The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

New to some and familiar to millions, Nicolas Zinner (guitars), Brian Chase (drums/percussion) and Karen O. (vocals), the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shine on the scene as one of New York's finest and fastest growing bands.

For what initially started as a folky garage band, they have managed to evolve into one of the most refreshingly original and powerful eclectic rock groups on today's music scene. And when it comes to seeing them live, fortunate only scrapes the very surface of emotion for taking them in at Toronto's Kool Haus last night.

After first catching the odd glimpse of a You Tube concert clip, one of their many artsy music videos and their Tell Me What Rockers To Swallow concert DVD, I was more than a little pumped up for the gig. Unfortunately, and as humans tend to do, I was dwelling on a rather poor performance on SNL this year, becoming nervous to see them in the flesh. Like most bands who entertain us between sketches on the late night comedy show, they hardly seemed into their performance, failing to hit notes and appearing as though they were only contractually obligated to be there. However, I put my judgements aside as best I could and maintained a positive outlook as we headed towards the front doors of the venue. The moment the lights dimmed and the giant eyeball prop lit up I was in a whole new frame of mind.

It's hard not to see a band with only a single guitarist and drummer and no bass or other backup instruments without thinking "great, another band trying to get off on the gimmick of limitations" but I assure you these guys are bringing anything and everything to the table that you would expect from a full roster of musicians. It's like their connection is so perfectly in line that to add another instrument would only cloud their sound; I find the kind of circumstances it would take for such a perfect trifecta to meet to be absolutely amazing, beyond curious, and incredibly fortuitous for us listeners.

Delving further beyond the music and to the thing that makes a band glimmer in the flesh, there is no one bringing presence to the stage quite like Karen O. Besides her infectious smile and physically energetic dominance of the stage, her outfits and matching persona are, well, bizarre. Not in a Lady Ga Ga "Hey, look at me, I'm weird for fame" kind of way, not at all. Karen brings to the table her own bit of energy and excitement in the way she presents her art, right down to her notable hair cut, which seems to give a nod to the Pat Benatar school of awesome. Yes, she is definitely the center and focal point of the band, but that should not for a second suggest that Zinner and Chase aren't rounding out the group with their own energies, tight, dynamic and heavy riffs and beautifully orchestrated anarchy.

They make music to make you jump, make you dance, make you turn back the radio dial and say "I love this song" and, upon seeing them live, they can create music to make you stop, listen and raise a lighter to the air. Dropping the electronic background of Maps (from the album Fever To Tell) and replacing it with gentle, slow acoustic musings was a definite and unexpected highlight to the evening.

Happy, fulfilled and revisiting albums from summers past that I'd so regretfully neglected, I am not only recommending, but imploring you to give this band its fair and equal chance. They deserve their praise, have earned their stripes and keeps us wanting another encore.


http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/


Recommended listening

Maps (2003)
Y Control (2003)
Gold Lion (2006)
Honeybear (2006)
Cheated Hearts (2006)
Down Boy (2007)
Zero (2009)
Heads Will Roll (2009)

photo taken from yeahyeahyeahs.com