed "rest, relaxation, and space" she spoke of in a recent interview with Spin. This "space" allowed the band to stay together and what came out of the relocation of one of the band mates across the country was Show Your Bones, a more mellow collection of songs from the no-less energetic trio, released in March 2006. After an EP of songs the YYY's played live, but as yet remained unreleased in Is Is came out in the summer of 2007, what did the band have left to offer? It's Blitz.
"Zero" is the first track off the new album and the first single 'purposely' released for mass consumption. Upon first listen, my heightened anticipation and excitement went from a tense state to total immersion in the sound. It took me exactly four listens on satellite radio over the course of a few days to accept that yes, this was in fact the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and yes, Karen O can still vocalize unabashed sonic sex even if it is primarily over heavy synth and a lack of garage guitars backing her. It's not like we had never heard the YYY's do electronica before [see Is Is]. "Heads Will Roll" takes the electro rock/dance feel even further, but has a darker, new rave appeal to it. Thanks to Kayne West, we were all able to hear this track on the 21st of February before it was meant to be heard, thus forcing the release date of It's Blitz! up by a few weeks to March 31st. As a fan of doing things legally, but appreciating hearing new music whenever I can hear it sooner, I was conflicted over that fact until the digital album became available a couple of weeks ago.Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Soft Shock" is a nice blend of the new electro rock style and the melancholy nature of songs like "Dudley" and "Turn Into" off Show Your Bones. "Skeletons" sounds like a passion project piece that doesn't quite hit the mark; although, props are in order for incorporating the Zinner's keyboards prominently and in a way that highlights the haunting vocals of Karen O much in the same vein as Zinner's guitar did on "Maps" off Fever to Tell. "Dull Life" is the perfect number five track for this album of 10 if only that it almost separates It's Blitz! into a synth heavy, bouncy first half from a subdued, introspective second half. "Dull Life" does a good job of bridging the two sounds the Yeah Yeah Yeahs now have established: garage, art punk and electro rock dance - the old and the new.
Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Shame and Fortune" is a Zinner guitar influenced, electronic chill groove while "Runaway" is more genteel in nature and features the narrative of a relationship stylings of Karen O, at which she has proven to be so good at. We also get to hear Brian Chase's pacing on drums for one of the first times on the album in this tune. The groovy disco punk jam, "Dragon Queen", comes bopping on by next and makes you wanna clap along to the funkiness.
Dragon Queen - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Hysteric" has become a favorite of mine if only because it reminds me of how many times I've listened to Show Your Bones and songs like "Cheated Hearts" and "Way Out". Karen chimes in with another quotable lyric here: "Flow sweetly/Hang heavy/You suddenly complete me". The song makes you take notice once and for all that this band has versatility and cannot be pinned down by a single change in key, or keyboard in this case. Rounding out the album is "Little Shadow". Featuring an acoustic guitar in the lead-in, this track shines as an outro song should: melancholy, reflective, epic, and calming.
It's Blitz! does not simply continue the trend of indie rockers turning in their cords for keys. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have come to a place where they want to share the experience of their new found direction with the fans who love all of the previous music released. The best thing about It's Blitz! is that it allows fans of the band to continue hearing the band. If you have seen them live, as I have been privileged to do, you know the tracks on It's Blitz! will satisfy greatly the bouncy, lyric-yelling, Karen O-gawking attendee in you. Listen with prejudice and alleviate that bias with the bliss of It's Blitz! when it is released in physical form on March 31st.
Bell X1, Handsome Furs, White Lies, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Decemberists all found themselves in my graces during the month. Several tunes produced from these new releases stuck in my head, found their way on my iPod, and resulted in me purchasing and downloading them. Always promote legal listening kids!
On a live music performance note, I was fortunate to see Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, and Ruby Coast at The White Rabbit here in San Antonio. The highlight for me had to be Ra Ra Riot's unique brand of indie pop. Shown at right is lead singer, Wes Miles, and cellist, Alexandra Lawn. I look forward to seeing them again and reporting on more shows I attend in the future.
