Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase.[3] They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring member in 2009 and replaced Imaad Wasif, who had previously held the role. According to an interview that aired during ABC's Live from Central Park SummerStage series, the band's name was taken from modern New York City vernacular.[4]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2002. From left to right: Brian Chase, Karen O, and Nick Zinner.
Background information
OriginNew York City, New York, United States
Genres
Years active2000 (2000)–present
LabelsTouch and Go, Wichita, Interscope, Fiction, Modular, Polydor
Associated actsHead Wound City
Websiteyeahyeahyeahs.com
MembersKaren O
Nick Zinner
Brian Chase

The band has recorded four studio albums; the first, Fever to Tell, was released in 2003. The second, Show Your Bones, was released in 2006 and was named the second best album of the year by NME.[5] Their third studio album, It's Blitz!, was released in March 2009. All three albums earned the band Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Music Album. Their fourth album, Mosquito, was released in April 2013.

History

Formation and Fever to Tell (2000–2004)

Karen O and Brian Chase first met as students at Oberlin College in Ohio in the late 1990s, where Chase was a jazz student at the conservatory. Karen then transferred to New York University and met Zinner in a local bar, where they formed an "instant connection." During this time, they also shared a loft with future members of the band Metric.[6] Orzolek and Zinner formed an acoustic duo called Unitard but soon decided to "shake things up a bit" by forming a "trashy, punky, grimy" band modeled after the art student, avant-punk bands Karen O was exposed to at Oberlin.[7] After the drummer they initially recruited bowed out, Chase joined the line-up.

The band wrote a slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up supporting The Strokes and The White Stripes, earning a significant buzz for their arty and garage punk scene. In late 2001, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their self-titled debut EP, which they recorded with Boss Hog's Jerry Teel, on their own Shifty label.[8] Early the next year, they stepped into the international spotlight, appearing at South by Southwest, touring the U.S. with Girls Against Boys, and Europe with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and headlining their own U.K. tour. Wichita Recordings distributed the group's EP in the U.K. and Touch and Go reissued it in the States.[9]

In 2003, the band released their debut album, Fever to Tell, which received several strong critical reviews and sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide. The album's third single, "Maps", received significant airplay on alternative radio. In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked "Maps" as 386th in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The video for their 2004 single "Y Control" was directed by Spike Jonze. In October 2004, the band released their first DVD, Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow. The DVD included a concert filmed at The Fillmore in San Francisco, all of the band's music videos to date, and various interviews. Later the same year, they were featured in Scott Crary's documentary Kill Your Idols.

In November 2009, NME rated Fever to Tell the No. 5 Best Album of the Decade.[10]

Show Your Bones and Is Is EP (2005–2007)
Karen O live at the Tim Festival in 2006

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' second album, Show Your Bones, was released on 27–28 March 2006. Karen O told online zine Drowned in Sound, "Show Your Bones is what happens when you put your finger in a light socket", crediting "9-year old antigenius wonder-kid Drake Barrett for the insight."[11] The first single from the album, "Gold Lion", was released on 20 March 2006, reaching number 18 in the Official UK Singles Chart. It has been noted by Leah Greenblatt that "Gold Lion" sounds startlingly similar to "No New Tale To Tell" from 1980s alternative band Love and Rockets.[12]

The band toured throughout Europe and the United States during much of 2006, and also helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

In December 2006, the album was named second best album of the year by NME magazine, and "Cheated Hearts" was voted 10th best song. Rolling Stone magazine named Show Your Bones the 44th best album of 2006, while Spin magazine ranked it number 31 on their 40 best albums of 2006.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third EP, titled Is Is, was released on 24 July 2007. It includes 5 previously unreleased songs and a short film, which was recorded and filmed at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The songs were written in 2004, during the Fever To Tell tour, and performed live often.[13] Three of the five tracks were featured on the Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow DVD.

Karen O and Nick Zinner performing at the Glastonbury Festival, 2009

It's Blitz! (2008–2009)

The Yeah Yeah Yeah's next album was released in March 2009 and titled It's Blitz!.[14] The band says the album sounds different from their previous ones but "still [sounds] like Yeah Yeah Yeahs". It was originally set to be released on 13 April, but following an internet leak on 22 February,[15] the band's label, Interscope, pulled the release date closer to reduce the leak's impact.[16] The album spawned three singles: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll," and "Skeletons."

It's Blitz! was named second best album of 2009 by Spin Magazine and third best by NME, along with "Zero" from the album listed as the best track of the year by both.[17][18][19][20]

Mosquito and hiatus (2011–2016)

On 9 December 2011, Karen O reported to NME that she had been working on new music with the band, hinting a new album was possibly in the making.[21] On 14 January 2013, it was announced via their official Facebook page that the new album would be titled Mosquito. It was released on 16 April of the same year.[22] The album features production by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Nick Launay, and LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy.[23] The first single, "Sacrilege", was released on 15 February 2013.[24] "Despair" was released as the second single on 23 July 2013.[25]

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing in Ventura, California, 2013

In December 2014, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs went on hiatus.[26] In 2016, the band received writing credits on the Beyoncé single "Hold Up".[27]

Return in 2017

On 20 June 2017, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced that they would be headlining the Austin "Sound on Sound" festival on 10 November, adding: "Watch for more news coming soon"[28] The Sound on Sound festival was subsequently cancelled. [29]

On 26 May 2018, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played at All Points Festival in Victoria Park, London.[30]

Reissue of Fever to Tell

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs released a deluxe remastering of their debut album Fever to Tell on 20 October 2017 via Interscope / UMe. It features previously unreleased demos, B-sides, and other rarities from the era.[31]

In a press release, the band announced, "A friend of a friend kept asking if we were ever gonna put Fever to Tell out on vinyl as it hasn't been on vinyl in 10 years. That's not right. So here it is on vinyl for the first time in 10 years plus a time capsule of photos, demos (1st ever recorded,) a mini film documenting our near downfall and other fun memorabilia, from the turn of the century NYC, made with love + the usual blood, sweat + tears of Yeah Yeah Yeahs."

To celebrate the reissue, a small series of shows was performed: L.A.’s Fonda Theatre (25 October 2017), Oakland's Fox Theater (30 October 2017), and Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre (7 November 2017).

Musical style

The Yeah Yeahs' style has been described as "an art-rock trio who made an edgy post-punk, dancefloor-friendly racket that mixed up Blondie with Siouxsie and the Banshees".[2]

Touring and performances

Alongside performing headlining tours across the world, the band has supported artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Björk, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Liars, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

The band headlined in China at the Modern Sky Festival in Beijing in 2007.[32]

The group performed their single "Zero" on the NBC television show Saturday Night Live on 11 April 2009.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed on the Late Show with David Letterman on 5 April 2013.[33] They headlined and curated ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror festival at Alexandra Palace in London on 4 May 2013.[34]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California on 12 April and 19 April 2013,[35] and at the Firefly Music Festival on 21–23 June 2013.

Awards and nominations

Antville Music Video Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2006 "Gold Lion" Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Performance Video Won
2013 "Despair" Nominated
"Sacrilege" Video of the Year Nominated
Best Narrative Won
Best Editing Won

BMI London Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007 "Gold Lion" Pop Award Won

D&AD Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005 "Y Control" Direction Yellow Pencil
2014 "Sacrilege" Cinematography Wood Pencil
Editing Graphite Pencil

Grammy Award

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Fever to Tell[36] Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
2007 Show Your Bones[37] Nominated
2010 It's Blitz![38] Nominated

International Dance Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010 Themselves Best Artist (Group) Nominated
It's Blitz Best Artist Album Nominated
"Heads Will Roll" Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track Nominated

MTV Video Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 "Maps" Best Art Direction Nominated
Best Editing Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated
MTV2 Award Nominated
2009 "Heads Will Roll" Breakthrough Video Nominated
2013 "Sacrilege" Best Direction Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated

MVPA Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005 "Y Control" Best Alternative Video Won
2006 "Gold Lion" Best Cinematography Nominated
2009 "Zero" Best Rock Video Won

mtvU Woodie Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Themselves Woodie of the Year Nominated
2009 "Heads Will Roll" Best Video Woodie Nominated

NME Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003 Themselves Philip Hall Hot New Band Award Won
Karen O Hottest Woman Nominated
2005 Nominated
2007 Nominated
2010 "Zero" Best Dancefloor Filler Nominated
Themselves Best International Band Nominated
2011 Karen O Hottest Woman Won

New York Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 "Heads Will Roll" (A-Trak Remix) Best Dance Remix Won

Rober Awards Music Poll

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009 Themselves Best Rock Artist Won
Band of the Year Nominated
"Zero" Song of the Year Nominated
"Heads Will Roll" (A-Trak Remix) Best Remix Nominated

Shortlist Music Prize

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003 Fever to Tell Album of the Year Nominated

UK Music Video Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2013 "Sacrilege" Best Rock/Indie Video Won
Best Editing Won

Discography
Main article: Yeah Yeah Yeahs discography

Studio albums

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gollark: It's a distributed systems thing.
gollark: I mean, you could use Raft for this, even.
gollark: Anyway, it's not like keeping a single number consistent is beyond the abilities of modern distributed systems design.

References
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  2. McLean, Craig (13 June 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: why fans of the art-punk trio can't say no". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2010.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  3. Phares, Heather (17 May 2002). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  4. Nuno Brandão (21 December 2012), Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Live from Central Park, 2004, retrieved 8 February 2016
  5. NME.COM. "A decade in music - 50 best albums of 2006 | NME.COM". NME. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  6. "YYYs shared a loft with Metric". Ladygunn.com. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  7. Hanley, Lynsey (26 February 2006). "Lynsey Hansley talks to Yeah Yeah Yeahs". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  8. "Jerry Teel". Discogs. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  9. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs". mtv. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  10. "The Strokes' 'Is This It' tops NME albums of the decade list". NME News. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  11. Roberts, Colin (11 January 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs LP and single details, yeah". Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  12. Greenblatt, Leah (16 June 2006). "Did The Red Hot Chili Peppers copy Tom Petty?". Entertainment Weekly (883). Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  13. Maher, Dave (13 July 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Release New EP of Old Songs". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  14. Breihan, Tom (21 January 2009). "New Yeah Yeah Yeahs Album: It's Blitz". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
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  18. "50 Best Albums of 2009". NME. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  19. "50 Best Tracks of 2009". NME. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  20. Spin Staff (7 December 2009). "The 20 Best Songs of 2009". Spin. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
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  27. "Here's How Ezra Koenig Squeezed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Maps' Into Beyonce's 'Lemonade'". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  28. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce First Concert in Four Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  29. Stith, Deborah. "Sound on Sound Fest 2017 cancelled after main investor pulls out". austin360.
  30. "Why We're So Excited About Yeah Yeah Yeahs' UK Comeback This Weekend". diymag.com. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  31. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce Fever to Tell Reissue, Share Unreleased Song: Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  32. Sisario, Ben (25 November 2007). "For All the Rock in China". New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  33. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Awesome Choir Director Bring 'Sacrilege' to 'Letterman'". Spin. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  34. Murray, Robin (28 January 2013). "I'll Be Your Mirror Grabs Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Clash. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  35. "Lineup". Coachella. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  36. D'Angelo, Joe (12 January 2004). "White Stripes To Perform At Grammy Awards". MTV. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  37. "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 20 December 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  38. "Grammy nominations 2010 announced – Beyonce, Lady Gaga, MGMT shortlisted". NME. IPC Media. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
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