The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O’s (Ozolek) vocal and stage antics made her impossible to ignore. Prone to dumping beer all over herself while performing, Karen O’s style owed at least something to Wendy O. Williams and Iggy Pop.
Guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase delivered a raw Garage Rock din.
In ’02, Yeah Yeah Yeahs released a self-titled five song EP to much acclaim and hype – it was warranted. “Fever To Tell,” their first full-length containing “Date With The Night” and “Maps,” followed. Like so many bands they absorbed a variety of styles and attitudes and churned them out at will. But the overriding mood was that of outsiders blasting their way in – even if they weren’t sure where “in” was.
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Following extensive touring, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs issued “Show Your Bones” in ’06. The next summer saw the release of the five-song EP “Is Is” containing the title track, “Rockers Too Swallow” and “Kiss Kiss.”
“09’s “It’s Blitz,” featuring the single, “Zero,” had its album release date pushed up after the set was leaked online. Though the band claimed the album was in a different direction they wanted it to “still sound like Yeah Yeah Yeahs.”
After taking a four-year break, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs returned with “Mosquito.” The ’13 set was primarily recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornilla, TX and produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek and Nick Launay.
Sitek had a long production history with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (“Fever To Tell,” “Show Your Bones” and “It’s Blitz!”) while Launay co-produced “It’s Blitz!” and worked with Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. His recording philosophy seemed a perfect fit for the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.
“I always work in studios where the whole band can be in the same room looking at each other,” said Launay in an interview with Mix Magazine. “The main point is to have fun and to basically capture that band at that point in their life doing the absolute best performance of that song.
“We would love for this music (“Mosquito”) to make our fans feeeeel (sic) something – whatever that may be,” said Karen O in a statement. “(The album) was the rope ladder thrown down into the ditch for us to climb up and dust ourselves off. We’re excited to share the good vibes.”
Following an another extended break, Yeah Yeah Yeahs reappeared with “Cool It Down,” their fifth studio album – their first since ‘13’s “Mosquito.” The ’22 album’s title was taken from a Velvet Underground song.
The single “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” delved into current climate issues.
“Don’t have to tell you how much we’ve been going through in the last nine years since our last record, because you’ve been going through it too…” said Karen O.
