It’s Blitz!, the follow up to Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2006 album, Show Your Bones, hit the airwaves with their first single “Zero,” an infectious, electronic dance floor song that practically dares you to sit still while listening to it. Don’t let the song’s name fool ya, because Karen O and the boys are back and better than ever.
Lead singer Karen O, guitarist and keyboard man Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase each bring their unique talents to the table to create a catchy, fun, and, for the most part, dance your ass off album that’s sure to solidify their current fan base, as well as add a huge new following of teens.
The album, which was recorded all over the place (including in a converted barn in Massachusetts, as well as on a pecan farm near El Paso, Texas), kicks off with the catchy single “Zero” that was recently heard in many teen, ‘tween and inbetween television shows. Sure, “Zero” is pure dance fun, but the addition of both a tenor saxophone and trumpet makes for layered music beyond the typical pulsing club tunes.
The momentum “Zero” creates isn’t let up with the next song, “Heads Will Roll,” which even uses a vintage ARP synthesizer. Zinner brought an old keyboard he bought on eBay to the songwriting sessions, and that vintage ARP can also be heard in “Skeletons,” “Heads Will Roll,” and “Soft Shock”. “Heads Will Roll” is infectious dance music (even Karen thinks so, when she sings, “Off with your heads! Dance till your dead!”). Three-quarters of the way through the song, it winds down to a guitar heartbeat before jumping and pumping once again.
One of my favorite songs on the album, “Soft Shock,” highlights Karen’s unique vocal stylings while blending keyboards and guitar for a danceable synth song that pulses and makes you want to move. “Dragon Queen” is another club catchy dance tune, but is a bit toned down and seemingly more radio friendly and less jarring than some of the other dance anthems on the album.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
Such a great album! One of the year's best, easily.