4/5
Karen O is back 'mdash; as the Black Widow? Seems like everybody's getting an alter-ego these days (shout-out to Sasha Fierce). But somehow, even when Ms. O's decked out in spider-web tights and furry tarantula boots, we aren't statisfied. It's the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and we want more. After a two-year hiatus following the Is Is EP, New York's finest shoot sky-high with the deliciously dancey It's Blitz!, packed with garage-punk thrashing and '80s synth backing to pave a new era of YYY party rock.
The band grimes it up, getting down and dirty with O's blasting fever-queen vocals. First single 'Zero' begins with a clear-cut demand: 'Get your leather on.' What could be more rock 'n' roll than that? Stadium synths climb above sensual lyrics, racing to a jostling, crowd-rushed release. On 'Dull Life,' train echoes and resonant 'Maps'-like vocals slide into shattered chorus-verse duels.
Hard riffs switch on O's screams, only to give way to the heartbreakingly gentle, 'We see the nightmare of your lies.' She's so expressive we could cry 'mdash; but then all's washed clean with the indie romance of 'Hysteric.' The soft-smile sentiment 'You suddenly complete me' flips 'Hey There Delilah' the bird; this is a love song for the dreamy, tattooed art punks (still not too far from chart-topping success).
No doubt, It's Blitz! packs a dazzling electric punch. With sold-out audiences in London and a sub-headline after the Cure at Coachella, YYY need no more prompting for a full-scale U.S. tour. (Plus, Karen O once apparently danced off the stage and into the hospital 'mdash; that's how hard these kids play.) So let's bring them home. Yeah Yeah Yeahs for Sun God 2010!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs will play live at Coachella on April 19.'
