'Cause I'm a Warrior

Here's an interlude before pursuing a promised musical round-up.  A proper interlude since this disc actually precedes the rest by miles and miles.  "What, pray tell, is this disc?"  You ask?  None other than "Show Your Bones" by the irrepressible Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Background check.  Their debut LP, "Fever to Tell" launched them onto the rock scene with the vigor of their dreamy anthem, "Maps."  Buoyed by radio airplay and purported intense performances, they garnered favor amongst the scene for their refreshing grit and enthusiasm.  The album was rife with anger, a certain type of aggression, and provocative lyrics splattered across vinyl.  What one expects out of the album from the opening track, "Rich", quickly spirals out of control to the ethereal conclusion of the explosive "No no no."  This song, amongst the strikingly disparate last three tracks, elevates "Fever" from its TNT-laced roots to something much, much more.  Specifically, it promises greater things to come.

Which is where we are now.  "Show Your Bones" takes a cue from the more polished tracks off of "Fever" and explores them to a high degree.  While one may not find the same incendiary track-to-track demolition, there's a practiced band coming into its own.  Their first single, incidentally the first track, "Gold Lion" has gathered extensive play on its own, and it really serves as a good primer of what to expect throughout.  There are a few tracks reminiscent of "Maps," "Dudley" comes to mind, but there are no carbon copies to be found.  Truly, there are moments where it ascends into mightier territory.  "Way Out" serves notice that the listener is in for a tremendous experience.  The opening strains roil about on acoustics before ascending to a stadium-level climax.  This album is bigger, more polished, and a stupendous obliteration of any hint at a sophomore slump.

If I had any complaint, it would be the fact there is less trauma behind "Bones" than witnessed on "Fever."  It's almost as if the latest effort reeks of a broken-down heart rather than a broken-heart.  Karen O is still a cyclone of a lead singer, but there's a vulnerability more apparent than before. Where there was an apparent sneer plastered on "Fever" there's an accompanying quivering lower lip on "Bones."  A minor complaint it may be, it doesn't make the record any less enjoyable.

Pick it up if you can.  It goes on my list as highly recommended and one not to be missed.