2006-05-24
Every once in a while a great album comes around, one that is agreed by everyone to be a good album this way or another, you will always hear the phrases "it's better then their last album" or "it's a good album but not as good as their first album", but the word good will always come up eventually.
In the context of the new Yeah yeah yeahs album, "Show your bones", I would have to mention the "this way or another" in its full extends, it's a great album for sure, but every person acclaims it to be great for entirely different reasons; for example, some say that the opening track "Gold lion" is somewhat of a weak track, but will acclaim that most of the other tracks are the ones who make this album so special, while others claim this to be a great starter for this album, while some of the songs that come afterwards are the weaker - in both ways, every one has favorites here, but they all agree that as a whole, this is a great album…well, you got the point.
The Yeas yeah yeahs kicked off around the time when the hype for bands such as
The Strokes was really out there, though soon enough they proved that they will stay in no-one’s shadow with their debut album "Fever to tell"; armed in tracks like "Maps" and "Y control", and their powerful weapon, Karen O, one of today’s most outstanding female vocalist.
The new album, “Show your bones”, is a good album, I would even say a very good album, though it needs a few more inches so it could really reach out to the definition of a great album, I can't really put my finger on its weak points that shorten it from being a great album, but I feel that they’re there.
"Gold lion" as mention earlier, is the opening track, a bit of an outsider in comparison to the other tracks in my opinion, but doesn't fall short at all, and is a great kicker for the album, sets the mood right and gets you ready for a Yeah yeah yeahs new adventure.
Another somewhat out of place tune is the funky "Phenomena" which has the guitar taste of
RHCP groove; it is a great track, even though it cuts the flowing post punk garage feeling that rules the set.
Songs like "Honeybear" and "Cheated hearts" and actually all the songs left on the album (except "Warrior"), blend in perfectly with their "Fever to tell" style, which is only an upside; the song "Warrior" is the weak track in this album for me, it just doesn't quite make it, but fortunately they close the album with the track "Turn into" which makes you long for more.
Karen O is a subject by itself, but she Sums it all up in one sentence when she confesses "sometimes I think that I am bigger then the sound" (on "Cheated hearts").
The album "Show your bones" brings back the "Fever to tell" Yeah yeah yeahs with a more tight sound and playing, you can still feel the influence of rock singers like
PJ Harvey and other great women of rock, and Karen O places herself right out there on the same breath as those great female vocalist.
I'm thinking that I should take back what I said earlier, this album doesn’t come short out of great; it just takes another listening to comprehend its power.
Roy Povarchik
