Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Interscope (3/31/09)
Indie rock / Dance punk
Hell Yeahs!
That’s what you’ll be saying as your booty is shaking to “Zero”, the opening track, soon to be a classic from New York’s power trio, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. Singer Karen O, with her quirky bangs and even quirkier outfits, delivers passion and sensuality as she lifts her high notes to almost orgasmic squeals that make me wish I was the cause of them. This song is modern electro-rock all the way, with a little bit of the ’80s trying to rear its retro head into the mix.
The first four-and-a-half minutes of this record is worth the price of admission alone. “Off with your head / Dance, dance ’til your dead / Heads will roll on the floor”—Miss O warns listeners to a backdrop of deep bass lines and drummer Brian Chase’s heavy snare hits, as “Heads Will Roll”, up-tempo and ultra-modern, still manages to utilize the guitar with a piercing, staccato riff. “Soft Shock” could be considered a ballad, being on the softer side, but as the “Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh”s are sung, you’ll realize the hips are still a-swaying.
“Dull Life” is particularly impressive, as it’s the opposite of its title, with fuzzy, choppy guitar riff mimicking the doubled-effect vocal line throughout the verses of this soulful rocker. “Shame and Fortune” display guitarist Nick Zinner’s cache of sounds that are distorted and swirled together along a deep, matching bass and almost off-kilter, off-time drum beat that works masterfully. A minor-keyed piano intro starts off “Runaway” as orchestral-sounding synths help beef up the sound of this slower number, while left-and-right-panning guitar licks are alternately matched with sexy drums and techno bass on the mid-paced “Dragon Queen”.
While the standard issue of It’s Blitz! includes ten tracks, the deluxe edition includes fifteen—one hidden/bonus, and acoustic versions selected from four of the first ten tunes. There is also an iPod-EXCLUSIVE single you can download called “Clap Song”.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are intent on making new music for new listeners, but without leaving older influences and sounds behind. They’ve definitely evolved from their early, garage band-ish sound and have blossomed beautifully and fuller with each album. Produced by Dave Sitek and Nick Launay, the new effort was written in a hundred-year-old barn in Massachusetts at the start of a snowstorm. Maybe cabin fever can be blamed/attributed for the record’s success. Now, I don’t know how all these modern sounds arose from antique surroundings, but they like it, I like it, and you will like it too.
