It’s 2001. The music world is monopolised by bland, monotonous,
irrefutably ‘safe’ music. Whilst America is split between
listening to ‘N Sync or parent-approved Linkin Park, Britain had
the choice of Travis or Dido. Where is the danger? the excitement? the
unpredictability? The world needed something. That something turned out
to be the destruction of the World Trade Centre. The event sent shockwaves
throughout the world, re-igniting a feeling of anger, guilt, confusion,
a sense that everything isn’t ok.
The shock of 9/11 re-awoke a sense of mortality and reactivity, refuelled the
sapping cultural collective; writers, filmmaker and artists; and
in the music world, from the ashes of the twin towers came a vibrant, anarchic,
sexually charged ‘new-wave’ spearheaded by The Strokes, Interpol,
Stellastarr* and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Whereas each band concerned themselves
more with hairstyles and clothing rather than being overtly topical, their sense
of causticity and rebellion from the ‘secure’ spoke volumes as to
the feelings of most.
Indeed, their sense of self-propelling vanity came always with an sense of irony: ‘The
world is a mess, and we’re angry, young and beautiful’. It was the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs particularly who took this ethos as their own, with Karen O becoming
the most fashionable, most exciting, most coolest thing like… ever, launching
a thousand fashions and doppelgangers in the process.
More than their style, it was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' music that made them goliaths;
the raw yet melodic guitar, the vivacious drumming and Karen O’s vocals
and lyrics oscillating between incensed screaming and a touching softness; at
times they were almost punk. Almost, as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are innovators, not
followers, and their debut album Fever To Tell received both huge sales and critical
acclaim from across the board. Yet, with the hype, inevitably comes backlash.
We rejoin the Yeah Yeah Yeahs here. Fellow New Yorkers The Strokes suffered
horribly from the hype; their first album being considered a work of
genius, their second being considered a work of crap. It wasn’t true of course, if we listen
without prejudice, both albums are equally fine. Poor Strokes. Worryingly, it
seemed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were feeling that second album strain, reportedly
scrapping oodles of songs and taking three years to produce anything. Some cynics
went as far as to label the YYYs a matter of pout over product.
Luckily, Yeah Yeah Yeahs much anticipated sophomore effort Show Your Bones is
an entire success. If a strain was felt, it certainly isn’t evident on
the album, as it resonates with an effortless and affecting cool; an importantly,
it shows a development in their sound that will allow them to continue onwards
and upwards from here-on-out.
Show Your Bones first single Gold Lion provided evidence of a sound shift. Where
Date with the Night (lead single from Fever To Tell) was all buzz-saw guitars,
yelping and epileptic drumming; Gold Lion is a growler (sorry, grower), a mid-tempo
stomper, forcing people to recognise a departure; this was, of course, intentional: ‘See
how we’ve grown!’.
This ‘departure’, to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs credit, is a minor one.
For those in love with Nick Zinner’s simple yet mind-splitting melodies,
you won’t be disappointed, the sound is still buoyant and abrasive but
now there’s extra layers to enjoy. Where some unfairly suggested the YYYs
sound is spoiled by one-dimensionality (despite much evidence of their diverse
songwriting prowess) there’s Fancy’s and Phenomena et al’s
spooky sense of claustrophobia and ghost-like middle-eights; the YYYs aren’t
afraid to fuck with their patented sound, and it works out well for everyone.
Karen O’s libretto always play second-fiddle to the YYYs general gusto;
most lyrics offer nothing but impenetrable nonsense, but there are moments of
insight into her world, such as Cheated Heart’s: ‘Cheated by the
opposite of love… kept my eye on the first one.’ The pry amongst
us may wish to correlate the lyric to one of Ms O’s celebrity relationships,
but it’s really none of our business, it’s simply a declaration of
her versatility, from sex-siren and rock-goddess to hopelessly befuddled love
puppy.
What put the Yeah Yeah Yeahs above their peers was their ability to provoke an assortment of emotion through a simple guitar, drums, vocal set up, leaving pretension and falseness at the door in favour of magnificent, honest and raw songs. To this they’ve stayed true, and now they’ve found some extra magic to pull out of their fashion-bothering hats. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have leaped the tricky second album hurdle and come down better on the other side, suggesting there may even be better to come.