Fever To Tell

Maps is really the only thing this album has going for it and it's a good song, not a great one. The rest is mostly the worst aspects of indie meets a really toothless brand of punk rock I suppose you could call it. Karen O has a pretty good voice. The other guys are...present. It's a shame the band didn't write more than one decent song for her to sing.

The first word that comes to mind when describing this album is "fun." It's all kinds of post-punk, neo-grunge, alt-rock, fem-fronted fun. It's pretty much right up my alley. That said, it does get docked a star because some of the songs have amazingly dumb lyrics while others have amazingly brilliant lyrics. But, overall, it's a super great record.

This album is very EA Sports mid-2000s game menu core. Every track on this album sounds like it could be playing in MLB 2004 or Madden 05. Overall the album is a little too raw for my tastes except for Maps which is a classic.

Looking at the album cover, I'm gonna establish a baseline of 2/5 and go from there lol. aaaand it's noisy indie alternative stuff. At least the music matches the manic album art... I guess? Lots of processed vocal theatrics, and everything is buried in the mix underneath the singing and drums. It's like they heard the White Stripes and decided they could do the same, but ignored the good songwriting and instead dialled the oddest, most manic bits up to 11. So the end result is all the annoying loud tendencies of indie rock and nothing else. It has a really bratty lyrical cynicism to it that just seems fucking childish, too. "ha ha here's an angry lyric but it's done with a cutesy girly squeal!" uuugh spare me the beautiful disaster/harley quinn routine, loser. The 2/5 stays.

Wicked vocals from a talented female singer, high energy sound, loved it. Want to listen again.

A shot of raging hormones.

The worst type of indie music, all drums and attitude but with very little soul.

Only liked one song, Maps, and it was the one that doesn’t sound like any of their other songs…

This is an album that seems to be magically created. Everything works, and the three of them just have an out of world chemistry. An absolute superb and instant classic from the golden age of indie.

Great early 00's rock album. Rich is a really good punk song. Early album is filled with some good punk music, but they kind of run together a bit. Maps and Y Control are stand outs for sure

Whoever said this group was “Led Zeppelin with estrogen” (e.g. John Pareles, Nick Kent) was way off. Karen O has nowhere near the range or blues sensitivity of Robert Plant. Nick Zinner can’t touch Jimmy Page. Brian Chase isn’t in the same universe as John Bonham. Having no bass player (Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be a lot better if they had one) there’s no way to compare John Paul Jones. And as a group, they’re too mechanical. YYYs completely lack LZ’s dynamic vitality. So let’s just quietly set aside the Led Zeppelin comparison, intending no offense to politically correct critics desperate to promote a “female rocker” (which is almost an oxymoron, anyway). On its own merits, the album is interesting enough, worth a listen, even if just for the sake of gender diversity. But I myself have heard (indeed played) better ‘garage rock’ and ‘garage punk’ in actual garages. I give it a ‘two’.

Lead singers voice felt too try-hard and put me off a lot of the songs. Sounded like a continous soundtrack to Scott Pilgrim. Best track: Y Control

Riding on the early wave of New York indie bands with their contemparies the Strokes, Interpol and the Walkmen, the YYYs and this album provide a positive nostalgia kick. The album opens with a bolt of energy, dips slightly in the middle before hitting hard with two indie disco classics (Maps & Y Control).

IM SO HAPPY THAT THIS IS HERE THERE ARE TEARS IN MY EYES RN HUHUHUHU i am sort of validated that i have good taste in music hahhahaha

Yeah yeah yeahs, I know Karen O, and two fellas Amazing wall of noise.

Exciting album. Exciting times! Part of the Post Strokes/Hives breaking the indie wall and making music fun again. Big Beat and electronica no longer felt new, Nu Metal was getting old and indie was all Radiohead/Jeff Buckley sound alikes. A frantic call from a friend in New York, sent me to see one off show by them in 2001 at the Annadale Hotel. It was a blistering performance and I was amazed by all the sounds coming out of Nick Zimmer's guitar. Karen O was a front woman extraordinare and had a whole room of people who knew maybe one song if that eating up the worthy hype. So this album captures that night perfectly. The production really captures that energy and style and makes this a perfect debut. Date With Night and Maps couldn't be two more different songs and that extreme is one of the things that still has me loving this album nearly 20 years on

Just like every other millennial back then, I told her to wait, that they didn't love her like I loved her... She left anyway, but the shared experience of a generation did not. this record is another one for the ages, an excellent timestamp which, with its 36 minutes long, hits swift and straight to the heart. there isn't anything bad I could say about such an excellent musical experience and yes, I believe Maps is the definitive millennial song. yes above whichever one you can mention.

How many YYY albums are on this list anyway? This one is a burner but ends flat. Karen O's vocals are sexy and scary.

That's interesting to know this album and nowadays it's absolutely obvious their influence on modern rock songs. However, listening to it today, I can't see so many qualities in these songs. They are nice to listen to, but nothing more.

I feel like I want to like Yeah Yeah Yeahs more than I actually do like them when I listen.

Another one I've had for years but barely recognize, with good reason. "Maps" apart, very meh. An odd period, a lot of derivative noise being showered with plaudits, this included. [edit: ooh there's a pointless hidden track too! JFC]

A friend of mine years ago made me a mix tape, and on it was the song “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I loved that song, but never further investigated the group behind it. I’m glad to have the opportunity to rectify that now. FEVER TO TELL is a gritty, passionate carnival of song lead by an incredible snarling, cooing, moaning, screaming vocal performance by Karen O supported mostly by grinding guitars and pounding drums. The opening number “Rich” was exhilarating to me as the album opened, then “Date With The Night” amps things up a few notches with some incredible vocals shouting ‘CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE CHOKE.’ Then in a 1-2-3 punch Karen O takes it up another notch in “Man.” WOW what a song. She punctuates the song with this sort of falsetto that is incredible. “Tick” follows and seems to just rocket the album forward. The energy is incredible as she ‘tick tick tick tick ticks’ and ‘loo-oo-oo-oo-ooses’ her way through the song. The ‘tick tick ticks’ at the end are incredible. Karen O is constantly surprising to me - witness “Black Tongue’s” ‘uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-ooooh!’ The lyrics are a lot of fun too, ‘boy you’re just a stupid bitch and girl, you just a no good dick.’ More fun ensues in “Pin” with the crazy ‘bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, dunno, dunno, dunno, dunno’ lyrics. “Cold Light” has such a great opening. A slower song still with all the energy. “No No No” has a great slow-fast thing going on. By the time I get to “Maps” it was so exciting to hear those opening drums again. Funny in the context of the album it is one of the quieter songs thus far. It almost feels like Karen O is holding back on this one. “Y Control” continues along that energy level, then we get “Modern Romance,” a softer almost intimate song, followed by “Poor Song,” a really quiet, almost dirge-like ending to the album that brings the whole thing to a quiet, sudden stop. This was a lot of fun to listen to. I also love looking at the album cover. Absolutely loved it!

This album was part of the garage rock revival movement in the late 90s and early 2000s. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs combine fuzzy rock elements with art punk to form an exciting driving music that features the extraordinary vocals of Karen O. A lot of the elements here can be heard in later indie rock music yet it still sounds fresh to me despite being over 20 years old.

At the time I thought Fever to Tell was an astonishingly good debut both in terms of the music but also the style of the band. I enjoyed the following 2 albums, but then hadn't thought of them since. Revisiting their debut many years later and it hasn't lost any of its urgency and cool. Love it.

Messy and yet often wonderfully melodic, this album paved the way for a lot of new popular "indie" stuff in the 2000s, for better or for worse. This record, produced by TV On The Radio"s Dave Sitek, is indeed one of the few in that period that can still hold its own today. The New York scene of that day and age is often remembered for The Strokes and Interpol, but surely, early Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the third "trendy" band in the city that had something truly special at the time. Instant hits such as "Y Control", " Maps", "Date With The Night" and "Pins" prove it. Too bad Yeah Yeah Yeahs quickly lost their rough edges after this great debut, when they elected for a cleaner sound that doesn't suit them that well. Not that this ulterior development takes anything away from *Fever To Tell*, mind you. 4,5/5, rounded up to 5. Number of albums left to review: 599 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 191 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 90 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 120

'Rich' is a great starting song, really showcasing the great vocals that are to come. Strong, angsty, fun, I feel like I have to stress that this album shines in large part because of its vocals. Not enough girl rock on here, and this shows why we need more. The songs just wouldn't pop if it was another punk rock guy singing. 'Maps' was fantastic. Actually, the entire second side was great, which is always shocking. Just a fantastic album.

Fever To Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs is a relentless and exhilarating album that bursts with energy and raw emotion. Released in 2003, it instantly solidified the band's place in the indie rock scene. Karen O's dynamic and charismatic vocals shine, accompanied by the explosive guitar work and propulsive rhythms of Nick Zinner and Brian Chase. From the infectious hooks of "Maps" to the ferocious intensity of "Date with the Night," every track is a standout. The album's production perfectly captures the band's live energy. Fever To Tell is a masterpiece that encapsulates the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' electrifying and innovative sound.

Hell yeah yeah yeah. So many bangers.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are another band swallowed by my blithe decision in my early twenties that I was too old for new music, as I’d heard it all before. Why YYY when I have The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Sonic Youth, The Cramps*, MC5, The Pretenders, The Breeders, who do they think they are? They are their own creature and I’m pleased to have moved past the hors de combat mode of spotting antecedents with my arms crossed. The early rockers are marked by distinctive post-punk shrill guitar stabs and some clever lines shrieked and drawled; the better songs are in the second half, which might be their preferred mode, the strident tracks the gateway. Maps is a keeper, Modern Romance too - sleigh bells! *I’ve never listened to The Cramps. I just think I know what they sound like from bands I like.

Fever to Tell I bought this album on the strength of Maps, which is absolutely great and still stands up. I’m sure I listened to it quite a bit at that time, but apart from Maps and Date with the Night I can’t really remember much about it. It definitely feels of its time, that early 2000s indie garage rock vibe with added New York grubbiness and sleaziness, but it still sounds good I think, the minimal and unadorned production and instrumentation held together with the rough edged guitar and thumping drums and Karen O’s slightly wired and anxious charisma. Love the little guitar figure on Rich, and Date With the Night’s stomping garage punk is great too. I like Man’s scuzzy almost funk rhythm, nicely accented by the organ. It starts to get a little samey after that, the groove based garage punk being the template, but each song is so brief, direct and to the point you just move on to the next one without much worry, until the utterly great Maps comes into view. It really is a superb bit of surprisingly tender garage pop, sounding of its time but also timeless. Great guitars, a lovely spare yet rich arrangement and a super vocal. Y Control is thematically somewhat similar to Maps, and although it's not quite at the same level as that, it’s still a great track and great melody. Modern Romance again has some similarity with Maps, but with a bit more vulnerability and another great relationship song. It does seem a bit odd they put the three strongest and most similar songs together at the end, it's kind of an odd sequencing choice. There’s a lot of good guitar on here, almost Coxon-esque in places, and it’s jaggedy roughness suits them and the singing, shouting, moaning, wailing vocals. Kind of tough to rate as it's a mix of fun but relatively slight garage punk interspersed with some genuinely great songs like Rich, Date with the Night, Man, Y Control and Modern Romance and one absolute classic in Maps. I think it just about shades into a 4 on the back of those songs and the overall sense of energy and style. 🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️ Playlist submission: Maps

This was definitely one of the defining albums of the early 2000s garage rock and post-punk revival movement. I remember hearing it for the first time when it came out, and I loved how stripped-down, raw, and gritty it felt, especially with that lo-fi production. The distortion-heavy guitars are abrasive in the best way, bringing out the raw energy that drives the entire album.

I mean, it rocks, and it's tuneful. But it feels rather Pitchfork-y, and maybe not something that will resonate in 20 years. I might listen to again to see if I'm wrong.

Not really. Too falsely rebellious

Some good songs, some meh songs. Kinda disappointed with this one.

mwa mwa mwa mwa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwaaa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa thank you And now for our next song hehehoo hoo he hoo he he hoo hoo hoo he he he hoohoohoo hehe he he hoohoo hoo he hoo hehehoo hoo he hoo he he hoo hoo hoo he he he hoohoohoo hehe he he hoohoo hoo he hehehoo hoo he hoo he he hoo hoo hoo he he he hoohoohoo hehe he he hoohoo hoo he hoo Maps really is the diamond in the rough here. But I still kinda liked it.

Listen to this on the way to a B&E

On the first song and already hating it. Why is this even on this list? It got slightly better later on but not much. All I hear is some girl trying to be all cutesy and pretending she's tough. But this is nothing more than some poppy bullshit passed as something more because it's noisy, I guess. Not really punk either, and it's gonna tank my average for a genre I like, which kinda makes me hate it more.

I like punk. I dislike indie and sexualised riot grrl vocals.

If I’ve ever taken for granted the good fortune of being born in 1959 and growing up listening to the music recorded in the sweet, still innocent 60s, the hard rockin’ 70s, the post punk/new wave 80s, and the grunge of the 90s… then 'Fever To Tell' is my catalyst for repentance. When I read that Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs represented a garage band rock revival, my heart skipped a beat. And then I actually listened to this LP myself, and my heart broke. Count Five, The Electric Prunes, ? and the Mysterians this ain’t! Not by a long shot. Where to begin? Three-piece combos can present a challenge (Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are devoid of a bassist- a rock band without a bass!!!), unless you’re Jimi Hendrix and the Experience, or Cream, or ZZ Top, or Grand Funk Railroad, or the James Gang, or Rush, or ELP, or the Police, or… OK, so maybe three-piece bands aren’t necessarily as challenged as I first thought. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs sure are, though. Musically and lyrically tedious. ‘No No No’ was the only song that featured a mildly interesting change in tempo and melody (although the listener will be hard pressed to actually hear a melody in the first place). Furthermore, I missed it’s significance, other than offering a welcome relief from the general sonic monotony. (Not that I don’t enjoy a good hour’s worth of Nadja in all it’s cacophonic sameness; but again, this ain’t Nadja anymore than the Kingsmen.) Mercifully, 'Fever To Tell' only clocks in at a brief 37 minutes. I’ve endured a lot worse for a lot longer. And before I forget, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, can you please explain your use of sleigh bells to conclude this LP? I don’t know which was worse: Karen O’s nasally, whiney (think female Jack White; although, yet again, I love Jack White) vocals, or the repetitive themed lyrics, attributed to the entire band: I met a dude, I fucked a dude, I think I really like this dude, I’m losing/lost this dude. And here’s a kicker: on two songs (‘Black Tongue’ and ‘Cold Light’), this ‘dude’ happens to be the singer’s sibling! ‘Cold light, hot night, be my heater, be my lover, and we could do it to each other, well, like a sister and a brother. Go go go go go! ... Ride, Daddy, ride.’ This out-creeps my grandmother on mom’s side of the family addressing my grandfather, affectionately, with the name, ‘Daddy.’ In this increasingly hypersensitive culture of 2022, I’m going to go out on a limb here and pronounce incest as wrong, wrongy wrong. (By the way, let’s go ahead and add Jerry Lee Lewis to the list of who this band is not.) I hope singer Karen O’s current relationship fares better than the others about which she sings. ‘Y Control’: ‘I wish I could buy back the woman you stole.’ That’s awfully sad. And my heart genuinely goes out to her. Don’t tell her what I’m about to tell you, ‘cause I don’t want to kick someone when they’re already down; but, I wish I could buy back the 37 minutes I spent listening to this dreadful LP.

No No No. These screechy gimmicky-radio-frequency vocals get old by the 2nd song. And it's not a single, which means there were 10 more to get through. (jumping back in after I wrote an angry review to say that "Maps" is actually pretty decent, if still *sounding* lousy overall - if only the rest of the album were like this I could have dealt. Got rid of the tired effects on the vocals, she actually sings, decent mood-building. Ok I now return to my previous diatribe...) I may have recalled occasionally interesting or potentially interesting music but a lot of it sounded too lo-fi / shitty production ala White Stripes (hate) but ahhhhhh ALL I CAN REALLY REMEMBER IS TICK TICK T T T T T TICK TICK TICK shut it 2/10 1 star.

This album kicks so much ass.

Excellent. Love this album.

Ya conocía este álbum desde hace años (de hecho algunas canciones las tengo entre mis favoritas), y me sorprendió mucho encontrarlo aquí, porque así tuve la oportunidad de escuchar el disco completo de nuevo. Desde el punto de vista musical, me gusta el tema "estridente", como metálico, que le dan a los instrumentos y la voz. Es un sonido "casi" saturado, pero que no es para nada cansado. Otra cosa que me gusta del disco es la combinación de canciones tan frenéticas y alocadas como Date with the Night o Tick, pero también temas serios y tristes como Maps o Poor Song, sin embargo esto no hace que las canciones sean menos energéticas. No sé por qué no había escuchado este disco completo de nuevo desde hace tanto.

Great album

Fantastic album, love it. Fave three track sequence = "Maps" -> "Y Control" -> "Modern Romance".... so good!

Straight outta the East Villy. Surprised I've never listened to this.

Best one yet!

Liked it, should listen again

Y control is a bop.

Maps. They don't love you like I love you.

Incredible from start to finish. The pace is incredible and it just doesn’t let up.

Amazing! Not as big of a fan of their later electro work but this album is right in my wheelhouse

So flippin good

Great and successful debut album of the successful band! So energetic!

Volatile moody unpredictable

Y ni siquiera es su mejor álbum.

Una obra de arte. Canciones cortas en su mayoría, pero que no les falta nada. Simplemente te llena de energía

Classic from teenage years

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah! I'd already been listening to some Karen O. recently. This is great. A lot rawer, but I like my music raw.

Classic album

Great album, always a fun one to revisit.

Unmissable.

So of all the albums/genres i'm discovering and loving for the first time, i've realised most are punk-rock. Raw, dance-indie - this is now downloaded as an instant pick me up on the bleakest of days.

👍

Un álbum que me sigue emocionando todavía. No sé cuántas veces lo repetí cuando era adolescente. Muy top de inicio a fin. 10/10

Este álbum para mí ejemplifica a la perfección que todo tiempo pasado fue mejor :,)

Wow, this is awesome! I was not expecting that from the cover. There's just so much energy, the screechy guitars, the crazy yelling vocals and lyrics. Favorite tracks are: "Pin", "Date With The Night", "Y Control". Very strong 4/5, maybe even a 5/5.. depends how I'm feeling tomorrow morning.

Classic. 5/5

Fun album, reminds of high school.

Karen O Yeah Yeah Yeah.

An alt classic Stand out tracks - black tounge - maps - Y control - Date with the night

I mean, it's just f-ing cool isn't it. Twenty years old, who would have thought!

Nice changes of pace in these tracks but they always maintain the post punk energy. Siouxsie and the Banshees meets The Pretenders. Simultaneously sophisticated and uncomplicated.

Never heard of the band before but I love it. Exactly the kind of music I love. Will be checking out the rest of the discography.

It's loud, high-energy, punk flavored rock that set the stage for all the female fronted rock bands I love today.

AMAZING

One already favorite song on here, and a few I hadn't heard. Good stuff!

I love how raw and unpolished this recording sounds. Everything is kind of overly dynamic and noisy, but it fits the style of the music perfectly and sounds like you're listening to them live. S'good

This album is what I imagine the soundtrack to an awesome indie coming of age drama has. It has some loud and upbeat songs in the beginning, but ends with beautiful and almost melancholy tones. Maps really shifts the feel of the album if you're listening to it in order. I'm normally into acoustic and slower songs but I was surprised how genuinely I liked this album.

Absolutely phenomenal

First listen. So good! I’ve listen to them a lot but never this album.

fantastic

I have a lot to say about Maps although this album as a whole is absolutely essential. Maps is the best song of the 2000s. Represents so much about the time with garage rock revival. The amount of power it outputs is incredible. All done by drums and guitar which (with all due respect) are not using too many notes and vocals which are sparse. The economy and precision are unmatched. The music video is an essential part of this equation too. Bringing in my own baggage and knowing the story of the filming of the video and the emotional place Karen O was in, I have never been able to hold it together once she starts tearing up. Just incredible myth making stuff. This is what we come to music for. Speaking of the video, it warms my heart to see so many of the YouTube comments talking about playing this song in Rock Band. Maps is really the essential song to the Rock Band experience. It’s simple enough that anyone can play along with it. Anyone who does though is just going to wail away on the instruments or vocals and unload all their angst and heartbreak into hitting those 5 notes. Stroke of genius putting it into the first game. Maps. They don’t love you like I love you

Pretty great

I <3 Karen O

Really surprised by this one. I had heard the singles all these years but never listened to the album. It’s a banger and count me as a new fan. Fantastic!

I'm obsessed. I don't think I've really solidified my opinion on individual songs yet because right now I've just been taking in the entire album as one uninterrupted vibe, but Rich and Modern Romance and Poor Song and especially Maps are all just amazing. I love how gravelly and rich the guitar tone is, it's utterly perfect. This album bounces nonstop between sadness and anger and all-out fun. Plenty of repetition and yet I'm never bored. A keeper.

When I looked up the info on this album as I was rocking out to it, I noticed that it had a similar setup to the White Stripes. I am talking about the guitar driven rock aspect with just one guitar and drums and no bass (and here a separate vocalist in Karen O). They don’t sound anything like them though. This album has a great hard rocking edge. I love the guitar-driven edge that is has on most of the tracks and was tempted to listen to some tracks over again right after I finished them (“Black Tongue” especially). The musicianship on here is quite good and there were parts on the whole album where one of them stood out and made me think “Man, what a great drum part” or “I love what she did with her voice there.” I’m not a huge fan of garage rock but this doesn’t sound like typical garage rock to be. This album really hit home hard and I’m looking forward to checking out more of their stuff.

Still an awesome album. Forgot how much I love this one.

I really like the guitar work here and the lead vocals started to grow on me. Pretty fun album.

Fantastic album, still sounds as fresh as these years later

Ah man I love this! I don't know why I haven't spent more time getting into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs because I love all their music when I do listen to it. This is one band who I have delved into their stuff as a result of doing this so cheers 1001 for that! Can't believe this is a debut album it's such a corker. As in my review of It's Blitz! I love that they have the indie punk sound without all the bits of punk that I hate like stressful screetchy noises. Particularly loved Tick and Pin.

What an album. Reminds me of being young! Raw energy and screaming from Karen O. Maps all time fave!

Love this album 5/5

It's so urgent and demands to be listened to. It's brilliant.

Karen O's voice reminds me of PJ Harvey with a little of Courtney Love's raspy twang and some of Katie Steele's sexy tones. She takes it all to the next level. While I find some of her vocal affectations a bit much, the basis of their music is crunchy guitar riffs and drums that don't take prisoners. The whole package rocks. What more can you want? Maps and Y Control are tonally different from the rest of the album and push it up to 5 star status. Both songs really grabbed me, so the contrast with some of their extremes just makes this album a great package.

Hits the sweet spot on musical energy and vocals with some heft.

Just good good good, yeah I stand by that

Never listened to this Yeah Yeah Yeahs album before. I've only heard their later music and enjoyed it so. This album is much 'harder' than I expected. Pleasantly surprised, as I had no idea their roots were in this post-punk, neo-grunge, alt-rock vibe. Love this. Saved tracks: Rich, Date With The Night, Maps, Y Control

one of the best