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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid sophomore effort, March 28, 2006
First, I'd like to thank God or whichever other-worldly being gave us Karen O and all her crazy amazing antics.
Show Your Bones is hardly Fever To Tell, but that's not a bad thing at all. On their 2nd release the YYY's sound a little tamed down, more mature, and slightly more focused.
There's something for everyone to like here. Fans of their debut album will feel right at home with tracks like "Cheated Hearts" (which is almost like a more subtle Y Control) then there's the extremely catchy first single, "Gold Lion" with it's sing-along chorus and sticks-in-your-head backing percussion. Speaking of which, the percussion is excellent all around on this cd, definitely one of the first things that caught my attention. If you buy this cd thinking it'll have all those signature Karen O shrieks and howls, you might be a little disappointed. But hopefully you'll give it a chance despite that, because this new slightly more calm Karen is just as appealing. It doesn't sound as if they're taking their 'old' sound and making it more quiet, it just sounds like they're controlling it much better and more artistically. It sounds like a really smart, well thought out progression- and although different, just as interesting to listen to.
"Fancy" will remind you of Fever To Tell, if anything for Karen's vocals here. There's a lot of new interesting experimental sounds, the obligatory ambiguous lyrics...generally just a lot to like.
Highlights:
"Way Out" - 2nd track off the cd following "Gold Lion", and appropriately so. she says "The face aint making what the mouth needs", and it's slick and jarring and you'll want to play it over and over. Definitely one of their best songs to date.
"Honeybear" - electro-punk rock YYY's style, if this song doesn't get you bobbing your head, something is seriously wrong. I don't even know what she's saying a lot of the time but it's great!
"Mysterious" - a fast paced nod to all the great rock of the past, sung almost 50's-60's style until she starts her awesome screaming. grabs a hold and makes you listen.
"Warrior" - this mystical and slightly lonely tamborine number almost recalls Mazzy Star circa "So Tonight That I Might See" in the beginning, minus...well, Hope Sandoval obviously. Karen says men might like her because she's a Warrior, then there's talk of roads and rivers, and travelling it all away. Shows a different side to the YYY's... mellow and introspective, definitely one of the strongest songs. Very good stuff.
"Turn Into" - Love it, love it, love it. Great way to finish off an extremely catchy & interesting cd. "Can't say why I kept this from ya / my those quiet eyes become ya" - when she sings this, it's endearing and cute and lovely.
I can't say that when I was first introduced to the YYY's I ever expected to hear honest, humble admissions. Let alone really catchy yet subtle melodies and choruses that bury themselves beneath my skin. But now I have, and it's most definitely an experience worth sharing and recommending to anyone who's a fan of just great rock music. There really isn't a bad song on the whole album.
With "Show Your Bones" the YYYs solidify their presence on the rock scene, and undeniably carve out their own signature slot void of any "PJ Harvey-Meets the White Stripes" comparisons.
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35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great band, great CD, March 30, 2006
Great CD,
This one of those CD's that every song is brilliant from the first song Golden Lion to the eleventh and last song Turn into. It's hard for me to pick a favorite sone because they are all outstanding.
There are some songs that remind me of the band White Stripes in terms of their sound and style. Some of the vocal styling that Karen uses also reminds me of Kate Pierson of the B52's and Debbie Harry of Blondie, but by and large their sound is unique to them.
Karen has toned down her vocals somewhat and I think that works very well for her and the band on this CD, she has a beautiful voice. On the cut Cheated Hearts she has a very sultry sexy style that really makes the song work. Brian Chase plays the drums in a style that really lends a backbone to the songs and Nick Zinner is great on keyboards and guitar All of the songs have a nice soul and passion to them and each song has its own personality to it. The music on the CD is very well done. This is a three musician band that has that kind of eclectic style that you get with three piece band but Brian Chase, Nick Zinner and Karen O's styles mesh so well together that their sound is so much bigger then that even in their live performances. It's an amazing blend instruments timing with the occasional random sound thrown in that makes the CD so interesting to listen to.
There is a nice booklet that comes with it that has pictures of different hand made flags, envelopes that someone has drawn on with some interesting personal art and a thank you to everyone that created a flag.
The CD mastered and engineered in a way that really highlights the bands style.
This is the best new release that I have come across in a while in the art-avant-punk-genre.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Um Im not a music uberdude, May 19, 2006
But I am an old dude. A lot of todays music is taken (borrowed) from the recent past. Im in love with this album, but must give props to the appropriate mentors.
Number 1 being Souixxe and the banshees. I hear them in every note and somewhat in her voice. Great stuff though. I am partial to the original band, but this derivative, influence, and or just love of the band has great impact on their sound. History in music comes in 5 years of memory. I am so happy that, and not sure, they meant a tribute to Souixxe. All together a great melodic trip, and very powerful.
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