Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Show Your Bones”
Interscope
In “Fever To Tell,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
frontwoman Karen O sang about love ““ and she was pissed about
it. “Show Your Bones” is the counterpart to
“Fever,” being a signature breakup album. The letdown
of this transition is that the fiery aggression of their debut
raised a flag of defiance that “Bones” resigns itself
to flying at half mast.
“Gold Lion” is tame, for lack of a better word, and
while it’s refreshing to see Yeah Yeah Yeahs change things
up, it characterizes the problem for other tracks of the album.
It’s deliberate, metered and so texturally complicated that
the primal force of “Fever” has broken. The biggest
disappointment is O’s resignation: Her vocal spunk is washed
dry. She keeps her escalated trills, but they’re timed and
on-key every time. A few impromptu orgasmic squeals do nothing to
make up for the spontaneity that gave Yeah Yeah Yeahs their raw
valor.
“Phenomena” sounds like rarity in
“Bones,” being the sole track following the style of
“Fever To Tell” with its choppy guitar line and
stomping rhythm. It’s the only part of the album where O
allows herself to let go, and she reverts to the charmingly
hell-raising delivery of “Fever.” However, as with the
rest of the album, the textural minimalism that has been burned
over it leaves the track on an indulgent note.
If you liked Yeah Yeah Yeahs for “Maps,” then
you’ll love what they did with the ballad tracks, notably
“Cheated Hearts,” which takes that position in
“Bones.” “Dudley” is a sweet, synthy
nursery rhyme that will make you hate to dislike this album.
While “Show Your Bones” might have grown in terms of
sentiment and seriousness, the calculated feeling that persists
makes it drag. The effect is seriously underwhelming. Fortunately
for their fans, Yeah Yeah Yeahs still have the capability to give
an insanely riveting live performance, if the sold-out crowds that
flooded the Troubadour last month are to be believed. Listening to
“Show Your Bones,” however, doesn’t communicate
the energy of their live shows by even half-fold, that same energy
which made “Fever To Tell” so fiery and engaging. The
unfortunate result: People who will buy this album for any reason
other than to hear follow-ups to “Maps” will likely
find themselves very disappointed.