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Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Kids grow up so fast. Just five years ago, Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the toast of New York’s art-punk scene for their trashy garage-rock revivalism and legendary live shows. Their 2003 debut, Fever to Tell, captured the trio’s raw energy on tracks like “Pin” and “Date with the Night”, but also hinted at an untapped maturity with the heartfelt ballad “Maps.” Old-school YYY fans who decried that “sellout song” will be disappointed further by Show Your Bones, which continues the band’s exploration into kinder, gentler sonic territory. True to his moniker, producer Squeak E. Clean has toned down singer Karen O’s howl—although her old vocal tics still break through occasionally—and muted the band’s trademark urgency. This is not to say that the ’Yeahs have completely abandoned their old sound—the rockabilly-tinged “Mysteries” features a welcome feedback freakout courtesy of guitarist Nick Zinner, and the stomping “Honeybear” would not be out of place on the band’s earliest EPs. But overall, Show Your Bones is undeniably subdued, as on the charmingly off-key “Dudley” and the twangy closer “Turn Into.” Each song seems to sample a different style or instrument, leaving the album unfocused. Call it the sophomore slump—or perhaps just growing pains.