Yeah Yeah Yeahs and People In Planes reviewed (Brief news intro)

Here are a couple of music reviews that I hope you enjoy. Before I get to them though, I'd like to say that there have been a couple of really great performances lately on the late shows. Firstly, on Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show, the New Cars (yeah they're actually just The Cars with a couple of new guys) appeared and sounded absolutely amazing performing their new single "Not Tonight." I actually had to keep checking the screen to make sure that it was in fact the same band. The single is available for download on iTunes now, but it will be featured on a Greatest Hits album that they have coming out in a few weeks. The second performance relates to a band whose album is reviewed in this piece and that is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Performing their single "Gold Lion" on David Letterman a few nights ago, they did an awesome job of bringing a lot more life out of the song than I realized existed from listening to the studio version. It also confirmed that Karen O. (Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman) is exceptionally quirky but incredibly cool, and that was an added bonus. So without further adieu I give you some reviews. Enjoy!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones

While produced to a glossy sheen, Show Your Bones does nicely to avoid a sophomore slump.

After honing their skills for sometime, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released the brash yet lovely debut
Fever to Tell in 2003. For anyone expecting a similar sound you should probably just stop reading this review now and forget about it. While you may very well end up liking the album, it'll be for a completely different reason than it was before. That isn't to say that Show Your Bones and Fever to Tell are night and day, it's just that on this album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound is so much more controlled that it's not surprising that there are fans calling the band a sell out after hearing the single "Gold Lion." While the song has definitely grown on me since I first heard it and works well within the context of the album, it's difficult to listen to it (particularly for the first time) and think that you might've accidentally slipped onto a Teagan & Sara track (or if you're feeling generous, Sleater-Kinney with half the punk). However, listening to tracks like "Fancy," which is just as solid as most anything you'll find on the debut, the catchy "Phenomena" and the surprising closer "Turn Into." With that said, if you wanted to be cynical about the album, you could once again refer to either of the dreaded terms that bands never want to hear. The first would be a "sell out," and with songs like "Gold Lion" and the nursery rhyme like "Dudley" you could have yourself an argument. After all, it's the "rough around the edges" bit that made them big in the first place right? On the other cynical path you could say that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hit a bit of a sophomore slump. That would be another feasible argument, as like any other band that hits it big on the first album, what direction do you go in if you want to do something different? More often than not, that direction is sideways, and that's precisely the case with Show Your Bones. But, to that person I'd have to ask, if your debut album was deemed as being a great album, is going sideways so bad so long as you're actually making progress? I think not.

Overall Rating: 89

People In Planes As Far as the Eye Can See

Well hell, this is the band people should be talking about...

You know, hype is a funny thing. Every now and again, more true recently than in the past, we put certain bands on a pedestal and claim them to be everything but the greatest band to ever come into existence. Sometimes that hype is warranted (White Stripes, The Hives) and sometimes it leads to destruction (The Libertines, The Darkness) or they're simply never heard from again. While the Arctic Monkey's have been the latest band to win the media's hearts, with SXSW performances from bands like Art Brut amping up the critics attention as well, it seems that these blokes from Wales have completely gone under the radar, and that's really quite a shame. Comparisons to such bands as Muse aside, People in Planes have really got a good thing going on As Far as the Eye Can See. The opening track "Barracuda" is a seething piece, sweeping almost effortlessly between quiet and loud tones without ever losing energy. "For Miles Around" is the track that will probably be the track people look at most to make their Muse comparisons, especially with the swirling guitars over the anthemic chorus. The thing with People in Planes though, is that it's rarely overdramatic or overly indulgent. Case in point being the appropriate lead single "If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)," which not only marks a perfect marriage of rock and pop music, but also delivers just enough to bring you in without ever going over the top, as a matter of fact, it's pretty linear in arrangement. Another standout is the unsuspectingly catchy "Moth" which thrives on its great rhythm and bass lick. As the album progresses People in Planes' songs become increasingly experimental which is a relatively rare thing to see on a debut album. They are all within the same realm as the other songs, so it doesn't feel as if you're listening to another artist, but it is nevertheless intriguing that the final three tracks clock in at over five minutes each, and focus a bit more on atmospheric tones as opposed to the earlier tracks, which is a very good thing. "Penny," for example, is a lush downtempo track that constantly evolves and morphs throughout its six and a half minute length. For a debut album, this is a very impressive release and is truly worth checking out. The only main drawback is that for as strong as the arrangements and instrumentals are on each of the songs, the lyrics sometimes lag behind. While they certainly won't make you cringe, and is something that will surely improve over time, it is worth noting for those of you that go for lyrical substance over other elements in music. Once again, this is a great debut from People In Planes and here's hoping they get their share of hype soon, because they do deserve it.


Overall Rating: 90