Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Three albums into their career and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are sounding like one of the best, most enduring bands of the decade. At a rate of one album every three years, they could hardly be described as prolific, but the results have invariably been worth the wait. Fever to Tell was the hyped-up but ultimately celebrated debut; follow-up Show Your Bones was the break-up album; not to everyone's taste, but this writer was and is a card-carrying fan. On album number three they sound as vital and thrilling as ever.
Much has been made of It's Blitz!'s switch from guitars to synths. Fans of Nick Zinner's inimitable style (he doesn't so much play chords as crunch out shards of beautiful noise) may feel this is unforgivable, but the shift in emphasis works superbly. From the cover-art down, this is a gorgeous album, all clean lines and cool pop elegance. Of course, having the charisma reservoir that is Karen O in your band helps. She may no longer have an orgasm on record, but she's still the best frontwoman in pop by a country mile - tough and tender in equal measure. 'Get your leather on', she instructs coyly on rip-roaring opener, Zero, bound to be one of the tracks of the year, while on exquisite ballad Runaway she sounds desperate and confused: 'Run away, lost my mind / Want you to stay, want you to be my prize'.
It's Blitz! is a record that comes at you sideways rather than head on. Despite the synths, it's more home-listening material than dancefloor-oriented. Tracks such as Hysteric, Skeletons and Faces are possessed of a subtle catchiness and exude a glow of warmth that reels in the listener slowly and makes this an addictive, endlessly playable album. With only one misfire, the lumbering Shame and Fortune, this is not only the most accessible Yeah Yeah Yeahs album to date, but also the most consistent. It would be no surprise if their sleek new sound brought them to a wider fanbase - indeed, given the stodgy diet of synth-rock served up by the likes of The Killers and The Bravery in recent years, it would be a great pleasure.
Mini review
Almost imploding in the initial mega-hype before even recording their debut, you could probably have gotten long odds in 2002 on Yeah Yeah Yeahs still being around in 2009, let alone remaining one of the most exciting bands around. And yet here they are. Showing impressive ability to evolve, on It’s Blitz! they turned down the guitars and allowed icy synthesisers to take centre stage. The move proved a winning one, with Zero and Heads Will Roll the best start to any album in 2009. The gorgeous ballads proved just as effective, and are now at least half of the fun. (Shane Murphy)
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