Fever to Tell [PA] - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (CD 2003)

Ah, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Have you heard of them? If not, you re missing out. This CD is wonderful, and I m really glad I own it. I admit, I bought it because I love Maps, but I was really happy with the other songs on here too. The cover is quite interesting, as you can see by looking at the provided picture. The booklet is filled with other such interesting pictures, like a humongous snake pierced with a sword and a horse carrying a human hand. Well it s original. There is also a picture of each of the members, Karen O (vocals), Nick Zinner (guitars & drum machine) and Brian Chase (drums), but the pictures aren t photographs; they re more like sketches. No lyrics, but a full page donated to thank yous, with the last one being you . Aw I feel special now.

The first song we have here is Rich. Zinner on guitar opens the song, and then it s joined by Chase on drums. Karen starts singing and you can immediately tell she has a very original voice. She also makes the song interesting with her style, like her Ohhhhh s that fade slowly, and her almost sexual grunts. A fun song to start the album off with. It s not my favorite, but it gives you a taste of what the group sounds like.

Track 2 is Date With the Night. Guitar starts this one off too, with fast paced drums and Karen singing great yet again. This song is faster than Rich, and I like it better. Karen yet again contributes some sexual grunts/moans, but it actually works with the song. Sadly, this track is only 2:35 and it flies by. Gonna walk on water/ Buying out the fight/ We re sweating in the winter/ We re both squeezed tight/ Chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow, chow. Now Karen s not really telling you to like chow down but that s the only way I can type the noises she makes.

And I thought the previous track was short! Man comes in at 1:49, an incredibly short time for a song. It begins with Karen saying that she ll count it off and proceeds to say "1,2,3, go! This song is another enjoyable track with Karen s entertaining additions to the song. The lyrics are very interesting too. I got a man who makes me wanna kill and I got a man who makes me wanna die/ We re all gonna burn in hell/ I said we re all gonna burn in hell/ Cause we do what we gotta do/ We will/ And we got the fever to tell. And there s your album title.

Tick is the next song, also 1:49. What s with these short songs? Well anyway, this song is another fast paced song, with Karen saying You make me/ You make me/ You make me/ Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick. Karen says tick so many times at different points that she even begins to seem breathless sometimes. She even starts kind of yelling near the end. A lot to absorb in such a short song.

Black Tongue is the fifth song. Yay. One of my favorites. Back to a normal song length, at 2:59. I love the way Zinner plays the guitar during this song, and the combination of that, the drums, and Karen s original vocals make this a truly great song. Karen says Uh huh a lot and does it with a bit of a squeal at one point. You just have to hear her voice. Boy you re just a stupid bitch and girl you re just a no good dick. Ah what a classic line.

Next is Pin. Only 2:00. Another short song. About 10 seconds of guitar playing at the beginning, then the drums come in. I like to sleep with him/ Pushing in the pin/ I like to sleep with him/ I know I know/ Gonna go back in/ We re gonna go, go, go/ We re gonna go back in/ We re gonna go, go, go. There are also some random lyrics like Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom/ Do do do do do do do do. But it s got a nice beat to it and it s fun to listen to.

Now we have Cold Light. Starts out with Karen saying Cold light and then a guitar riff, then Hot night , guitar riff, Be my heater, be my lover. The guitar keeps going as Karen continues And we can do it to each other. These romantic lyrics are amazing. The guitar is more prominent in this song and I like the way it sounds. You gotta turn this one up when you listen to it.

No No No is the next song. This song is 5:14. Whoa! Much longer than the other songs on here. Fast drums at the beginning, then the guitar joins in. Karen doesn t start singing until about 30 seconds through. No no no no/ I ll hurry when I m home/ I ll hurry when I m home/ I ll go/ Oh I ll go. The music kinda switches and has a digital feel to it around 3 minutes through, after a guy whispers Shhh I do like this song, but I think maybe it s a little too long. Ha ha yeah I said that after complaining that all the songs were too short.

Now for my favorite track on the CD: Maps. I love everything about this song, and as I mentioned earlier, it s the reason I bought the CD in the first place. Nothing else on here sounds anything like it. Zinner on the guitar at the beginning and then Chase on the drums joins in, creating a wonderful sound. I love the music during this song. It s pretty slow, kind of seductive, and Karen s voice sounds great during it. Wait/ They don t love you like I love you/ Wait/ They don t love you like I love you/ Maa-aa-aa-aaps/ Wait/ They don t love you like I love you! About 1:55 there is a nice instrumental part until around 2:30. Yay I love this song! The running time of 3:39 just flies by.

Y Control is the tenth track. The guitar is a lot louder during this song, kind of like Cold Light. Even sounds like hand clapping at one point. I don t really understand the lyrics, but hey, if you can enjoy the music and the person who s singing it, what else do you need? Y control/ Y control/ You walk, walk, walk, walk, walk/ My winters out of control.

The last song is Modern Romance, coming in at a whopping 7:28. Slowish guitar and drums at the beginning, giving off a nice sound. Karen s voice sounds a lot softer during this track than any of the others. Some meaningful lyrics too. Don t hold on/ Go get strong/ Don t you know/ There s no modern romance/ Time/ Time is gone/ It stops, stops/ Who it wants/ Well I was wrong/ It never lasts/ There s no/ Well this is no/ Modern romance. About 3:10, the song fades out, and around 4:30 it starts up again, with Karen making some of her interesting sounds. Well we have a new song actually. So that s why this track is so long. Porcelain baby. Slow music again, with more nice, meaningful lyrics. Baby I m afraid of a lot of things/ But I ain t scared of loving you/ Baby I know you re afraid of a lot of things/ But don t be scared of love/ Cause/ People will say all kinds of things/ That don t mean a damn to me/ Cause all I see is what s in front of me/ That s you. Karen also drops the f bomb, so I guess that contributed to the Parental Advisory label on the front.

So I didn t hate any of the songs on here. So why only a 4 star rating? Well I would like to rate it 4.5, but that s not possible. I wouldn t give it 5 because some of the songs sound kind of the same. Now don t get me wrong, I love this CD, and I would definitely recommend it. But it s just not quite perfect. Buy it for Maps. Yay. Black Tongue is another one of my favorites. Hell, just buy the thing. You won t regret it. And it doesn t hurt that Zinner s kinda hot.