Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
By: Cody McGraw
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It's Blitz!
(DGC/Interscope)
SOUNDS LIKE: A balance between crazy and lucidity.
The following rant is a story of redemption and reconciliation after love, hate and disgust. (Cue the sad Coldplay song . . . )
In 2003, when I first heard Fever to Tell, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' breakthrough album, I was in love. I called it a record perfect for any time of the year that didn't feature even one skippable song. Fast forward to 2006 to when I first heard Show Your Bones; I was appalled. Who the fuck gave Karen O the downers? What a terrible disappointment. So I completely wrote off Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I was pissed, depressed and felt cheated and betrayed.
That is, until I heard It's Blitz!
Now, in 2009, I get it. This is what Yeah Yeah Yeahs were trying to go for with Show Your Bones, but they failed miserably. The slower songs with a synth feel on It's Blitz! actually work and are nothing short of amazing. It's the kind of album that is instantly enjoyable. With great tracks like "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll" you'll be moving your skinny ass before you sit quietly, thinking, to "Skeletons" and "Hysteric". It's a tight, cohesive album and a worthy companion to Fever to Tell.
I am finally coming to terms with Yeah Yeah Yeahs no longer being a crazy punk band. I'm almost OK with it. But I can't help but yearn for the uninhibited craziness that was Fever to Tell. I recently listened to Fever and It's Blitz! back to back and they don't even sound like the same band. And you know what? That's alright with me. I've decided I can be happy with Yeah Yeah Yeahs releasing two very good, and very different records that I can enjoy for years to come.
