Awkward, noisy art school brats or ingenious, multi- media moguls with a taste for the extreme? Both, says Camilla Pia of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
an you remember as far back as 2()()l'.’
Music was in a sorry state. caught in the
clutches of the nu-metal explosion. Backward baseball caps. gigantic shorts and petulant whining were proliferating. Then. out of the blue. a clutch of scratchy. riff-loving New York bands broke through. their skinny jeans. shaggy barnets and abrasive choruses knocking Fred l)tll'sl clean off his precarious perch. putting Papa Roach firmly in their place and offering us immediately catchy tunes that were a little rougher around the edges. Some of these scruffy upstarts proved to have less longevity than others. btrt among the most purposeful in the melee were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. who have gone on to become one of today‘s boldest. most creative and utterly thrilling acts.
An NYC-focused media fren/y may have brought them to our attention. 2003‘s debut I'i'r't'r Ii» 72’]! being one of the must-hear efforts of that so-called scene. But with a plethora of other art. lilrn and music projects under their belts since then and a strong contender for album of the year in recently released Show Your Bones. there’s clearly oodles more to this trio than hipster pals and angular haircuts. We hook up with softly spoken. lwspcctacled drummer Brian (‘hase during a whirlwind trip to London. At first he lives tip to his polite yct serious-minded dcmeanour. btrt he soon starts opening tip abotrt life as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs quietest member.
‘lt dclinitely causes trouble being in a band with two such strong personalities as Karen 0. (vocals) and Nick [inner (guitarlf he laughs. ‘But it‘s usually constructive as all three of us are very passionate about what we‘re doing. There are times when we‘re btrtting heads. but were ultimately trying to work towards the satne goal.‘
Since they started making music together in 2000. that goal has led to many different forms of self-expression as all three have worked in everything from fashion to photography. music and lilrn. Yet it all came from surprisingly humble beginnings. Karen ()r/olek. a 2] year—old film student born and raised in New Jersey. who had a penchant for writing songs on her acoustic guitar. hooked up with '/.inner. a Boston-born guitarist and photographer she met in famous New York drinking hole the Mars Bar. The pair played a few unplugged shows as l'nitard and decided finally on the deranged and resolutely rock‘n‘roll direction we know today. ()ld college friend and jaw drummer (‘hase was soon enlisted and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was born. the much-discussed bloody. bruised and beer-spraying onstage persona of Karen () making an appearance at their first ever gig supporting the White Stripes.
Some splendidly chaotic live shows ensued. along with a whole host of awards for their debut album. including a Grammy nomination. Yet. instead of wrapping themselves in all the resulting success and excess which led to many of their contemrmraries‘ downfalls. the threesome busied themselves with other projects while working on a follow-up. After the break up of her much gossiped
about relationship with film director Spike Jon/e. Karen () decanted to LA. wrote music for an Adidas advert. collaborated with such directors as Patrick Daughters and Tunde Adebimpe on their promo videos. started work on a film and solo album due out later this year and designed (with best friend. fashion designer Christian Joy) more of her famed battered chic orrtlits. which use everything from duct tape to paper. plastic. velvet and crinoline. Zinner. meanwhile. toured with Bright liyes. recorded an albrrrn with side project Head Wound ('ity and published a book of his photography. while Chase recorded with his other band the Seconds. appearing on several Brtioklyn- based jazz. and noise projects.
As the drummer explains. these extra outlets. in addition to the trio's creative control over their records. videos. live shows and artwork. have led to happy intra-band relations. ‘lt's a really important part of staying healthy musically to be able to focus on different aspects of music making. If you‘re in a rock band. it is important to do non-rock things also and not to think so one- dimensionally.‘
But does (‘hase ever worry that being involved in all of these different projects will detract from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ music and give fuel to those who see them purely as a frivolous fashion act'.’ ‘We‘re lucky to have someone like Karen in the band. Her approach to fashion is a big part of us. Iispecially in the rock world. a visual element is an important part of the whole package. lt's dangerous when that is all people look at. like when they just focus on the more sexy aspects and are not respectful towards Karen but if you look below the surface level there really is something special going on there.’
Anyone questioning the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘
musical aptitude need only listen to Show Your
Bones. A daring. experimental and stunning listen. it easily surpasses their first effort in its sheer musicality. mixing unhinged bluesy ballads driven by pianos. strings and acoustic guitars with epic. rhythmic rock songs all roars. monstrous riffs and ghostly interludes. producer Squeak E Clean. most famous for his work with hip hop acolytes Fatlip of the Pharcyde and Ol' Dirty Bastard. revealing a more mysterious side to the band‘s sound that is utterly compelling.
As Chase explains. the last thing the trio wanted to do was release another Fever 7o 724/. so set about making it in a completely different fashion to their debut. sometimes even picking out ideas for songs from drum improvisation sessions. ‘We put all the music we wrote immediately after the debut on hold. and started writing completely new
material. taking our time with it. We went out of
our way to make a really different record.‘ he adds. ‘I’erer. . . was very much a live album where we played the songs a number of times in front of audiences and went about trying to capture that energy in the studio. whereas Show Your Bones was developed in the studio. so we didn’t have validation from any outside sources.’ The ultimate test of the new material will come when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs take it on stage this month. ‘We are really excited. especially about the Glasgow date because the shows we‘ve done there have been totally out of control.‘ Chase laughs. 'We've been working with a lighting person from the San Francisco ballet so she will add a very interesting element.‘ They may be signed to a major label but there’s seemingly nothing this unique and defiantly DlY bunch won't dabble in.
Barrowlands, Glasgow, Fri 19 May
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
NEW YORK
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs may be ruling our School of punk pop arts but they emerged alongside a raft of cunning scuzzbombs. We sort out the prefects from the dunces from the class of 2001.
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11—25 May 20% THE LIST 23