Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Album Title: Mosquito
Released: April 12, 2013
Label: Interscope Records
Website: yeahyeahyeahs.com

American indie rock band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, returns with a harder-edged and punk-rooted fourth studio album. The album opens with a mellow rock instrumented track titled “Sacrilege,” which is also the lead single. It is mildly rhythmic and soft with breathy vocals, but it is also the perfect song to open the album up, as it slowly builds up for the more edgy and climactic tracks heard later.

Although the album is much more punk based than the previous ones, lead vocalist, Karen O, still demonstrates the large extent of her vocal versatility by setting up the album with musically contrasting songs like “Mosquito” and “Area 52,” which have aggressive female vocals, dirty electric guitar riffs, and angry lyrics like “mosquito die” and “you must taste our violent fuzz,” then following them up with songs like “Slave” and “Always,” which have folk influences, twangy guitars, and subtle use of vocal harmony. With each and every track, Karen O makes it clear that she is not shy and will not restrict herself musically. All in all, this album can be enjoyed whether you’re into softer folk songs or rougher new-age punk.  The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their rocking female vocalist have definitely captivated the range of the spectrum of contemporary indie music with this one.

Reviewed by Krishna de la Cruz