 If The White Stripes are the modern equivalent of The Clash; studious, enigmatic and wary of the media, then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a more complex proposition. How about Bow Wow Wow as a comparison? Malcolm McLaren's post-Sex Pistols project may have been good, but in Annabella Lwin they had a great focal point; an outrageous and charismatic frontwoman who yelped her way through the punk clatter of hits such as I want Candy and Go Wild In The Country. Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist Karen O knows who they are, I'm sure of that . . .
However, give Fever To Tell a few spins and it slowly becomes apparent that media darling and one-woman fashion statement Karen O has a few more tricks than the average pony. Yes, Date With The Night, Tick and Pin are chock-full of nervous energy, but the likes of Maps and the fabulous Y Control echo the knowing cool of The Pretenders and Blondie. Mix in a bit of the aloof splendour of Siouxie And The Banshees and you've got a new band who draw from the absolute cream of late 70s and early 80s female fronted bands.
So Fever To Tell Sounds dated then? No, not even retro. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a band totally of the moment, so enjoy them while you've got them.
:: Rowan Shaeffer |
