review

This was written for class, probably one of the better things I wrote this semester... find it here jsons.org

Yeah Yeah Yeah's embrace synth on It's Blitz!

by Brittany Burrows

After nearly self-destructing following the release of 2006's Show Your Bones Yeah Yeah Yeah's have regrouped, recalculated, and reinvented their sound.

For It's Blitz! the group traded in Nick Zinner's wild buzz-saw guitar for a barrage of guitar effects and synthesizer sounds. The first single "Zero" boasts quivering synths coupled with Brian Chase's pulsing drum beats making the song dance floor ready. The dramatic use of synthesizers makes the sound infectious and energetic. More importantly the heat the music generates finally matches the fire in which Karen O sings.

Unlike Show Your Bones, It's Blitz! is well developed and shows musical growth and direction. Produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek the record's feel is more Blondie than indie.

The most pulsating track, "Heads Will Roll" boasts strong bass-keys and a looping beat as O shrieks "Off with your head!/ Dance til you're dead!" The song is driven by electro-pop beats but hangs on O's passionate vocals which bring the song, as well as the record, to life.

Softer tracks like "Hysteric" and "Skeletons" may bring the party to a halt but their delicate nature brings the sound back to the familiar YYY's imprint. Amidst the dance chaos "Hysteric" offers that sense of clarity, vulnerability, and introspection that "Maps" did on 2003's abrasive Fever to Tell.

"Dragon Queen" is the most unique track with a cool Studio 54 vibe and O's whispery voice reaching for the heavens.

The record hinges together sounds of old and new channeling the electric pop of Goldfrapp and falling next to MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, another recent example of synth infused music.

It's Blitz! may not be a traditional dance album but its vigor is certainly tangible.