Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz - Album Review

****
1. "Zero" 4:25
2. "Heads Will Roll" 3:41
3. "Soft Shock" 3:53
4. "Skeletons" 5:02
5. "Dull Life" 4:08
6. "Shame and Fortune" 3:31
7. "Runaway" 5:13
8. "Dragon Queen" 4:02
9. "Hysteric" 3:50
10. "Little Shadow" 3:57

For their 3rd album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have headed to the dancefloor replacing their loud guitars with synth to great effect. Kicking the album off with first single "Zero", Karen O squeals, croaks and moans beautifully through the songs sexually charged lyrics over dance beats and synth. It's one of their finest songs to date and one of the highlights of It's Blitz. "Off With Your Head" is their catchiest song to date and will stay in your head long after you've heard it. Hidden amongst all the beautiful choruses and dance beats are darker moments like the atmospheric "Skeletons" and the albums closer "Little Shadows". Other highlights on the album are "Shame and Fortune", ""Dragon Queen" and "Hysteric" with no real filler unlike the YYYs previous two albums. With word of an Australian tour for later this year (possibly for Splendour in the Grass), they are sure to be one of the biggest bands of 2009.
TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek and Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Supergrass) add to their already excellent track record with production on this album. Below is the great new clip "Zero" as well as a track from each of their previous albums, "Maps" from Fever to Tell and "Gold Lion" from Show Your Bones.

War Child Heroes - Various Artists - Album Review

War Child is an organisation that raises money for children living in poverty in the world's most dangerous war zones. For more info on this worthy cause, visit the website http://www.warchild.org/uk.

The idea behind this new compilation was getting 15 music legends to choose one of their tracks to be covered by an artist they think will do it justice. There are some interesting choices here with some tracks improving on the orignal. Elbow do a very faithful version of U2's "Running to Stand Still" from The Joshua Tree which is one of Bono's favourites and a highlight from the album. David Bowie selected former collaborators TV on the Radio to add their unique flavour to the classic song "Heroes" and was no doubt pleased with the result. Iggy Pop also chose a former collabrator in Peaches to tackle the classic punk track "Search and Destroy" and the song fits her style perfectly adding some fuzzy synth and thumping drums to great effect. Beck turns Bob Dylan's "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat" from a laid-back blues song to a funky electronic rock track like only Beck can. Other highlights feature Lily Allen with some help from Mick Jones on The Clash's "Straight to Hell, Franz Ferdinand's live take on Blondie's "Call Me", Yeah Yeah Yeah's version of The Ramones' "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and Bruce Springsteen's Atlantic City covered by The Hold Steady. A solid and unique album with the profits going to a wortthwhile cause make it a great purchase.

1. Beck - "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" (Bob Dylan)
2. Scissor Sisters - "Do the Strand" (Roxy Music)
3. Lily Allen and Mick Jones - "Straight to Hell" (The Clash)
4. Duffy - "Live and Let Die" (Sir Paul McCartney)
5. Elbow - "Running to Stand Still" (U2)
6. TV on the Radio - "Heroes" (David Bowie)
7. Hot Chip - "Transmission" (Joy Division)
8. The Kooks - "Victoria" (The Kinks)
9. Estelle - "Superstition" (Stevie Wonder)
10. Rufus Wainwright - "Wonderful/Song For Children" (Brian Wilson)
11. Peaches - "Search and Destroy" (The Stooges)
12. The Hold Steady - "Atlantic City" (Bruce Springsteen)
13. The Like - "You Belong to Me" (Elvis Costello)
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (The Ramones)
15. Franz Ferdinand - "Call Me" (Live) (Blondie)