Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Is Is'
(Fontana Interscope , 2007)
Rating: 7  

Throughout the various stages of the music industry and the platforms offered ia artist releases, the standard EP has most often been rendered an inconsequential format subject to the whims of an audience alternately hungry for singles and full-length albums. Few artists seem to work up enough of a creative lather to justify a full-bore attempt at making the format a worthwhile listen, instead opting to use the medium as an uninspired method of manufacturing sonic output devoid of any true passion or vision. Thankfully, NYC noise/art rock fixtures Yeah Yeah Yeahs have managed to conjure enough inspiration to put together a five-song set entitled Is Is that aptly displays much of what has allowed them to distinguish themselves as a vital band with plenty of ambition left to explore.

It’s perhaps no surprise that YYYs are pretty damn comfortable with churning out legitimate EP fare, considering the fact that they built their initial buzz on the collective strength of 2001’s self-titled sampler and the 2002 EP Machine. In the meantime, they’ve released two well received albums (Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones) and expanded upon their reputation as a frenetic live act while demonstrating a willingness to ferment the sounds and themes on which the band’s ethos was originally conceived. Beneath the sturm and drang of their art punk veneer has always existed a pop sensibility (who wouldn’t consider “As a fuck, son, you suck” a potent pop refrain?) that the band has seemingly grown more comfortable with as their sonic evolution has progressed. Most of the material on Is Is was conceived between their album releases, allowing the band to effectively demo their new songs on the road while stopping short of offering proper studio versions (though a few performance pieces pop up on their 2004 DVD Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow).  Marinated on the road and in rehearsal spaces, the songs on Is Is display a freshness and vigor that nestle quite easily next to YYYs previous efforts instead of hanging in the abortive ether like a third quarter albatross.

Singer Karen O. has emerged as one of the more legitimately charismatic singers of the last decade, regardless of genre. She lends her band an air of danger and unpredictability and has deftly managed to avoid the pitfalls of caricature that less nimbly talented forebears have failed to escape. She can be profane, yet the saltier aspects of her personality don’t prevent her from occasionally reaching for something more substantial in the way of emotional connectivity. While she begins the proceedings by wondering about “which rockers to swallow” (I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt in assuming we’re talking metaphorically as well as physically), she later confesses “All my loves are hidden in pieces/All my loves are within a wild night” with a clever mix of celebration and regret that bridges the gap between trepidation and outright repudiation. Unlike many of her peers, Karen O. has the kind of vocal range that allows her to keep the proceedings interesting, as she can alternately whisper sweet somethings and unleash a torrent of octaves with equal confidence and believability. Backing her up with trademark tremolo echoes and rhythms that fluctuate like a sonic cardiogram is guitarist Nick Zinner. The two display a kind of creative sonar whereby Zinner’s guitar lines perfectly compliment whatever zigs and zags are offered via the vocal intonations of his frontwoman. Drummer Brian Chase does a stereotypically understated job of keeping the other facets of the band in check without overwhelming the flourishes his bandmates inject into the mix.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs may not have broken any new ground per se with their latest release, but there is plenty of evidence in Is Is to suggest a band that is still well within its artistic prime. The EP compliments their two full-length releases while also giving a nod to the hormonal underpinnings of their road work. In making Is Is, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have subverted another industry cliché by producing an EP that manages to engage both the artist and the listener with equally rewarding results.

-Brant Miles