Weekly Release Spotlight: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Posted on 4/20/2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

It's BLitz

[DGC/Interscope]

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are now elder statesmen of the indie rock scene. Originally coming of age in the garage rock revival championed by The Strokes and the White Stripes, the band has grown quite a bit since their start in 2001. No one could have imagined how hip the world would be nearly 10 years into this thing. Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase traded their guitars and drums for synths and drum machines for their latest disc, It's Blitz, the band's first proper full-length since their Grammy nomination for 2006's Fever to Tell. The result is a very dancy, pseudo-poppy yet still rockin' record. It's obvious the band has grown, and it's for the better. Nobody likes a soulless hipster.

"Zero" starts off the synth-pop party. The synthesized drums and pads provide the perfect foundation for O's vocals, which come through clearer and more uneffected than on previous releases. The band sounds happier, too. Though the lyrics don't necessarily exude happiness, the music is solid and fun. The synth party continues through the next two tracks, "Heads Will Roll" and "Softshock." The Yeah Yeah Yeahs slow things down for the haunting "Runaway," which tells a sad story of loss and regret, complete with synthesized strings and plenty of reverb. The closing track, "Little Shadow," is slow, steadily building, powerful number. A reverb soaked snare keeps time while a synth meanders along, sounding as close to a power ballad as the Yeah Yeah Yeah's could ever get.

Throughout the record, O's vocals shine and the bands' synth-based approach keeps things fresh without sounding dated. Even though the record only has 10 songs (11 if you got the bonus track), it still clocks in at over 40 minutes. And it's tough to choose a favorite song. There aren't any true standout singles, and that's a good thing. Each song offers the listener something slightly different, and when taken as a whole, the album is an excellent offering for the aging hipster.

Written by Andrew Zoellner, Radio K volunteer.