Stereo Jealousy

#24 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

When Zero surfaced early on in 2009, it didn’t sound like anything the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had produced before – it was more electric, more synthy, less shouty, less YYYs. But hey, if you’ve got Karen O on vox you can pretty much get away with anything and by the release of the album it started to look a canny trick; a sound re-invented and shot through with urgency and bass, leaving the band with yet another smashing single and reputation further enhanced.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (mp3)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (video)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Myspace

Buy It’s Blitz!

Photo: Mick Orlosky @ Coachella, CA, 04/09

My date with the night came at the end of a very busy week of shows for me – in fact after the brilliance of Polly and John on the Monday (review to follow soon) I headed into this gig with a little sense of anti-climax. Goodness knows why, It’s Blitz! is a fantastic record, taking the trio’s sound into new and shiny areas. The Empire is packed by the time we get inside, having already missed Art Brut, much more so than the other two shows I’ve seen here over the last week. I guess this is the buzz ticket, the touts outside weren’t selling -  only buying. The anticipation on the floor is heady, people are jabbering, pushing and impatient to see exactly how the band would make the step up to the big league.

The eye from the Zero cover looms over the stage and in a blaze of colour, and not many words, the band appear. Karen is shrouded in fibre-optic style headgear as they immediately launch into Heads Will Roll, whipping the crowd into a massed frenzy. The next few tracks whizz by in showers of glitter cannon rounds and I’m struck just how slick the band has become – they’re putting on a real show. For most of the first half of the set I struggle with the notion in my head, I’m used to seeing the singer writhe around on the floor emitting either wild shrieks or guttural roars. As my companion pointed out it just all felt, well, too rehearsed. Part of what drew me to them as a live proposition was the thrill of the unexpected , the seemingly improvised guitar work.

Perhaps, I thought, it is a symptom of trying to recreate the new tracks and their synth lines in a live setting – it ties the band down to strict routine. Take Hysteric for example, lacking the pace and bounce of the rest of the set, being almost a facsimile of the album version. The feeling begins to dissipate with airing of some of their oldest material, Miles Away sounded as urgent and thrilling as it ever did and Pin equally chaotic. Towards the end of the main set they’re winning me around, the night seems to have picked up pace and they thunder through Zero and Y Control to finish all too quickly.

The encore began with a cloying list of thank yous seemingly longer than the setlist, before lulling into a neat version of Maps. Following that though was the big surprise, and possibly the show’s saving grace, an astonishing rendition of Art Star complete with attempted mic-swallowing, screams and cutesy “do-do-do’s”. It is an absolute blast, as is the closer Date With The Night. In a way, I’m not sure how to sum the gig up. Sure the songs sounded great, the crowd loved it – if the whole thing was a little short. However I couldn’t help coming away thinking that despite sounding great on wax, the new stuff had stripped away the best thing about the band’s live act – spontaneity.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Art Star
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

Photo: Hidden Shine

Gig Of The Week – Camden Crawl

One of London’s biggest music festivals, the Camden Crawl, (certainly in terms of bands and venues) takes place on Friday and Saturday this week, capping an excellent week for gigs in the capital. Any other week would see PJ Harvey & John Parish’s pair of shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire being top billing, and I’ll be there on Monday. There’s also the Ether festival continuing, with shows from Squarepusher and the reformed Spaceshipp (Spiritualized J Spaceman and Matthew Shipp) amongst the best of the week.

You could even argue that the Crawl has become a corporate shadow of the original spirit of the event, dominated as it is now by massive queues for the biggest bands and spread over two days. Gone are the days of being able to shoot between venues to catch umpteen bands in one night, you’ll have to hedge your bets and plump for one or two at best. On the plus side the festival now attracts names of the highest calibre. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs prequel their own nights at the Empire with an appearance in Camden – the rumour suggests Koko is the likely venue. Kasabian are suggested to be appearing at the Roundhouse. Amongst the myriad of other bands, you could catch the live return of Datarock, the continued slog of VV Brown, see Madness warm up for Madstock – the choice is yours.

Datarock – Give It Up (Fan Death RMX)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Dull Life

Photo: Daveknapik

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These are the five tunes that have dominated my stereo habits this week: 

 Neon Neon – I Lust U
The catchiest track from Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip’s collaborative Neon Neon project. The album, Stainless Style, is a loose concept record based on the life of Ulster car-maker John De Lorean. He’s the chap that designed and built the Back to the Future car. The album is mainly 80s synth-sheen pop, with exquisite vocal contributions from Rhys, and a host of guests, including Cate Le Bon on this track.
(buy)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – 10 x 10
Last years Is Is EP was a great collection from the noisy trio. Although other tracks from the record grabbed my attention first, this is the one that has remained high up on the playlists. This track has got real strut, tearing through it’s tight riff, teased along by Karen O’s barely-restrained vocals, and attended reliably by the pounded drumkit. The EP as a whole spans the ground between their two full-length LPs and finds it a fertile place, retaining the raw noise of the first and the pained melodies of the second.
(buy)

The Whip – Trash
Highly-hyped, The Whip are indie-dance darlings of the NME. On this occasion, the comic can be forgiven for slipping into hyperbole, this track is simply fantastic. Borrowing heavily from their Mancunian compatriots The Longcut, as well as the NYC brigade (LCD, The Rapture etc.), it is a prime example of how to get this kind of track right. Originally released in 2006, this reissue precedes the full-album release, due next week.
(buy)

Jimmy Eat World – Salt Sweat Sugar
Always a pleasure this one, a rousing alt-pop-punk anthem. This was the track and the album that took JEW from ’spacey-emo’ to rockier waters, as well as being the first I had heard of them. And after loving it first time around I promptly forgot about it, rediscovering the track about six months ago following a YouTube trawl for songs that I could barely remember, this being unequivocally the pick of the bunch.
(buy)

Portishead – Machine Gun
You disappear for the best part of a decade. You leave behind a clutch of classic songs that helped define a genre. You whip the blogging fraternity into a frenzy by playing ATP. You announce a string of big-venue dates with no new material released to support them. You barely maintain your website. You stand by as your record is leaked to the net. You rule. Third is no disappointment, it is a record that acknowledges that Portishead are famous for a sound, and plays to that sounds’ strengths. It also sounds like a record that has longevity. Good news for fans of a band with a release schedule measured in double figures. Machine Gun is the lead single, released next week.
(buy)