Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Skeletons

When The White Stripes, The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs strode purposefully into our consciousness in the low end of the noughties, it was difficult to envisage that all three would still be releasing material in 2010. These exciting bands seemed too cool, too arty, too fashionable to survive. Yet here we are, right here, right now with a new video from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Good music won out.

We’ve always found some of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs slowest songs their most perfect. From the powerful and beguiling Maps to one of the standout tracks from the bands 2009 release - It’s Blitz - the song Skeletons. With this tune the Yeah Yeah Yeahs take the less is more approach, stripping things back to the bones. There’s an almost complete single syllable simplicity to Skeletons. “Love, my name. Love, left dry. Frost or flame. Skeleton me.” The words construct their own frame which enables the glacial pulsing synthtopia to find something to wrap itself around, before layers of gigantic icy pulsing electronics and call to arms percussion build the piece to a misty mountain peak.

Skeletons will be released as a digital bundle single on the 1st February together with a new acoustic version of the song. Do yourself a favour today, stay in, don’t go down the pub, and use the money you save to buy this wonderful work instead.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have always seemed to be fashionably art school cool. It therefore comes as no surprise to find that with synth bands back in vogue, their new album It‘s Blitz is loaded with keyboard sounds. It marks a departure for the group, helping them deliver a very of the moment record. Immaculately produced by TV On The Radios David Sitek, It’s Blitz sees Karen O and her two footmen get scrubbed up and glossily polished. For the most part this less abrasive, less punk sound works well. From the taught pulsing Moroder electronics of lead single Zero to the heady ambient minimalism of ballad Skeletons, there are a number of songs that stand up as some of their best work. Highlight is Heads Will Roll which starts like an early nineties swirling synth rave classic before Karen O delivers her yelping killer commandment; “Off with your head, dance till you’re dead.” No doubt it will be vibrating sweaty indie dance floors in the next few months. Not every song pays dividends though. The jangly Dragon Queen is a funky experiment gone wrong, sounding like a CSS B side. It’s a step too far with a weak tune.

The overall tone of It’s Blitz is more mellow and consistent than either of their two previous albums. It is less raw, with a significant number of slower songs. Whilst the synths dominate, there are some guitars in the mix. There is plenty of riffing fury on Dull Life which motors along at a rate of knots. Shame And Fortune also has dirty repetitive guitar slashed right across its core.

It’s Blitz is a coherent piece of work that shows a band moving forward, still sparkling with some new ideas and a waft of experimentation. It’s not by any means perfect but provides enough to excite old fans and maybe bring in some new ones as well.