Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Yes, No or Maybe?

"Gold Lion's gonna tell me where the light is," announces Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O on the first track of Show Your Bones. "Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is/Take our hands/Out of control. ... Now tell me what you saw."

"Tell me what you saw" is actually a useful way of thinking about this New York garage-rock trio's second full-length album. Because by the end of its songs, I'm really not sure what I've "seen." Inscrutable lyrics like the one above defy easy interpretation; and without some sort of explanation, it's hard to know what to make of some songs at all. For all I know, Karen O could be singing about Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (though probably not).

If most musicians use lyrics to paint realistically—that is, telling an intelligible story with their words—Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs might better be described as aural abstract expressionism. Instead of clear meanings, we get songs that suggest a mood. Fuzzy lyrics are complemented by the band's high-energy, low-fi blend of electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums (and the occasional piano line), a vibe reminiscent of the stripped-down sounds of The White Stripes or The Strokes.

Sensual Isolation
Despite the interpretive challenge presented by Show Your Bones, a few themes do rise to the surface. Chief among these is Karen O's sensuality. Though this is the first Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Plugged In Online has reviewed, many articles about the band make it clear that the singer's uninhibited sexuality has been one of her calling cards. Here, Karen O's carnal interests seem more restrained, but they're still present at times nonetheless. On "Phenonena" she teases, "You're something like a phenomena, baby/Something like a phenomena/You're gonna get your body off. ... Hot time, kid/Hot time, kid/It's cold under the blanket."

Romantic disappointment also makes appearances. "Cheated Hearts" describes a woman "cheated by the opposite of love," who vows to "take these rings and stow them safe away/I'll wear them on another rainy day." The song "Mysteries" churns with emotional turmoil in the wake of a breakup ("My arms are all twisted. ... Well I don't even know what it's like not to go back to you/I don't even know who I like less/You own me, you own me, you own me"). "The Sweets" is actually bitter, asking, "Who you falling for?/Whose lies?"

Sensuality and disappointment, in turn, give way to desperation and isolation. On "Dudley," for example, Karen O confesses, "I've lost all reason for playing new games/Better quit staring, 'cause you're looking the same/Can't even cope to make a change." And every so often, the band has a lucid moment that doesn't require head scratching and a furrowed brow. Some of those moments are honest and insightful ("Fast living is holding me back," she sings on "Dudley"). Other times, such as in "The Way Out," they're merely profane: "The s--- is running, and it runs deep."

Desperation Reloaded
Perhaps the best summary of what informs the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' perspective on Show Your Bones is a revealing comment from guitarist Nick Zinner. "When I was younger, music would always come from a place of frustration or depression. And when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs started, it was about opposing that idea. We wanted to write uplifting songs that could make us happier. But trying to keep true to that vision means shutting off a large part of yourself. And you can only hold down depression and frustration for so long before they pop back up."

On a more positive note, the band has begun to recognize that relying upon Karen O's sensuality has a dark side to it. Drummer Brian Chase commented, "[While touring in support of the band's debut, Fever to Tell] Karen O was exhibitionist. She felt her job was to make people feel less self-conscious about themselves, that letting go and expressing herself like that onstage would make people feel comforted. But after a while, I think she just felt exploited." The singer concurs: "There's always going to be a strong undercurrent of sexuality in anything I do, but I'm not going to play with it like I did before."

In some ways, then, the band is perhaps maturing. At the same time, its melancholy members' outlook offers little in the way of genuine hope or long-term perspective on life. Instead, angst, unanswered questions—not to mention some pretty odd lyrics—do most of the yelling for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.