Show Your Bones

Performer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Engineer: Alan Moulder; Squeak E. Clean
Producer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Karen O (vocals); Nick Zinner (guitar); Brian Chase (drums). Additional personnel: Money Mark (keyboards); Dave Sitek (sampler). SHOW YOUR BONES, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 2006 sophomore full-length, was one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The band's fiery, unhinged 2003 major-label debut, FEVER TO TELL, yanked the band out of NYC clubs and onto the world stage, and while most of the musical cognoscente anticipated a sonic shake-up of some sort for the sequel, in exactly what direction the YYYs would head was a source of much speculation. Would they follow Liars into the murky depths of willfully alienating avant noise, or would they Liz-Phair themselves right into glossy commercial irrelevance? In fact, it's neither of the above. As tracks like "Gold Lion," "Honeybear," and "Cheated Hearts" show, the band clearly isn't out to ruffle any feathers, but they're also not forsaking the infectious, art-tinged punk that got them where they are. Guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase are spot-on as usual, and Karen O is in lovely, if somewhat restrained, voice throughout. The production is bright and full, and enhances the glammy, anthemic underpinnings of the band's sound. And although it's not going to inspire any future prom themes a la "Maps," SHOW YOUR BONES has strengthened the YYYs claim to being that rarest of animals--a legitimate Top 40 rock band with a genuine artistic sensibility. As explosive as they seem on the surface, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also an ambitious, thoughtful band that keep pushing the boundaries of their music. They moved from the rawness of their early EPs to the polished art-punk of their first full-length in just over two years, and this drive to keep topping themselves is what led to breakthroughs like Fever to Tell's gorgeous ballad and hit single "Maps." After taking three years to follow up Fever to Tell, and scrapping many of the songs that they came up with while on tour supporting that album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs returned with Show Your Bones, the yin to their debut album's yang. While Fever to Tell and "Maps" dealt with falling in love (and being more than a little freaked out about it), Show Your Bones is a breakup album. It's funny -- if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had made this album earlier in their career, Karen O's cutting lyrics and Nicolas Zinner's choppy guitars would've sliced the poor ex to pieces; after all, on "Bang," from their self-titled debut EP, they (hilariously) wrote off a lame one-night stand with "as a f*ck, son, you sucked." Show Your Bones, however, tries to go much deeper than that. It's only natural that using heartbreak as inspiration would lead to brooding, reflective songs, but the fiery, independent spirit that made the Yeah Yeah Yeahs so great initially is drained out of this album. Even on the rockers, Show Your Bones is too subdued, restrained, and overthought. The cryptic lead single "Gold Lion" (which sounds like a mash-up of Love and Rockets' "No New Tale to Tell" and Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Peek a Boo") is vague and a little plodding; though it eventually worms its way into listeners' heads, it's surprisingly unfocused, compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' previous singles. "Phenomena," with its stomping riffs and fazer-like synths, is a more natural progression from the Fever to Tell style, but it still ends up feeling more indulgent than inventive. Aptly enough for the kind of album it is, Show Your Bones' softer songs are some of its strongest: "Dudley" sounds a little bit like Sonic Youth covering the nursery rhyme "Hush, Little Baby," while "Cheated Hearts" is a big, rousing ballad in the vein of "Maps." And, as on Fever to Tell, the band loosens up as Show Your Bones unfolds, coming up with some interesting songs in the process. "Mysteries" is a jealous cowpunk number that sounds tossed-off, but has more bite and fun in it than the rest of the album. On "Turn Into," the band takes this twangy sound and turns it sweet, resulting in one of their best songs yet. ~ Heather Phares

Rolling Stone (p.59) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "SHOW YOUR BONES is their true show of brass....[Zinner's] guitar architecture is outstanding throughout the album." Rolling Stone (p.109) - Ranked #44 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[A] triumph: dark, spooky, lithe, broodingly sexy..." Spin (p.57) - Ranked #31 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[The] high-stakes melodrama suited Karen O and her boys....[A] surprisingly vulnerable set..." Q (p.123) - Ranked #33 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "[M]usically and lyrically deft, and more importantly, driven by bigger riffs and better tunes." Uncut (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Turn Into' provides a perfectly epic finish: another 'Maps'-style cri de coeur exploding in flashes of Satie piano and quivering B-movie guitar." Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "With 'Phenomena' and 'Cheated Hearts' maintaining their reputation for effortless rock'n'roll, while 'Warrior' and 'Dudley' use their suggestive suppleness to stretch in newly reflective directions."

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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