When the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their debut album Fever to Tell in 2003, the band emerged from the New York City underground scene where the Strokes hit it big with huge acclaim. In early 2004, the band gained an unexpected hit single with Maps as it went top ten in the U.S. Modern Rock charts while being a top-30 U.K. hit single and even reaching the U.S. 100 singles charts. The album went gold giving the band some mainstream attention as they even played the 2004 MTV Movie Awards though it would provide the band some unwanted attention. Notably for Karen O as she was linked to acclaimed film director Spike Jonze following his split with wife and fellow film director Sofia Coppola.

It was around this time Spike directed the video for the band's song Y Control that they were introduced to Spike's brother Sam Spiegel. Spiegel under his Squeak E. Clean moniker decided to work with the band on their second album along with David Andrew Sitek, the TV on the Radio guitarist who had produced their first album. Hoping to move away from the early, raw, primal sound of Fever to Tell and their first two EPs. The band decided to broaden their sound with acoustic instruments and keyboards courtesy of Money Mark, an associate of the Beastie Boys. During the sessions, the album proved to be difficult as they were dealing with fame as well as creative tension that would result in the band's second album entitled Show Your Bones.

Written and performed by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with production by the band and Squeak E. Clean with additional work from David Andrew Sitek. Show Your Bones is an album that has the band moving away from the primal velocity of their art-punk sound from Fever to Tell for broader song arrangements and styles ranging from funk to acoustic-driven songs and ballads. With the lyrics that deal with the band's recent brush with fame, insecurities, and darker themes that lives up to the album's title. While not a perfect record, Show Your Bones does prove that the band does still have some juice left in them.
 
The album begins with its leading single, Gold Lion, a mid-tempo song with thumping back beats from Brian Chase, washy acoustic guitars from Nick Zinner, and squealing vocals from Karen O. The song's lyrics filled with description about a horrible incident revels in the band's new sound with soft, melodic keyboards and Zinner's shimmering electric guitar solo as it intensifies. The song's melody and presentation is unique though similar to Love & Rockets' No New Tale To Tell back in the late 80s. Way Out is a mid-tempo, swirling acoustic-driven track with washy acoustic guitars and smooth, thumping beats accompanied by a melodic keyboard swirl. With Karen's wailing vocals filled with troubling, claustrophobic lyrics, the song features Zinner's driving guitar crashes along with Chase's rumbling, pulsating drums. Fancy is a heavy song with growling guitars, hard-hitting drums, and Karen's sinister vocals along with Money Mark's eerie keyboards. The song reveals a dark side of the band with angry lyrics as it reminds fans of the sheer intensity of Fever to Tell with Zinner and Mark's screeching instruments.

Phenomena is a funky, upbeat song with swanky guitar riffs and hard-hitting back beats that revels in the band's love of funk. With Karen's light-screeching vocals and lyrics about fame and its down sides shows the band having a sense of humor with great performance from Chase's drums and Zinner's driving guitar along with wailing keyboards from Money Mark. Honeybear is an upbeat song with foot-stomping beats and swirling guitars before going into this full-on, thumping track with crashing guitars. With Karen's vocals leading the song with her esoteric, cosmic lyrics, the song features Zinner's squealing vocals along with Chase's smooth, pulsating drums. The album's third single Cheated Hearts is a mid-tempo, melodic-driven song with scratchy guitars, thumping back beats, and Karen's calm vocals that are filled with lyrics of insecurities and disappointments. The song is definitely one of the band's best tunes as well as their most personal with all the instrumentation becoming intense along with Karen's vocals.
 
Dudley is a smooth, shimmering song with melodic guitar swirls, Chase's smooth, pulsating beats, and Karen's calm, somber vocals. With its accompanying keyboards and Karen's sad lyrics, it's a song that shows the band broadening as Zinner's melodic guitar arpeggios are a highlight with Chase precise, smooth drum fills. Mysteries is an upbeat, foot-stomping song with Zinner's driving guitar and Chase's fast-pounding drums with Karen's soft-wailing vocals. With its intriguing, eerie lyrics, it's a song that features Zinner playing a shimmering guitar solo with Chase's fast, pulsating drums that crashes through. The Sweets is an acoustic ballad with slow, hollow beats and Zinner's smooth acoustic accompaniments as Karen sings softly in this haunting song filled with eerie lyrics. The intimate sound and production works along with Karen's soothing vocals as it later intensifies with crashing drums, Zinner's driving guitar, and Karen's intense vocals.

Warrior is another ballad that begins with melodic guitar swirls along with slow, bongo-like beats from Brian Chase as it leads into a full-on acoustic ballad led by Karen's soft, wailing vocals. With its somber lyrics and presentation, it starts off smoothly and then intensifies with Zinner's driving guitar and Chase's hard-hitting drums. The album closer is the love ballad and second single Turn Into with its driving acoustic guitar and slow, vibrant drums. Karen's somber vocals is truly wonderful with its dreamy lyrics as its tempo picks up a bit with Chase's smooth, vibrant drums, Karen's melodic piano, and Zinner's shimmering guitars that features a squealing solo in the middle. The album's bonus track in the U.K. version is a song called Deja Vu, a noisy, upbeat song with industrial-rock tinges with fast, hard-hitting drums and driving guitars and Karen's screeching vocals. With its angry lyrics, it's a phenomenal song that reminds audiences of the band's first album as it's a great bonus track for hardcore fans to own.

When the album was released in the spring of 2006, anticipation was high for the record but the response was mixed. Some enjoyed the record for the band not wanting to repeat themselves while others felt it lacked the primal edge of its debut album. Despite hit singles in the U.K. and Gold Lion being a hit in the U.S. modern rock charts, the album didn't match the sales of Fever to Tell while tensions within the band was starting to cause trouble. Though they didn't show it on performances and on tour, it was starting to increase until the release of the Is Is EP in the summer of 2007 that rejuvenated the band personally and profile-wise as they started a brief hiatus period.

Show Your Bones is an excellent album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs though not as consistent or as exciting as Fever to Tell. While the album does contain a great wealth of songs, its flaws are due to its sparse production from Squeak E. Clean and sequencing of material that comes off as a bit uninspired where it starts off with mid-tempo songs, funky suites, and then acoustic tracks in its U.S. version. Still, it's songs are very memorable and catchy as well as its singles showing that the band is willing to expand their sound. In the end, Show Your Bones is a fine album that shows the Yeah Yeah Yeahs not repeating themselves and taking risks for their sophomore album.

YYYs Reviews:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP - Machine - Fever to Tell - Maps - (Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow DVD) - Gold Lion - (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: Hanging With Friends