Several years ago, before New York became the epicentre of all things musically hip, a band called Yeah Yeah Yeahs were leading the fray and pulverising paths through the mire of mediocrity. With their 2003 debut 'Fever to Tell', the trio grabbed their listeners by the earlobes and dragged them into their own ferocious realm, where punk, dance and indie collided with supreme force. Its follow-up, 2006's 'Show Your Bones', achieved a similar feat and established Karen O as one of the decade's best frontwomen.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs had a reputation for crafting dynamic indie-rock tunes with vigour and vim, so their third album will come as a surprise to fans expecting more of the same. Thanks to Karen O's vocals, there's no denying their core sound; but 'It's Blitz' is notably lighter on attitude and punchy punk than their previous material.
Heck, you could even call several of these tracks 'mellow': the final four tracks in particular are considered, mid-tempo pop-rock numbers, with piano ballad 'Runaway' even incorporating a weird orchestral section. Perhaps not so strange is the fact that Karen O's voice lends itself superbly to this change in tack, as well as to the handful of kicking mini-explosions ('Zero', 'Shame and Fortune', 'Heads Will Roll') that will ignite club dancefloors anywhere in the world.
'It's Blitz' is certainly different, that's for sure. On one hand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are to be hugely admired for throwing a sort of curveball at their fans, instead of taking the easy route and releasing another album of defiant indie-rock numbers. On the other, it'll probably take longer to break through that admiration and love this album, instead of simply liking it. Either way, it's good to know that Yeah Yeah Yeahs are still a band with plenty of ideas.