Review 1 of 6

Komarrocks15 writes:

3of 5 Stars

First, "Fever to Tell" is one of the best albums of this decade and I am kind of dissapointed with this one. I exepected more excitementl like in the last one. There are some great songs in this one like "Gold Lion", "Phenomena", and "Cheated Hearts", but the some other songs seem tiring to me. Maybe I'm saying this because I personally expected more like the last and this album may be the step for the YYY's skills in music and making more great albums. Maybe some other time, I will come to fully appreciate this album. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are fantastic musicians that play with power and soul and will have great things happen to them. One more thing, Karen O still has what makes her into a top singer.

Aug 1, 2006 15:38:13

Review 2 of 6

sekerka writes:

4of 5 Stars

YEAH YEAH YEAHS:
SHOW YOUR BONES (Interscope)
Ah, the difficult second album. It's a no win situation really: following a spectacular debut will always be a let down, but fear not devout legions, there are enough moments of sheer musical bliss here to keep your YYY tattoos in place. Yes the sharp and spiky rough edges that made the sound so infectiously immediate have been buffed, and yes rock's reigning rock diva Karen O does more singing than emotive screaming this time around, and yes the brutish guitar attacks are sculpted into well structured chords. Yes Yes Yes. Hey folks in love with their ballad side may even think it better, and who can quibble when there's such a delectable pop platter on the table? "Show Your Bones" doesn't have the incendiary impact of it's predecessor, but the Yeah Yeah Yeahs prove that their 15 minutes of fame may actually be more like a half hour. Oh and it does contain the impending killer summer hit "Honeybear", so there. (Sekerka)

Jun 13, 2006 12:53:52

Review 3 of 6

MagnumTokyo writes:

4of 5 Stars

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Show Your Bones

Those who would say the “O” in Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stands for something like “Over-hyped” or “Overbearing” should be pleased when during “Cheated Hearts” she audaciously and succinctly concedes both points with the line “Sometimes I think I’m bigger than the sound.” Nevertheless, anyone seriously looking to find fault with the efforts of either her or her band mates – guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase – on Show Your Bones is, quite frankly, swimming upstream. Making a similar evolution to the one made by groups like Pavement, as they went from the abrasive condescension of Slanted and Enchanted to the nuanced, off-handed blend of power pop and classic rock on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Show Your Bones is the work of an adventurous, accomplished band secure in the mastery of their own particular idiom.
It’s difficult to resist hyperbole when discussing the record’s many great songs, like “Mysteries” for example; a fairly simple rocker a la Buddy Holly until turning on a dime into an aggro call-and-response between guitarist and singer which – for those of you scoring at home – is ended by Karen O on the strength of a piercing wail that would make Roger Daltrey drop a deuce (I guess I couldn’t resist after all). “Way Out” takes a nimble melodic groove into hyperspace on cascading waves of layered guitars. The raunchy scum rock of “Fancy” and “Phenomena” casually bespeak of the band’s Jersey roots. “Honey Bear” is, much like the group themselves, a defiant, assertive example of how rock should be done (complete with spastic organ solo), and the shoegazer balladry of “Dudley” serves notice to everyone of Zinner’s impending guitar hero status.
Rarely does a group, when hearing from the industry and from critics about how they need to prove themselves, live up to those expectations. Those that do have make great strides towards becoming major forces in the ever-elusive rock pantheon. The Yeahs, once unquestionably that sort of group, must feel quite satisfied having now indeed proven themselves. Here’s hoping they are soon properly rewarded.

Aaron Hurt

Apr 28, 2006 08:33:16

Review 4 of 6

Scree writes:

4of 5 Stars

YYYs rule, for sure -- their unique approach (no bass), etc. Their EP stuff kicks ass, and Fever To Tell topped it all off with some GREAT songs, regardless of the lyrics (meaning making sense or not, it's still great music). With Show Your Bones, we start off absolutely fabulous with a richer, fuller sound, and what is that on "Gold Lion" -- AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR! Holy sheepdip!!! "Way Out" goes even further with it, very nice. It's like a whole new sound direction for the band (more mainstream? Nah. Just better!). Unfortunately, the rest of the album is rather the same bland punk "noise" we're all used to. Sure, YYYs still kick ass and make it sound good with their own cool style, but there's really not much that seems exciting compared to Fever To Tell. Still a good followup, of course, just better sounding but not really more exciting or intriguing.

Mar 31, 2006 16:05:02

Review 5 of 6

mfranceski writes:

5of 5 Stars

Critics will say, "too much art, not enough punk." But in just the same way "Fever to Tell" put the punk in art-punk, this album kicks ass. For whatever reason, tighter production uncomplicatedly leads to great sounding album. I like the Velvet Undergound comparison in the review. There's plenty here to remind me why "Maps" is secretly one of my absolute favorite YYYs songs.

Mar 29, 2006 07:35:21

Review 6 of 6

Warzawa writes:

5of 5 Stars

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs did what many great bands do after a terrific album, they took a step down and off to the left a little. On [i]Fever to Tell[/i] Nick Zinner shook your brain with his noise guitar combos while Karen O fully exerted her vocals until [b]you[/b] were exhausted. On [i]Show Your Bones[/i], The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are much more melodic and patient. I can hear the grumbles from fans now, "They lost their edge"..."The song writing isn't as good"...But don't listen to those people, listen to the music and judge for yourself. The hot new single "Gold Lion" meshes the two cd's nicely as does "Phenomena." They both have hooks that sound [i]Feverish[/i] but their more harmonious like [i]Bones[/i]. The best songs here are "Way Out" and "Fancy." They both have this droning, hypnotic guitar reminiscent of Joy Division and their the kind of songs that will get better with time. I have to say that Nick Zinner has become my favorite rock guitarist with this album. He has really shown his range and in every song I'm just hanging on the edge to see where he takes it. Karen O takes more of a backseat here. She's more calm and controlled and it works wonderfully. Another twist that they pulled here is that many of the songs start with Brian Chase's drumming so you get the beat in your head before the subdued assault of Nick/Karen. And I love the accoustic turn the CD takes after "Mysteries." Right when the album was starting to lose my attention they pull three really good acoustic songs out "The Sweets," "Warrior," and "Turn Into." All of them have their own distinct parts that make them succeed. I'm usually very hesitant to give an album five stars but not here. [i]Show Your Bones[/i] is a modern classic.

Mar 17, 2006 04:46:51