The BurgerBlog

Off with your head/Dance ’til you’re dead/Heads will roll/On the floor

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Poppy, catchy, fun, mainstream, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Wait, what? Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the salute to alternative “Fuck yous,” featuring Karen O’s polarizing yelps and Zinner’s grunge “chainsaw” guitar, not some run of the mill pop band. Surprise, Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans, It’s Blitz! is not what you were expecting. It’s better.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a way of reinventing themselves, which can be both frustrating and refreshing at the same time. In their latest album, it is best to approach the short 10-track 40-minute as two EPs; the first half of the album is the Blitz! to which the title refers, whereas the second half is sweetly aching  alternative, like a softer version of Forever to Tell and Show Your Bones.

“Zero” opens up It’s Blitz! with a throwback to the eighties. Sixteenth synth pulses accompany O’s commands “get your leather leather leather on on on on.” The song then explodes into a celebration of synth hook pop. “Zero” is a great starter for It’s Blitz!, not because it’s a particularly original song (au contraire, it would fit very well into an underground rave), but because it sets the listener up for the dance anthem for the Facebook generation.

“Heads Will Roll” is fantastic pop. It’s charged with bass and keyboard and flash, commanding marches from O’s aggressive (albeit redundant) lyrics, and originality. Headed towards a spot on the Top 40, “Heads Will Roll” sums up what’s new about the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s style: they’re snappy pop, alternative dance, awesome listening.

The following two tracks, “Softshock” and “Skeletons,” come desperately close to “Maps,” but offer a more sophisticated version and less obnoxious chorus. “Skeletons” highlights the ability of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to be delicate. The track has beautiful builds and soft letdowns, as O coos, “Love my name/Love left dry/Frost or flame/Skeleton me.” The marching drums allows for layers of gentle synths to set a zen feel. Buy this song.

After “Dull Life” (which certainly isn’t dull), the album switches over to a grungier version of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “Runaway,” the seventh track on It’s Blitz!, is a plea for love over strings and a mesh of sound, whereas “Dragon Queen” funks the band out (not nearly as good as the other tracks on this album), as “Little Shadow” cradles the listener and lays them down to sleep behind synths and a heavy bass drum. Unfortunately, the second half of this album doesn’t scream “LISTEN!” like the first half does. However, it is certainly worth exploring, especially if the listener is an oldtime Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan.

Certainly, It’s Blitz! is different than Show Your Bones and Fever to Tell, but the transformation is fantastic.

Rating: A-

Recommended Songs: Buy this album

The Killers

With a fantastic first and a dismal sophomore album, there are bound to be mixed feelings about The Killers’ latest album, Day and Age. Where are the heavy drums, the fake British accents, the 80’s feel that made Hot Fuss such a success that was scrapped in Sam’s Town? Never fear, Day and Age put The Killers in their place, finally funding songs similar to “Mr. Brightside.” The rocking beats and catchy melodies will leave fans wanting to jump up and dance, and music reviewers Smiling Because They Mean It.

“Bones” in Sam’s Town worked well with the flustered horns section backing up barking Flowers. “Losing Touch,” the opening track, uses the same technique and it sounds retro—so retro that it’s like what made Hot Fuss so popular. “Human,” the second track, is appealing and popular with crescendoing synths and an easy backbeat, not unlike The Cure at their height.

“Joy Ride” and “This Is Your Life” are the songs that Dave Byrne and The Talking Heads should have given birth to in 1988. Oh well, The Killers stole the style and it works well for them. The funk groove and nippy sax and synth hooks create an energetic celebration of the style that Sam’s Town was lacking.

The Killers know that they’ve nailed this album. Flowers attacks and masters the epics “The World We Live In” and “Goodnight, Travel Well.” The latter of the two is a seven-minute end to the album, where he belts,

“Stay, don’t leave me/The stars can’t for your sign/Don’t signal now/And there’s nothing I can say/There’s nothing I can do now.”

Appropriate for the end of the album? Entirely. The powerful conclusion seals the deal: Day and Age brings the fun of Hot Fuss with a new nip that will leave Killers fans craving more.

Rating: A-

Recommended Tracks: This Is Your Life, Human

Toss These Tracks: I Can’t Stay, Neon Tiger

Welcome to the BurgerBlog, a music review site for music lovers. This blog is apt to review anything, from U2 to Dave Barnes to Fergie, and will throw fastballs at the artists as they fight for the coveted A-grade Burger. The grading system is similar to that of high school; the bands who don’t try fail, those who are average get C’s, etc etc. Enjoy!