It's Blitz - review

Some bands suck at reinventing their sound. Some completely blow at attempting anything electronic, or increasing the synthetic influence of their style. Some bands' lyricists cannot write to save their lives. Thankfully, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are not one of those bands.

I have purposely taken the time to write this review, as an album that debuts so favorably in my ear must be given ample time to f**k it all up after saturation. Though I am not as giddy as I was when I first heard It's Blitz, I can still say that the album is one of the best I have heard in the past year.

In all the good ways it can be defined, this album is "glossy." It is polished and controlled in a way that does not lose vocalist Karen O's chaos, while also enhancing their point through intense synths, dance-ability, and sobering lyrics. There are moments that make me want to dance for days, like in the first two tracks, Zero and Heads Will Roll, and others that capture the purity of deliberate, honest lyricism, like Hysteric.

Zero, in particular, is worth noting, as it opens the album and immediately sounds different than anything the band had produced before. All those background synths that never seemed to be anything more than supporting sounds, now announced a welcomed renaissance in the band's existence. The album can be slapped with one criticism, being that it does not come full circle, it rather starts powerfully and ends calmly. In other words, it flattens out a bit. With all that said, its most powerful track is Hysteric, a soothing and personal account of sudden affection and emotional sobriety that screams of all things wonderfully subtle.

All in all, It's Blitz is an accomplishment. It is glossy, glam-y, impassioned, dynamic, vulnerable and bold. It is exactly what one should ever want at this point in a band's career, and it is one of the top three albums I have heard in the last year.

Rating: Own it.
-the Majr