Since the Strokes emerged out of the New York City music scene in late 2001, a new wave of NYC rock and garage rock emerged. 2002 was touted as the year of garage rock but the music really belonged to the Big Apple. The Mooney Suzuki, Interpol, Hot Hot Heat, and many others were giving NYC some regained attention as a great rock city after years of being overshadowed by its massive hip-hop scene. Many of the NYC bands have often credited the works of such NY greats as the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Television, Patti Smith, the Ramones, and Sonic Youth for keeping NYC alive in rock. Now in 2003, the Strokes and the Mooney Suzuki are slated for upcoming releases while Interpol is riding the critical acclaim they received for their debut release Turn Off the Bright Lights. Now, there’s another NYC band that has been gaining buzz for a couple of years in the U.S. and the U.K. that is finally releasing their full-length debut, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Formed in the late 1990s, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs consist of singer Karen O, guitarist/keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. For the past couple of years, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been gaining a critical and underground buzz just as their NYC counterparts, the Strokes were about to release their debut album Is This It. While many bands with the “The” tag in their band names often get put in the new wave garage rock scene, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a much different band. In 2001 and 2002, the band released two-widely acclaimed EPs that showcased the band’s art-punk style that had the elements of the Velvet Underground, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Wire, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and the Ramones.

Another element in the band’s sound is singer Karen O. She is often said that she looks like Pretender’s singer Chrissie Hynde; Karen O is more of a trashy punk-priestess who has the sexual, vocal virility of Hynde, PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna. The lyrics Karen O sings does have sexual connotations that are very twisted as well as gritty details of the NYC nightlife. Even in her performance, Karen O is very intense as a singer as she moves like a maniac with sexual positions that is very liberating; particularly since a lot of female artist these days are using sex as a marketing tool rather than an artistic expression.

The EPs helped get the Yeah Yeah Yeahs an underground following in the U.S. and the U.K. The British press was in awe of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as they were in anticipation for their full-length debut. Already signed to the independent label Dress Up, Interscope Records managed to receive a deal with Yeah Yeah Yeahs to release their full-length debut. After touring in dates in the U.K. and the U.S. including some high-profiled shows in NYC, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs went to work on their full-length debut with producer David Andrew Sitek and legendary Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine producer Alan Moulder. Already brimming with buzz on their EPs, their debut had a lot to live up to as they were slated for an April release. Finally, after months of anticipation, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs finally released their full-length debut album Fever to Tell.

Fever to Tell is a simmering, thirty-seven minutes of blistering, hypnotic art-punk. Led by the wailing, sexual vocals of Karen O, Fever to Tell is an album that has chaotic energy and bombast provided by the maniacal playing of guitarist/keyboardist Nick Zinner and the barreling, incessant drum fills of Brian Chase. Many songs from Fever To Tell are upbeat, heavy, and chaotic in its delivery as it takes the elements of garage rock and art-punk to grittier layers that are often catchy and disturbing. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs may be a chaotic band but there is still hooks and melodies that are catchy to remember as singer Karen O’s vocals bring some sexual energy that is enough to wish that you could have her spank your *ss and call you b*tch. The result is one hell of a debut album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The album begins with new wave-rock of Rich with its opening, reverb synthesizers and Brian Chase’s smooth, bass-pounding drums. Karen O then sings lyrics of the NYC rich lifestyle with her high-pitched, sexual, growling vocals while Brian Zinner plays a smooth, droning guitar track. The song’s tempo picks up a bit with Chase’s throbbing rhythm as Karen O sings her twisted lyrics of “She slept through her drink/Well I’m zilch, she doesn’t exist” as she continues to growl in her vocals as Zinner plays a scratchy, sliding guitar to the song’s melodic synthesizer reverbs as O continues to sing the word “Rich” quietly. Next is the ferocious first single for Date With The Night as Karen O sings, “I got the date with the night” as Chase brings in a warbling upbeat rhythm with Zinner’s droning guitar riffs. The song’s upbeat intensity goes into overdrive as Karen O sings the word “Chow” repeatedly as Zinner brings in a menacing, guitar scratch. The song then gets a bit softer as O sings, “I’ll sent you, I’ll set it off” repeatedly as she continues to growl in her sexual vocals as Zinner plays a sliding, squealing guitar track. Chase meanwhile brings in his barreling drumbeats as O sings, “Buying out the fine/Gonna walk on water” as the song kicks the album into overdrive.

Man is a thumping rocker as Karen O sings, “I got a man who makes me wanna kill” repeatedly to Chase’s break-beating drum tracks and Zinner’s rocking guitars as O sings, “We’re gonna burn in hell” repeatedly. O then brings in her smooth, sexual grunts while Chase brings in some powerful drum fills as the song’s funky rhythm mixed in with Zinner’s funk-rock guitar bring in some New York power as O continues to sing her lyrics about a man as she says “We’re all gonna burn in hell”. Tick is another upbeat song as Karen O sings, “You make me, you make me, you make me/Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick/Time you take it/You look so good” as Chase and Zinner brings in a powerful rhythm with their drums and guitars respectively. The song’s pulsating rhythm gets more seductive as O sings, “You make me, you make me, you make me wanna/Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh” as Chase’s drum brings in a throbbing rhythm as O continues to grunt sexually to the previous line by adding “You look like sh*t” as organ tracks appear in the background as O moans to the song’s vibrant energy.

Black Tongue opens up with a smooth, pulsating drum track and Zinner’s scratchy, sliding guitar track as Karen O moans during the opening bars. She then sings, “You can keep your black tongue/I found out in the mortuary/I know you want some, want some” as she follows with her empowering moans. The song’s seductive rhythm and tone is so slithery and sexy that it is empowered more by Karen O’s sexual intensity as she grunts, “Uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, ah” as she then sings, “Boy, you just a stupid b*tch and girl, you’re just a no good d*ck” repeatedly. Chase’s vibrant rhythms and Zinner’s sliding guitar is filled with catchy melodies and powerful hooks as O sings, “We’re gonna keep it in the family” while returning to the song’s famous line for the coda. Pin opens up with vibrato guitar tracks from Zinner and Chase’s incessant drum fills. Karen O then sings her New York-lyrics of the clubs. Then the song goes into a thumping rhythm as O sings the melody of “Dunnum, dunnum, dunnum” from Zinner’s guitar riffs. Karen O then sings lyrics about wanting to sleep her friend’s boyfriend as if she wanted a chance to score. The song’s vibrant energy and catchy pop hooks show the Yeah Yeah Yeahs knack for pop hooks while keeping an edge to their art-punk sound.

Cold Light opens with a menacing riff from Zinner as Karen O sings, “Cold light, hot night/Be my eater, be my lover/And we can do it to each other”. The song then goes into a droning, guitar-driven track with Chase’s crashing rhythms as O continues to sing her lyrics of the New York nightlife. Karen O then sings the song’s opening line as the tempo begins to pick up a bit more while Zinner brings in a punk-Zeppelin guitar riff as Karen O continues to moan sexually as she sings, “And watch you go” as the song ends. No, No, No is lead by Brian Chase’s incessant, smooth drum roll as Nick Zinner plays a washy, upbeat guitar track. Karen O sings, “Well I’m frozen, like a snow vulture/I don’t know where it stays all over the place”. The song then gets into a harder, upbeat tone with Zinner’s raging guitars and Chase’s crashing beats as Karen O sings, “No, no, no” while Zinner brings some feedback to the guitars. O then sings very fast as she sings about a guy who isn’t coming back and she is very angry with him. Karen O then sings about one of her girlfriends to dump her lousy boyfriend as the band’s upbeat rhythm continues to play. The song then goes into a strange coda of distorted, atmospheric textures as Chase plays a slow, drum track as O sings, “I told her” in the background with Zinner’s feedback guitar textures descending as the song goes into a brief, dub mode.

Maps is a slow but seductive track with simmering synthesizers, vibrato guitar riffs from Nick Zinner, and bass-pounding drum tracks from Brian Chase. Karen O then sings in her cool, sexy vocals that leads to the chorus line of “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” that harkens the vocals of Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, and Chrissie Hynde. Zinner later brings a ferocious, melodic guitar solo as O continues to sing the chorus with Chase’s drums bringing in a smooth, seductive rhythm to the slithering love song. Y Control goes back to the album’s more upbeat tone as Zinner plays a vibrato, droning guitar track with Chase’s pulsating drumbeats. Karen O then sings in her cool, enchanting vocals as she sings the chorus of “Y control, Y control/You walk, walk, walk, walk/My winner’s out of control, out of control/You walk, walk, walk, walk/My winner’s out of control, out of control/You walk, walk, walk, walk”. Zinner brings a feedback-driven guitar vibrato as Chase continues to pound his incessant beats.

Modern Romance is a smooth, seductive ballad with dreamy, washy guitar riffs from Zinner and Chase’s smooth, drum echoes. Karen O sings, “Don’t hold on/Go, get strong/Well don’t you know/There is no modern romance” in her smooth, seductive vocals that harkens Siouxsie Sioux’s evocative vocals. O’s vocals are accompanied by soft, squealing guitar slide from Zinner as she continues to sing lyrics about no more modern romances. Chase’s drums that echoes throughout the song harkens to the smooth, harrowing tone Moe Tucker played for the Velvet Underground as the song’s coda ends with Zinner’s soft, sliding feedback. The album also includes a hidden track called Poor Song as Karen O sings to the song’s dense melody as Chase plays a harrowing drum tap. O sings, “Baby I know your afraid of a lot of things/But don’t be scared of love”. Zinner plays a low, guitar track as the band gets a bit more old school into underground rock. Karen O sings her cryptic lyrics of love as she sings, “Well I just know you’re a fool/And you’re just as cool/Come on kids, get along” as the song ends.

While Fever to Tell changes its tone a bit in the last 1/3, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ full-length debut is still one amazing album. It’s no surprise the critics from the U.S. and U.K. have been praising this album as the band’s energetic, sexy approach to art-punk and new wave is fresh and exciting. Though it’s unclear whether this album will breakthrough with the mainstream, the band still has an underground following who enjoyed their EPs and will definitely buy their albums. Underground rock fans will enjoy this as well since unfortunately, a lot of morons these days are going nuts over the fifth-rate Goth-metal band Evanescence. For an album filled with sexual energy, catchy rockers, new wave numbers, and a crazy singer, Fever to Tell is one hell of a debut from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

YYYs Reviews:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP - Machine - Maps - (Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow DVD) - Gold Lion - Show Your Bones - Is Is EP - It's Blitz! - Atlanta, GA-Echo Lounge 11/10/03 - Atlanta, GA- Tabernacle 10/14/06

Recommended: Yes

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