Is Is

Performer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Producer: Nick Launay
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Karen O (vocals); Nick Zinner (guitar); Brian Chase (drums). The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2001 debut EP announced a considerable new force on the New York City rock scene; after a couple of studio full-lengths the band demonstrated the same focus and fury on another EP, 2007's IS IS. The disc's five tracks prove the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are still talented indie rock alchemists mixing primal energy with an arty sensibility. "Rockers to Swallow," the album's opening track, and the title cut are standouts: both burst from the gate with fierce energy, clattering rhythms, and singer Karen O's ferocious caterwaul. The album's slower songs ("10 x 10") lend texture and variation to the disc, but rarely allow the surging power to lag. IS IS galvanizes as a rock record should, and as such is worthy of attention from both casual and serious fans.

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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