Week of Yeah Yeah Yeahs

     This weekend one on the biggest music festivals in the entire US was going on. So I figured for this weeks album review I would cover an artist that performed at the 2013 edition of Coachella. This weeks album review will be the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Mosquito.

     The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie band from New York City formed in 2000. They consist of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and key board player Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. Karen O and Brian Chase first met as students at Oberlin College in Ohio in the late 1990's, where Chase was a Jazz student at the conservatory. Karen then transferred to New York University, and while in New York met Zinner in a local bar. Where they formed an instant connection. They also shared a loft with future members of the band Metric. The two formed an acoustic duo called Unitard. They soon became bored with this deciding to mix things up and become  more trashy, punk, and grimy. They original drummer bowed out and Chase joined the line up. They wrote a bunch of songs at their first rehearsal and ended up opening for The Strokes and The White Stripes gaining a huge following for themselves. They released their own self entitled ep in 2001 and headed off on their first headlining UK tour. In 2003 they released their debut album Fever to Tell. It received commercial success and brought them the hit single "Maps". Their second album, Show Your Bones was released in 2006. Karen O described Show Your Bones as what happens when you stick your finger in a light socket. In 2007 they released the ep Is Is, quickly followed by It's Blitz! in 2009. This album had huge commercial success with three hit singles: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Skeletons". That leads us to now with Mosquito.
                                                              Karen O Live on stage

     I wanted to talk about one of the things that makes the Yeah Yeah Yeah so interesting and fun, that's their live shows. One of the most important things to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shows is Karen O and her amazing costumes. She is famous for her outrageous outfits worn at concerts, (not unlike a certain pop star), all of which are made by famous designer and friend Christian Joy. Her live antics are legendary. She is known to run around the stage for a large part of the show. Jumping in to the crowd frequently to sing songs from the audience. Her voice  is something otherworldly live it is a mix of smooth, edgy, and hypnotic all at the same time. They have been described by everyone who I read a live show review by as better than on CD live, turning their songs into pure stadium epics. One reviewer said the guitars are fiercer, more catchy, the beats are more crashing, and Karen's screech's are beyond amazing. I have personally never seen the Yeah Yeah Yeah's live. I had the opportunity once but being a die hard Maynard fan, I had to see Tool instead. After reading all of these reviews I am very interested in tracking them down this summer on their Mosquito tour.
                                                       The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Live 

          When the Yeah Yeah Yeah's emerged on the scene with Fever To Tell they brought a furious and and seductive new energy to a wonderfully written art punk album. With Show Your Bones they reached maturity much quicker that other artists ever do, with an almost Gothic record. With Its Blitz the brought their music to the dance floor and to the mainstream in the best way possible. On Mosquito though its sort of a full circle effect back to the beginning. I like to think that there are two types of good records ones that flow together like a cohesive unit, and records where it seems like a record full of lead singles all trying to get attention deserved. This is the latter. It heads back to what they call more experimental  areas, Karen O described it as goofy songs about mosquitoes and aliens. Being a weird record even for the already weird Yeah Yeah Yeahs sometimes it feels a little disjointed. However they are held together by Karen O's pure amazing vocal ability's and style. It's not a bad record by any means. I just a lot less organized than any of the other Yeah Yeah Yeas records, but also more fun. So pretty much your in for a weird, slightly disjointed, but completely over the top bombastic and fun ride of an album.
                                                       The Yeah Yeah Yeah's- Sacrilege 

The album opens up with the track I posted above "Sacrilege" it opens things up with a bang. It's a huge in your face song that even makes use of a gospel choir to drag the point home. "Subway" is a much quieter but equally rewarding song that makes use of an actual subway recording laid under the song. I would describe "Mosquito" as fierce and fun. Its starts off quieter and more tribal with drums and stage whispering before exploding to the chorus of Ill suck your blood."Under The Earth" is one of the strange tracks on the album making use of claves and synths, and the chorus does seem slightly simple. A very strange cover song. "Slave" sees Karen O singing in a weak whisper as to show the desperation of a slave. "Theses Paths" is a definite grower as it changes into a dark and powerful song becoming more distorted as it goes. "Area 52" is the albums weird alien song, it has that weird 80's flavor that Sponge or B-52's might have. "Buried Alive" is one of the albums true gems. It's a long song that features rapper Dr. Octagon. It's got that intensity of the art punk sound you love the Yeah Yeah Yeah's for. "Always" sounds like it was sung in a cave or parking garage echoing like a desperate love song/ballad. "Despair" builds all the way through as a ballad to a large explosive sing a long type chorus at the end. "Wedding Song" is another gem and a hidden one at that. It is a truly beautiful ballad and a wonderful way to close the album.
                                             Look what I found on the entire new album!

     The album is a what it is a weird twisting and turning roller coaster. Even thought it may be rocky and bumpy at points. I dare you to try and not have fun while on it.
Recommended Songs: Sacrilege, Subway, Buried Alive, Wedding Song.

4/5 Stars