I haven't written about music in a while, but a recent album inspired me. It was the new one from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs called
It's Blitz.
I was never a big fan of that group before. The one exception was their breakthrough single "Maps." For me, that song exhibited such a perfect combination of beauty and artiness. Few other songs in their catalogue could compare to it. I really thought their first and second albums were just ok, and after their second album I was about to write them off as a one hit wonder.
Finally, this third album arrived and honestly I was ready to ignore it. However, I'm glad I didn't.
It's Blitz continues where "Maps" left off. I loved the way Karen O's singing. I thought she had such a naturally good voice and she didn't overuse it with unnecessary vocal gymnastics. Her soft, almost conversational-style singing came across as both poignant and intimate. The rest of the band remained innovative, but in a subtler way than on prior releases. Nick Zinner's guitar was mostly replaced by keyboards. Since his guitar playing was very textured and impressionistic to begin with, that change in instrumentation felt more like a natural expansion of their sound.
It's Blitz was a nice discovery for me from a band I had nearly written off and I can honestly say it's the Yeah Yeah Yeah's best album.
"Hysteric" by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's
