YEAH YEAH YEAHS: SHOW YOUR BONES (REVIEW)
January 6th 2007 00:29
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
SHOW YOUR BONES
(2006; INTERSCOPE/MODULAR)
RATING
TRACK LISTING: 1) Gold Lion / 2) Way Out / 3) Fancy / 4) Phenomena / 5) Honeybear / 6) Cheated Hearts / 7) Dudley / 8) Mysteries / 9) The Sweets / 10) Warrior / 11) Turn Into
I really like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ever since I saw them support the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion a few years ago in the sweathole that is Brisbane’s Arena. At that time, I had never heard of the band, but wasn’t expecting much given the genericism of their name. Imagine how chuffed I was when they treated my ears to a sound that recalled for me bands like Sonic Youth, the Cramps, X, Bikini Kill, and the Birthday Party; with nasty, broken glass guitar from a guy with young Nick Cave hair, huge pounding drums from a guy who wears glasses, and cheeky screaming vocals from a chick who seems ten feet tall and completely out of her tree. I promptly snapped up the band’s first two EPs at the merch stand and forgot all about the Blues Explosion. It was what they call a rock ‘n’ roll miracle, and while I still enjoy the Blues Explosion’s older music, it seems no coincidence that they started to suck duck nuts shortly thereafter.
Show Your Bones (2006) is not the masterpiece I was waiting for after those explosive first EPs or 2003’s excellent but uneven Fever To Tell, but it ain’t no bucket of tits neither. The sound here is more measured than the raunchy art punk of their debut full-length and features such outrageous and wacky additions as keyboards, acoustic guitars, and handclaps—but the band has the songwriting chops to pull it all off, with subtler arrangements and more layered production from Spike Jonze’s brother, because everyone in showbiz knows everyone else.
“Gold Lion”, “Way Out”, and “Cheated Hearts” all make the first side a dandy and memorable experience, even if the tough stomp ‘n’ strum of the opener is a rip on Love and Rockets (maybe I’d give more of a shit if I’d ever heard the song “No New Tale To Tell”). And while Karen O’s squeals on this tune won’t make your nipples hard like on previous outings, they’re still sexy and sassy. Actually, even though Karen O no longer sounds like she’s simulating coitus, her feisty twang and idiosyncratic way of phrasing help to carry the weaker material here. It’s not that “Fancy”, “Honeybear”, and “Dudley” are bad songs as such, they just fall a little short on an album where the band are really hitting their songwriting stride. “Fancy” is murky, echoey psychedelia with a heavy keyboard presence thanks to a guest spot from Money Mark, but doesn’t deserve to be the longest track on the album. “Honeybear” vacillates between being cute and obnoxious with a wishy-washy arrangement. And “Dudley” is a dreamy Sonic Youth-style tune that should be beautiful but only succeeds in being pretty, with a nursery rhyme melody. But Karen’s vocals, which are getting better the more she actually sings, help to add a bit of sparkle, and at least the band’s less engaging material is a result of them trying new things. That spirit of experimentation pays off on “Phenomena”: a big stompin’, buzzy groove that borrows lyrics from LL Cool J (of all people) and will bring about the movement of many asses on my dancefloor.
While the first half of Show Your Bones has its moments, the band has bundled all my favourites towards the end. There’s “Mysteries” which sounds like the Strokes playing cowpunk, and really suits Karen’s countryish twang, while also providing the only true moment where she loses her shit like she used to: howling and moaning in the outro while the guitars and drums dive ‘n’ crash round her. This tune’s more raucous southern aesthetic is nicely counterbalanced by the introspective desert strumming of “The Sweets” and “Warrior”: two eerie, quieter tunes that aren’t afraid to be tender and beautiful, showing Karen O’s weary and creaky voice to fine effect. And “Turn Into” is a shimmering acoustic pop tune that might be the best song they’ve written so far and is a perfect closer, almost making you forget the slightly boring songs and walk away from the album with a big sweet grin of love.
While the band’s earlier material was sexy and brazen, full of biting guitars, cutting lyrics, and punk abandon, Show Your Bones is a more mature release, the lyrics dealing with Karen O’s breakup and the whole thing coming across more thoughtful and introspective. A lot of diehard/tryhard fans are defecting over this more accessible album and the stripy-shirt-wearing Karen O wannabes (if you’ve ever been in Brisbane’s Queen St mall just try not to trip over them) are probably shedding their lamé and leggings and jumping on the next bandwagon as we speak. But Show Your Bones shows your bones that what was so great about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was never their admittedly keen fashion sense, but the fact that they’re a creative and original band who are brave enough to do whatever the fuck they want.
***
IMAGES
how_your_bones.jpg" target="_blank">Show Your Bones
(album cover used under fair dealing)
* images on this page were taken from the following Wikipedia page:
Show Your Bones
SHOW YOUR BONES
(2006; INTERSCOPE/MODULAR)
RATING
TRACK LISTING: 1) Gold Lion / 2) Way Out / 3) Fancy / 4) Phenomena / 5) Honeybear / 6) Cheated Hearts / 7) Dudley / 8) Mysteries / 9) The Sweets / 10) Warrior / 11) Turn Into
Show Your Bones (2006)
Show Your Bones (2006) is not the masterpiece I was waiting for after those explosive first EPs or 2003’s excellent but uneven Fever To Tell, but it ain’t no bucket of tits neither. The sound here is more measured than the raunchy art punk of their debut full-length and features such outrageous and wacky additions as keyboards, acoustic guitars, and handclaps—but the band has the songwriting chops to pull it all off, with subtler arrangements and more layered production from Spike Jonze’s brother, because everyone in showbiz knows everyone else.
“Gold Lion”, “Way Out”, and “Cheated Hearts” all make the first side a dandy and memorable experience, even if the tough stomp ‘n’ strum of the opener is a rip on Love and Rockets (maybe I’d give more of a shit if I’d ever heard the song “No New Tale To Tell”). And while Karen O’s squeals on this tune won’t make your nipples hard like on previous outings, they’re still sexy and sassy. Actually, even though Karen O no longer sounds like she’s simulating coitus, her feisty twang and idiosyncratic way of phrasing help to carry the weaker material here. It’s not that “Fancy”, “Honeybear”, and “Dudley” are bad songs as such, they just fall a little short on an album where the band are really hitting their songwriting stride. “Fancy” is murky, echoey psychedelia with a heavy keyboard presence thanks to a guest spot from Money Mark, but doesn’t deserve to be the longest track on the album. “Honeybear” vacillates between being cute and obnoxious with a wishy-washy arrangement. And “Dudley” is a dreamy Sonic Youth-style tune that should be beautiful but only succeeds in being pretty, with a nursery rhyme melody. But Karen’s vocals, which are getting better the more she actually sings, help to add a bit of sparkle, and at least the band’s less engaging material is a result of them trying new things. That spirit of experimentation pays off on “Phenomena”: a big stompin’, buzzy groove that borrows lyrics from LL Cool J (of all people) and will bring about the movement of many asses on my dancefloor.
While the first half of Show Your Bones has its moments, the band has bundled all my favourites towards the end. There’s “Mysteries” which sounds like the Strokes playing cowpunk, and really suits Karen’s countryish twang, while also providing the only true moment where she loses her shit like she used to: howling and moaning in the outro while the guitars and drums dive ‘n’ crash round her. This tune’s more raucous southern aesthetic is nicely counterbalanced by the introspective desert strumming of “The Sweets” and “Warrior”: two eerie, quieter tunes that aren’t afraid to be tender and beautiful, showing Karen O’s weary and creaky voice to fine effect. And “Turn Into” is a shimmering acoustic pop tune that might be the best song they’ve written so far and is a perfect closer, almost making you forget the slightly boring songs and walk away from the album with a big sweet grin of love.
While the band’s earlier material was sexy and brazen, full of biting guitars, cutting lyrics, and punk abandon, Show Your Bones is a more mature release, the lyrics dealing with Karen O’s breakup and the whole thing coming across more thoughtful and introspective. A lot of diehard/tryhard fans are defecting over this more accessible album and the stripy-shirt-wearing Karen O wannabes (if you’ve ever been in Brisbane’s Queen St mall just try not to trip over them) are probably shedding their lamé and leggings and jumping on the next bandwagon as we speak. But Show Your Bones shows your bones that what was so great about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was never their admittedly keen fashion sense, but the fact that they’re a creative and original band who are brave enough to do whatever the fuck they want.
***
IMAGES
how_your_bones.jpg" target="_blank">Show Your Bones
(album cover used under fair dealing)
* images on this page were taken from the following Wikipedia page:
Show Your Bones
| 55 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by tinkster
Comment by Hellvis
Earache Hotel
Be careful with the Melvins. Some of their albums are a bit weird, which I love, but they may turn you off if you're just getting to know them. I would definitely recommend their new one (A) Senile Animal, as a starting point. Houdini and Stoner Witch are also excellent starting points.
I think you'll probably like this Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD too. I'm a bit strapped for time at the moment, but I'll take a peek at Muzikal Mafia tomorrow (maybe tonight). Looking forward to it
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
I can't help but like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...
Comment by Hellvis
Earache Hotel
I love Extra Width, Orange, and Now I Got Worry but from Acme on they started to get progressively less interesting to me.
They still rock hard live though, doing two hour sets with no breaks in between. They were pretty good when I saw them last time, but I was so impressed with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs that the JSBX just seemed kind of unimportant. Still a good band though.
Comment by Hellvis
Earache Hotel
Just posted up a Blues Explosion video if you're interested.