Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Karen O (vocals); Nick Zinner (guitar); Brian Chase (drums).
Recorded at The Funhouse, New York, New York.
Ever since the release of the two EPs compiled here, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been perpetually on the verge of becoming rock stars. But in reality, it's surprising that these eight artsy, punky, danceable tunes didn't put them right over the edge in the first place.
Karen O makes an entrance worthy of Warhol or Lee Van Cleef on her Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut EP, introducing herself on "Bang" with an unmistakably sexual growl, a rock-&-roll hunger somewhere between Mick Jagger and Jon Spencer. It's the sort of game-changing bravado that cannot be ignored. And when she primally screams about sex and desperation and madness over sonic blasts of noise and melody that conjure up second wave punk and new wave and early hardcore, often on the same song, it's exciting, almost stunning; it's clearly one of the more important EPs of its era. minimize