When 2003's Fever to Tell came out for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the album already gained critical buzz as well as underground attention. Notably in the indie and modern rock scene with singles like Date With The Night and Pin. Yet, it was one song that gained the band some surprising mainstream attention which is an unusual, mid-tempo love ballad entitled Maps. Released in February 2004, the single for Maps contains two B-sides that would be favorites among fans. One is a non-LP track and the other comes from an August 2002 session with the late John Peel. The resulting 3-track single is one of the YYYs finest moments.

The single begins with its title cut. Featuring Nick Zinner's shimmering guitar vibratos and Brian Chase's thundering but smooth mid-tempo drums, it's Karen O's seductive yet haunting vocals that really drive the song. Filled with haunting lyrics along with a memorable chorus, the song is definitely one of the band's finest moments. Notably for the fact that it's a surprising love song that would be both a blessing and a curse for the band that also features Zinner's menacing guitar drones. The non-LP B-side Countdown is a smooth yet funky track with slow rhythms and Zinner's swanky guitar riff that shows the band's interest in funk. With O's calm yet wailing vocals, the song's lyrics filled with angry yet eerie lyrics along with Zinner's ringing, blues-like guitar solo as Chase provides slow but crashing drums to the song.

The single's closer is Miles Away, a song from the band's self-titled 2001 EP that's performed exclusively on an August 22, 2002 session with John Peel. The fast, charging song with scratchy, vibrato guitars and pounding from Brian Chase as it builds momentum with Karen O's calm vocals that gets more engaging when the song goes into rock mode. With angry lyrics and rollicking rhythms from Chase and Zinner's screeching guitar, it's the band at their most furious.
 
The single is really a record for hardcore fans to own for its B-sides while the song Maps is definitely a classic that's been covered by the likes of the Arcade Fire and Ted Leo. Though it would be the song that helped Fever to Tell go gold, it would also be the song that gave the band unwanted mainstream attention as they would struggle to record their sophomore album Show Your Bones. While it's best to get the Fever to Tell album, the single for Maps is still a worthy purchase for fans of the song as well as hardcore fans wanting the B-sides.
 
YYYs Reviews:

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

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing