Give me Karen O over Emily Haines any day. Although both Yeah Yeah
Yeahs’ and Metric’s new albums are dance-floor killers, the former
sparkles with sophistication—even Karen O’s more gutteral yelps seem
less pissed off and more relaxed. Nick Zinner’s iconic, raw guitar may
be downplayed in favour of keyboards, but their sound hasn’t lost its
rock heart or organic kick. “Zero” has a bullet beat that bounces and
ricochets, while Karen’s voice is strong and sure, just like on “Heads
Will Roll,” where her ferociousness is pure Siouxsie Sioux. On the
grand ballad “Little Shadow” she pulls back to reveal a new and welcome
fragility.
This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2009.
