Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz!: Review

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have always been an impressive group considering that instrumentally all they consist of is guitar, drums, and vocals. What has made them so successful however is that they have never let this limitation, well... limit them. Guitarist Nick Zinner knows his way around effects pedals and other electronic goodies, allowing him to flesh out warm and buzzing walls of sound that he can then punch even more guitar chaos in. Drummer Brian Chase never goes for the obvious beat choice either, helping the band to come off fresh despite their stripped formation. And then of course, there is vocalist Karen O, a woman's whose powerful, diverse, and perhaps more than anything else, emotionally convincing voice help the Yeah Yeah Yeahs standout as a truly unique force.

Over the years the trio have moved away from their scrappy, venomous garage-punk days to a more relaxed and tone-obsessed sound that treats each song as a separate entity. It's Blitz! continues this tradition. Each song on the group's latest is well-crafted adventure through various sounds and moods. So while opener "Zero" sounds like it could have come out of the electronica explosion of the late '90s, its follow up, "Heads Will Roll," offers up an '80s dance party vibe complete with 808 claps and dark organ tones.

From there the band dip into pop territory with the bouncy and bright "Soft Shock." The song is relaxing despite its fuzzed and faded guitar work thanks to Karen O's soft pleading and an infectious lead guitar line.

"Skeletons" goes the ballad jugular and rips it wide open. It serves as a dangerous leap for a once abrasive band, but the smooth and humming base of the song crafts just the right background Karen O to show off just how diverse and powerful she can be. The result is a spacious moment of beauty on an otherwise layered album.

"Dull Life" and "Shame and Fortune" bring back the rock you've come to expect from this band. Guitars screech, drums thud and Karen O belts out her lyrics like her life depended on it. From there we get "Runaway," a near jaw dropping surprise of a track, that led by a simple piano line seems like it could fit perfectly into any film's heartbreak scene.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the type of band that are fun to follow. Each release they progress without losing what made them so appealing in the first place. So while It's Blitz! may not be as wild and unrestrained as some of the band's past material it does contain just as emphasis on unique guitar tones and fractured layers of sound.