Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fall Short of a Knock Out with Their 3rd Album

Mar 10, 2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs third full-length It's Blitz sheds the raw power of previous efforts, which sadly results in an over-polished and generic sound.

A wave of hype was ignited by Yeah Yeah Yeahs self-titled 2001 EP that was so staggering it is a wonder anyone survived. By the time their full-length Fever to Tell hit the shelves in 2003, it was clear that the British press expected the New York based trio to change the world.

This was a tall order for singer Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase, but they handled the onslaught fairly well. They managed a radio hit with “Maps,” a forlorn love song, and O transformed herself into a rock fashion icon with the aid of designer Christian Joy.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Media Hype Dies Down

The media love fest ran its course, and YYYs had in fact not changed the face of rock. That isn’t to say they didn’t prove themselves to be a kick-ass live show. It was a treat to have someone like Karen O the center of attention for a while, but things have returned to business as usual with more label hybrids like Rihanna, Katie Perry and other such monstrosities.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs second album, Show Your Bones (2006), didn’t get the same attention, but it shows a band confident with their place in music. They polished things slightly, but didn’t discard their infectious energy. Real fans know that YYYs’ more raw, pop-punk tunes are where the fire is, and Show Your Bones isn’t lacking.

In 2007 they unleashed a five-song EP Is Is that is their best to date. Chase’s drumming perfectly cushions each song. All of the instrumentation and vocals have a raw and clear sound, which makes it perfect for very loud play. It’s a musical direction that should have been expanded upon with It’s Blitz.

First single and album-opener “Zero” is awesome and impossible not to replay a million times. The style makes it clear YYYs are treading deeper into 80s throwback territory, removing Zinner’s familiar crunchy guitar, but maintaining the playful energy that’s typical to the band. The rest of the album never exceeds the perfection of “Zero.”

“Dull Life” is the only other track that sounds like YYYs. When it pops up halfway through the album, it’s a welcome resurgence after “Heads Will Roll,” “Soft Shock,” and “Skeletons.” These three tracks are all similarly repetitive with not enough beauty or bite. “Heads Will Roll” in particular is a punishment after “Zero.” “Skeletons” achieves a small degree of pleasantry, but YYYs have done better slow songs in the past. “Dull Life” reminds the listener that the band hasn’t lost their touch, making the rest of the album even harder to understand.

“Shame and Fortune” starts out with a cool dirty guitar sound, but as it progresses the vocals don’t live up to the beat. “Runaway” offers up a lone piano for the first part of the song, a nice and organic change, but again, as the song continues and bursts into string arrangements it’s ultimately unremarkable.

The worst track on the album is “Dragon Queen,” which sounds like bad disco and so indistinct it’s a little shocking. It’s a good representation of what’s not working. There was a great idea to do an 80s disco rock thing, but the execution didn’t pan out. Album closer “Little Shadow,” which pulls off a more successful melancholy sound, would fair better in the middle of a stronger album.

It’s always disappointing when a band hits a slump, but It’s Blitz is no indication of the end. Yeah Yeah Yeahs is comprised of creative and energetic people and they are certainly entitled to change-up their sound. It would be even more dull if they didn’t attempt it, and just kept churning out versions of Fever to Tell.

There are some who may be content with that, but it sounds utterly boring. It’s Blitz can simply be chalked up to experimentation gone awry, but it does guarantee a tour, and YYYs live shows are always sweet.

The copyright of the article Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz in Alternative Music is owned by Marie Lascu. Permission to republish Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Mar 11, 2009 6:43 PM

Guest :

hahaha are you outta your mind? you couldn't be more wrong.
"The rest of the album never exceeds the perfection of “Zero.”"
Right...
"Album closer “Little Shadow,” which pulls off a more successful melancholy sound, would fair better in the middle of a stronger album.
"
Really now? For a song that has the lyrics "little shadow / to the night / will you follow me?" after an album full of lyrics about love's torment/lost/despair/etc, an apposite ending would be a softly conclusive melancholy song about whether her past shadow will follow her to the night (hint: night --> end), don't ya think?
You have a lot of work to do as a music critic.

Mar 12, 2009 9:52 AM

Marie Lascu :

Lyrics don't account for the MUSIC, and it is the MUSIC that I did not enjoy. Not agreeing with me is fine, but you should accurately point out what you don't agree with. Glad there are some who will put It's Blitz on repeat, I'm sticking to Is Is and anticipating the future.

Mar 13, 2009 11:09 PM

Guest :

I disagree 1000% with this review, except for the closing statement that live shows are excellent. I think this is the best YYY's album to date -- a real breakthrough for the band. Hysteric, Soft Shock, Runaway are great balance to driving Zero, Dull Life, Heads Will Roll. I do agree Dragon Queen is rather weak, but otherwise a stand out album in my opinion. Can't wait for the tour.

Mar 15, 2009 6:24 AM

Guest :

What a silly review.
"“Dull Life” is the only other track that sounds like YYYs"(other than zero). What exactly did these other songs sound like? The only band in the world could produce such an elegant and charming record is the yeahs.
How many times did you actually listen to this record before producing this banal and dumb review? I may be a bit harsh but this is so clearly one of the best records to come out of the states in many years that this review really did annoy me alot.

Mar 15, 2009 10:34 AM

Marie Lascu :

These other songs sound like generic disco rock that any band could have produced. To me, it doesn't sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and it doesn't sound like a new and interesting sound. Much better albums have come out of the States.

Mar 18, 2009 4:52 PM

Guest :

Here’s my breakdown… Fever to Tell is in your face, raw, and great from start to finish; Show Your Bones showed them growing, becoming more polished and a produced; It’s Blitz! was a let down for me at first listen… but, you know what, after a couple of listens the songs grew on me and I started to hear the band I fell in love with. It is a very polished, heavily produced album and musically they have grown but once you get over the shock of the “new” sound of an in-you-face band the music is pretty good. Out of 5 stars I would still have to give them at least a 4… but pray they get back to the good times.