Fever To Tell [PA]

Performer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Karen O (vocals); Nick Zinner (guitar, drum machine); Brian Chase (drums). Producers: David Andrew Sitek, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Recorded at Headgear, Brooklyn, New York. FEVER TO TELL was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Personnel: Karen O (vocals); Nicolas Zinner (guitar, drum machine); Brian Chase (drums). Audio Mixers: David Andrew Sitek; Alan Moulder. Editor: Roger Lian. Punky New York scions the Yeah Yeah Yeahs may have been strapped with an unfortunate albatross by receiving Next Big Thing status in the wake of the supernova explosion of the Strokes, the White Stripes, et al. However, if one hasn't already heard either of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs excellent Touch & Go EPs or witnessed one of the outfit's electric live shows, one listen to FEVER TO TELL should swiftly dispel any doubts about the trio's credibility. Visually outrageous singer Karen O., primal drummer Brian Chase and devilish guitarist Nick Zinner take an artier-than-most approach to the garage-rock world; think the Velvet Underground as channeled through the Fall or Sonic Youth with just a wisp of the Pretenders. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' music explodes in a sea of overt sexuality and frenzied emotion, hinting at hooks and sometimes even getting totally enveloped in them, as on the disarmingly charming "Maps." On the other end of the spectrum lies the raw MC 5 full-on punk-blues of tracks such as "Man" and "Tick." On FEVER TO TELL, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs prove their ability to stand out in a crowd, offering perhaps the most original recording to be hailed in the '00s garage-rock revival.

Rolling Stone (12/25/03, p.111) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2003" Rolling Stone (5/15/03, p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...They just rock out, stripping New Wave and metal and rockabilly down to primal thrust and blare....The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are closer to Siouxsie and the Banshees (but with a grin) and Led Zeppelin (but with estrogen) than to the blues..." Entertainment Weekly (5/2/03, pp.66-69) - "...[Karen] O howls and growls her way through 37 minutes of art-school punk with enough strapped-on swagger to make Mick Jagger blush..." - Rating: B Q (01/01/04, p.82) - Ranked #15 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums of 2003" - "[A] 40-minute aural assault..." Uncut (01/04, pp.84-7) - Ranked #29 in Uncut's "Albums Of The Year 2003" Uncut (5/03, p.92) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...FEVER TO TELL is, quite simply, magnificent....This is as revitalising a debut as could be hoped for..." The Wire (6/03, p.74) - "...Yeah Yeah Yeah's debut album kicks out low and hard with a set of intelligently performed rock tunes distinguished by Karen O's smart and smarting lyrics..." CMJ (12/29/03, p.7) - Ranked #10 in CMJ's "Top 10 of 2003" CMJ (5/19/03, p.8) - "...A kick-ass debut that's urgent and, above all else, a hell of a lot of fun. FEVER TO TELL is a post-punk, new wave, anti-pop record that takes giant, hyperactive strides just to be different..." Mojo (Publisher) (01/01/04, p.59) - Ranked #13 in Mojo's "The Best of 2003" Mojo (Publisher) (5/03, p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The record is full of surprises, roping in all manner of esoteria for a sweaty, beer-splattered and tune-drenched rock'n'roll party that rivals NEVERMIND for balancing the pop sugar with the twisted underbelly and subtle smarts....Blistering..."

Musically minimalistic and visually outrageous, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were at the center of the revival of post-punk and garage rock that made New York City a rock & roll hotspot again in the early 2000s. After the success of the Strokes, the trio (led by neo-punk pinup girl Karen O) were the next band hotly tipped to break through. While their 2003 debut FEVER TO TELL didn't make them rich, it did make them major players on the international scene. Like the White Stripes and the Gossip, they have no bassist, instead relying on angular guitar riffs, primal drums, and Ms. O's lupine howl to get their punk's-not-dead message across.

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