Fever To Tell

This was one of my favorite albums from the early 2000s!

Gets better after every listen. I recognize maps from tiktok also.

Great album.

Here is an example of a female vocalist who can (and does) take control of the music, filling the space with style. Sounds like White Stripes with a female singer.

Art punk, garage rock, alternative rock, indie rock.

It's loud, it's catchy, it's weird, it's controversial. I enjoyed it very much.

The Pretenders for millennials. 10/10

Stéphanie connaît cette histoire. La copine de mon ami, qui travaille pour Evenko, et qui est une grande fan de Karen O nous a fait accéder backstage à la performance des Yeah Yeah Yeahs pour Osheaga 2022. Être à 10 mètres de Nick Zinner et avoir toute la foule d'Osheaga devant les yeux est quand même assez impressionnant. (Plus tôt dans la journée, Mitsou m'a dit qu'elle devait quitter le show en cours car Big Sean allait jouer bientôt et que son plan était de plugger sa fille avec. Think big.)

Ça rocke pas mal plus que je pensais! Des bouts hard rock comme si c'était led zep en 2000! Yeah!

Classic early aughts sounds. An absolute delight.

It's a five for me, dawg

4.5⭐️/5 01.29.2026

Love this band more then I thought. Very good 👍

Very early highschool introduced to this album, nostalgia and loved sharing it with my family. Not in the mood with the murder in Minneapolis of Alex pretti.

No private session used for Spotify. I have this CD around here somewhere and it got a lot of play. I loved this album especially Karen O's voice and energy.

Best album by a great band

YEAH YEAH YEAHS q nome lindo FAVS (top 3): date with the night, tick, y control mençoes honrosas: rich, man, pin, cool light, maps GENTE ESSE FOI UM DOS MELHORES ALBUNS Q JA OUVI ATE AGR AQUI MDS EU REALMENTE PRECISAVA OUVIR ESSE ALBUM ANTES DE MORRER SERIO MT BOM MEU DEUS; é o album do WAIT they dont love you like i love you kkkkk >//< nota final: 5/5

Modern Classic. 5/5 no notes. Favorite lyric: “boy you’re such a stupid bitch and girl you’re just a no good dick.”

This was a surprise for me; I had honestly never heard of them and judging a book by it's cover, I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. I didn't at all. I actually liked it a lot. The sound and the vocals are raw, for the most part, and I dig the high energy of the first half. Strangely enough, "Maps" is the song everyone else seems to dig and being one of the more polished numbers, it's my least favorite track on the album. A super-shocked 5 stars; this album effing rules!

A stone cold 00s classic that reinvigorated the NY music scene after more than a decade on the backburner. Nothing artifical and zero pretension, just a great fucking art-punk/garage-rock revival.

Fuckin' great album. Like a time capsule for that era of my life (in my 20s) as this album was on seemingly everywhere. Gotta say it holds up. Love their heavy sound before they fell the fuck off (IMO). "Maps" was huge and still endures. "Y Control" has got to be one of my favorite songs. Classic album. Love it!

Definitely one of my favorites from the early 2000’s. Karen O is a legend! Easy 5

9/10

This album came out the year after I was born (2002). It felt like a portal. As if I was some exploding star, burning bright in secret and but it wasn’t one anymore? Leaving a trace everywhere. The impact clearly there. A good example would be, when I was in middle school, often everyone would leave a scribble of “so and so was here”. Proof we existed. We weren’t allowed to in the first place really. Yet those messages would be left in the most mundane locations. In bathroom stalls, in city walls, underneath school desks, inside books, over public benches. It was a quiet act of rebellion with a sneaky smug look. A laugh at how silly it all can be. How we restrict ourselves or set each other free. This album is a commentary on this feeling. Perfect for when you’re on a self discovering journey or just in need of going off the rails. It’s never too late to just be messy and do it just because.

great band. i was a teenager in the early 2000s and i kind of dismissed them as part of a wave of mediocre indie rock. i was missing out.

Really loved this album, I've only recently got into Karen O. and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This is the first time I heard this album and it's great indo garage fun. (9.75) ★★★★½

I think this this is a super cool album that sort of combines the two big 2000s indie rock movements -- post-punk revival and garage rock revival. The first half definitely leans into the garage rock style (and is the weaker half), but starting with "Pin", it starts to transform into to something else. Nick Zinner gets some excellent guitar tones throughout, and I think Karen O's voice works perfectly with the album's transistion from a harsh rocking album to a beautiful, ethereal album. Higlights are "Pin", "Maps", "Y Control", and "Modern Romance". Hidden track "Poor Song" is really cool too. 5 stars.

The best thing to happen to Punk-Rock.

I'm really liking the dirty guitars, and generally dirty sounding music. Reminds me of metric. Plus, Maps is incredible

Visionary shit from Karen O and Co. When my kid asks for "loud girl songs" this is where I go. Electronic sensibilities with three instruments. You just get the sense that this is an artist that needed this music to exist and so they did it. Love the vibes.

Probably a 4.5 so it gets bumped to 5

First of all I cannot believe it is over 20 years ago that this record came out. It still sounds very fresh and new. The whole NY scene at the time was fantastic. You have the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, The Strokes. LCD Soundsystem. Plus you had other bands like The Walkmen right around that time. What a time to be alive and watching great music in New York. This record reminds me of that time and the music, plus the album is fantastic.

Loved it then and still do. Post punk wonderment.

What a great album. It has a similar energy as some White Stripes, but less bluesy, more poppy. I spotify-liked 7 of the tracks. What this doesn't capture is that their singer, Karen O, is also a fantastic performer.

Absolutely undeniable album. The way they manage to balance what feels like borderline cacophony with pop sensibility and catchy swagger has a lightning in a bottle quality.

I've been reading the memoir of Viv Albertine, guitarist for The Slits, and was reminded how nonexistent models for women in rock were - that it was totally transgressive for Viv to aspire to be a musician rather than a musician's girlfriend. Having been a kid for the Bangles and Madonna and Neneh Cherry, and later a young adult for Ani DiFranco and Lil' Kim and No Doubt - I didn't realize what standards and strictures I'd internalized - because even when those women or groups were transgressive, there's so many ways they still conform (good looking or white or sexualized in a way that's still largely appealing to a male gaze.) Gosh even Courtney Love cleaned up and got that nose job. Karen O's energy, lyrics, singing - it all felt like a fucking revelation at the time. 'As a fuck son, you sucked' - shit, you don't get much farther from the male gaze than that. & yeah, I know that song isn't on this album but it's a distillation of so much of their music and sound. Her yelps and shrieks, her dismissive lyrics, her utter fuck-it coolness. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs showed there's boundaries that still needed pushing - and sounded amazing and catchy besides.

I'm a sucker for female led punk/garage and this album absolutely crushes it. The lead singers vocals are awesome, fun and unique throughout. There were also a couple songs that had a very white stripes esque riff in them that I loved. Every song was moving fast with great riffs and percussion, then the second half of the album it slows down a little for Maps and Y Control which works really well. If you close your eyes you can picture the energy of a concert for this group and I wish I got to experience it.

Sweet

This album gives me nostalgia for a time that I was alive in but opted out of the experience, and for this, regrettably. 5/5 no notes.

Easy 10/10. This is peak Karen O

Love this album.

I think this album starts of super weak. But by the 3rd track it gets rolling and just keeps getting better from there. Slows down again by the end but you're still fueled by that rush in the middle. "Maps" is iconic. I like Karen O's voice

Wonderful!

own

Absolute banger

Fun as fuck

## In-Depth Review of *Fever To Tell* by Yeah Yeah Yeahs *Fever To Tell*, released in 2003, is the debut studio album by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a band that helped define the sound and spirit of early 2000s indie rock. The record is a visceral, genre-blurring statement that captures the chaos, sexuality, and heartbreak of New York’s underground scene. Below is a comprehensive review focusing on lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, and a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** Karen O’s lyrics on *Fever To Tell* are raw, direct, and emotionally charged, oscillating between sexual bravado and aching vulnerability. The album’s opening tracks, such as “Rich” and “Date With The Night,” are laced with explicit sexual imagery and punk attitude. Karen O’s vocal delivery is as important as the words themselves: she howls, shrieks, and moans, embodying both the sexual provocateur and the wounded romantic[2][6]. - **Sexuality and Power:** The lyrics often subvert traditional gender roles, with Karen O openly expressing desire and aggression. In “Rich,” she commands, “Stick it in,” flipping the script on rock’s male-dominated sexual narratives[2][6]. - **Heartbreak and Vulnerability:** The album’s emotional centerpiece, “Maps,” is a stark contrast to the raucousness elsewhere. Its simple, plaintive lyrics (“Wait, they don’t love you like I love you”) and Karen O’s tearful delivery make it one of the most affecting love songs of the era[3][5][6]. - **Ambiguity and Fragmentation:** Many tracks use fragmented, impressionistic language, favoring mood over narrative. “Y Control” and “Pin” explore emotional manipulation and self-inflicted pain with a mix of directness and surreal imagery[5][6]. **Pros:** - Honest, fearless exploration of female sexuality and heartbreak[2][6]. - Memorable, emotionally resonant lines (“Maps”) that have become iconic[3][5]. - Lyrics match the music’s energy and unpredictability. **Cons:** - Some songs feature thin or repetitive lyrics, prioritizing attitude over depth (“Tick,” “Man”)[3][6]. - Occasional lack of narrative cohesion may leave some listeners cold[3][5]. --- ## **Music** The album’s sound is a volatile fusion of garage rock, punk, and art-rock, driven by the interplay between Nick Zinner’s inventive guitar work, Brian Chase’s dynamic drumming, and Karen O’s theatrical vocals. - **Guitar Work:** Zinner’s playing is a highlight, veering from chainsaw fuzz (“Date With The Night”) to delicate, chiming arpeggios (“Maps”). His use of feedback and effects creates a sense of chaos and fullness, even with minimal instrumentation[1][5]. - **Drumming:** Chase’s drumming is the heartbeat of the record, anchoring the songs with relentless energy while leaving space for the band’s explosive dynamics[1][5]. - **Vocals:** Karen O’s vocals are a force of nature, shifting from seductive whispers to primal screams, often within the same song. Her performance is both technically impressive and emotionally raw[1][2][5]. **Pros:** - Inventive, energetic guitar and drum interplay[1][5]. - Karen O’s dynamic, charismatic vocal performances[1][2][5]. - Songs like “Maps,” “Y Control,” and “Pin” showcase a range from punk ferocity to bittersweet melody[5][6]. **Cons:** - Some tracks rely heavily on noise and attitude, occasionally at the expense of musical substance (“Tick,” “Man”)[3][6]. - A few songs feel underdeveloped or repetitive, particularly in the album’s latter half (“No No No,” “Cold Light”)[5][6]. --- ## **Production** Produced by David Andrew Sitek (TV on the Radio) and mixed by Alan Moulder, the album balances rawness with clarity. Recorded at Headgear Studio in Brooklyn, the production is intentionally unpolished, capturing the band’s live energy while allowing each element to stand out[1][7]. - **Raw Aesthetic:** The production preserves the band’s gritty, club-ready sound, with a sense of immediacy and intimacy[1][7]. - **Balance of Chaos and Control:** Sitek’s approach allows for moments of cacophony (“Date With The Night”) and restraint (“Maps”), giving the album a dynamic range[1][7]. - **Minimalism:** The trio’s minimal setup is used to maximum effect; there’s little overdubbing, and the mix foregrounds each member’s contributions[1][7]. **Pros:** - Captures the sweaty, urgent feel of the band’s live shows[1][7]. - Dynamic mixing lets each instrument and vocal nuance shine[1][7]. **Cons:** - The lo-fi edge may sound abrasive or unfinished to some listeners[3][6]. - Occasional muddiness in the mix, particularly in noisier tracks[5][6]. --- ## **Themes** *Fever To Tell* is thematically rich, exploring sexuality, heartbreak, empowerment, and urban alienation. - **Feminist Transgression:** Karen O’s explicit, confrontational approach to sexuality challenges rock’s gender norms, reclaiming agency and voice for women in a male-dominated genre[2][6]. - **Heartbreak and Emotional Complexity:** The album doesn’t shy away from vulnerability, with songs like “Maps” and “Modern Romance” exposing the pain and confusion of love lost[2][6]. - **Urban Chaos:** The music and lyrics evoke the energy and grit of New York City, reflecting the band’s roots in its underground scene[1][5]. **Pros:** - Bold, boundary-pushing exploration of sexuality and emotion[2][6]. - Authentic representation of early 2000s NYC indie culture[1][5]. **Cons:** - The thematic whiplash between aggression and tenderness may feel jarring[4][6]. - Some listeners may find the explicitness or emotional intensity off-putting[2][3]. --- ## **Influence** *Fever To Tell* is widely recognized as a cornerstone of 21st-century indie rock, helping to define the sound and attitude of the early 2000s rock renaissance[5]. - **Critical and Commercial Success:** The album was nominated for a Grammy, went gold, and sold over a million copies worldwide[7]. - **Cultural Impact:** Alongside albums like The Strokes’ *Is This It?* and The White Stripes’ *White Blood Cells*, it signaled a new era for indie and garage rock[5]. - **Legacy:** “Maps” became an enduring classic, influencing countless artists and appearing in numerous best-of lists[5][6]. **Pros:** - Helped shape the direction of indie and alternative music in the 2000s[5][7]. - Inspired a generation of female-fronted bands and artists[2][6]. **Cons:** - Some argue that the band’s later albums surpassed *Fever To Tell* in musical sophistication[4][5]. - Its rawness and unevenness may limit its appeal to a broader audience[3][5]. --- ## **Pros and Cons Summary** | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Electrifying, raw energy | Some tracks feel underdeveloped or repetitive | | Karen O’s iconic vocal performances | Occasional lyrical thinness | | Inventive guitar and drum work | Noisy, abrasive production may alienate some | | Honest, boundary-pushing lyrics | Thematic and tonal whiplash | | Captures NYC’s underground spirit | Later albums arguably more refined | | “Maps” is a modern classic | Filler tracks (“Cold Light,” “No No No”) | --- ## **Conclusion** *Fever To Tell* is a landmark debut that captures the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their most ferocious and unfiltered. Its blend of punk aggression, sexual bravado, and emotional honesty set it apart from its contemporaries and solidified its place in indie rock history. While not every track is equally strong, and its rough edges may polarize listeners, the album’s highlights—especially “Maps,” “Y Control,” and “Date With The Night”—remain vital, influential, and exhilarating over two decades later. The album’s greatest legacy is its fearless embrace of vulnerability and chaos, making it a touchstone for anyone seeking the sound of a band—and a city—on fire.

Refreshingly honest. Very punk, but with surprising tenderness at certain points. Brash and noisy, without being grating sonically. The lead singer is electric, as are the other two instrumentalists, and each pull the band in the direction they want, and the others move to catch up, in a super tight fashion.

Musically it's fantastic and had me from from thr start. There were some points where I thought the vocals sounded a little winey but over all a solid album

Good punchy songs and delivered with energy. Can't really fault this band.

Haven’t listened to this since 2005 and it still sounds exciting and fresh

i'm a lesbian

Just pure noise and fun. If you don't like this then you're a boring person.

Forgot how bluesy and noisy this is. Great album!

Top-notch band. Love them!

22 years since I bought this CD on release day, I'm still not sure if I'm scared or horny

Been a while since i've listened to this. Better then I remember it being. Karen O was really cooking on this.

Favorite of all time. FOAT

Electric and fierce, one of the finest rock albums ever written and a personal favorite of mine. 10/10 Best Tracks: "Rich" "Date with the Night" "Man" "Tick" "Black Tongue" "Pin" "Cold Light" "No No No" "Maps" "Y Control" "Modern Romance" "Poor Song"

💥

Damn these guys were cool. Art school weirdos turned into New York rock legends. Karen O claimed to have been extremely awkward in her youth and retains much of that image though transformed into a sexually powered rock star. Supposedly they were just making it up as they went along. You'd never know it from this perfectly crafted debut album, though they had some good help and influence from the revived New York music scene of the early 2000s. "Fever to Tell" packs just as much of a punch today as when it was first released.

Cccccccc lllllllllll aaaaaaaa ssssss sssss iiiiiii cccccc.

Cool

they’re called Yeah Yeah Yeahs because when you listen to them you go “YEAH!!!”

I'm incredibly obsessed with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! This album is incredible in it's very own way. A little different than Blitz! and so great

Was a pretty big fan through the first 3 albums (and even before, when the YYY EP came out). Think it still holds up, but having been around at the time probably helped. One of the few times that NME didn’t lie to us.

Loved it, a nostalgic and comforting listen. Interesting rock.

Amazing album, it might be one of, if not the best rock records of 2000s. Every song is a banger, emo popculture's bible. Date With the Night is stuck with me forever, such a great track. Karen O might be one of the best and most original vocalists from that era (she's still active though), there is something unique about her style, that makes this album truly special. Maybe not the greatest record on this list from a general point of view, but certainly one of my favourite.

Wow this album is great! I have gotten a yeah yeah yeahs album already through this list (it’s Blitz!), and I liked it but I felt like most of the album was forgettable and didn’t stand out. With this album is entirely unique and intriguing. I love the singers voice, they work so well with the modern rock instrumentals. But that doesn’t take away from the music, which is stellar. My favorite thing about this album is the variety! That’s probably the most important thing to me (which is also why my favorite band is ween) but this album has plenty of variety while also not losing its identity. This album honestly is a nearly no skip album. It’s also a great length at 12 songs for 36mins. I love short but sweet albums.

Glorious. A brilliant combination of punk attitude and heartfelt emotion. A huge variety of sounds and tones from a limited band set up. The album sounds huge but the songs stick with you. Almost half the songs on here would be a career highlight for any other band - Pin, Maps, Date with the night, Y control, Modern Romance - and even the album tracks are beautifully crafted. I expected this to be good, but it exceeded expectations.

Modern classic! Everyone in this band sounds unique and dangerous

I liked this at least as much as It's Blitz, perhaps even more. I think the inclusion of Maps pushes it over the edge into five territory for me. Terrible album cover though.

This album is great. I listened to it on repeat all day.

I wish there were half stars - 4 feels too low, 5 feels too high. Guess we're going with a 5, Maps slaps.

I desperately wanted to be Karen O. Instant classic.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like The Breeders, Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre… nothing at all wrong with that.

Cool, empieza potente y termina cok paz

Tell. Me. About. It. I fell in love with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when I first heard them, and Maps is one of my favorite tracks of all time. It was a life goal for me to hear them perform it live, and I finally got the chance at the Greek Theater in Berkeley a couple years ago. It was so crowded I couldn't even see the stage, but I didn't care. I sang along to every single word, and I wept tears of joy. If the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are not proof that music is the mountain top, I don't know what ever could be.

What a fun little album! One of the few I thought was actually too short. Fun instrumentals and vocal work. 'Maps' was my fave, loved playing this one in Rock Band!

This is the sixteenth album I’m rating. I’ve heard of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and I think they’re punk. However, I know nothing else about the band so I’m going into this near blind. Rich - Not Adding to my Playlist. I don’t like the vocals. I think I’ve criticized every single singer’s vocals so far. Date with the Night - Adding to my Playlist. Kinda annoying but kinda fun. Man - Adding to my Playlist. Same as Date with the Night. Tick - Adding to my Playlist. I feel like most punk bands sing the same. Black Tongue - Adding to my Playlist. Best song so far. Pin - Adding to my Playlist. Pretty cool. Cold Light - Adding to my Playlist. This is probably going to get really annoying after a bunch of listens. No No No - Adding to my Playlist. End isn’t that good though. Maps - Not Adding to my Playlist. This is a little boring. I don’t feel anything listening to this song. Y Control - Adding to my Playlist. As I review more albums, the reviews get shorter and shorter. Modern Romance - Adding to my Playlist. This sounds different in a good way. It feels familiar but I can’t quite think of what it sounds like. I hate to say it but this might be my favorite song on the album. Also, it’s annoying how its split up and the silence is gone on Spotify. I want that minute of silence and for it to one song. Where is that minute of silence for the fans who want a 7 minute song? All in all I liked 9/11 songs. I think it’s a little better than Broken English. Cool punk album. I’m beginning to notice there is a lot of rock but then again I only listened to 16 albums.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. Surprise, surprise – I like the 2000s indie rock band doing indie rock stuff, who would’ve thought? I’ve read the name “Yeah Yeah Yeahs” before, but I didn’t think I had heard them – obviously, “Maps” threw a big wrench into that one once it came up, but beyond that, I hadn’t heard the rest of the album. For 2003, this seems to be a bit of an innovator; to some degree, it feels like the birth of the indie rock style that would define the mid-2000s, specifically on the Arctic Monkeys side of the spectrum. It’s a sound I’m naturally drawn to, and so this album ended up being right down my alley, for the most part. Speaking of the production, apparently this was from one of the members of TV On The Radio – we got an album from them a while back, and I think this album does a really nice job of hitting the highs on the roller coaster than “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” did, at least for me. Karen O – what a voice. I wasn’t expecting a female vocalist going into this, but her energy & vocals are what elevates this album up for me. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love the instrumentation on a lot of these tracks – there’s a variance in styles across the board, evoking everything from the White Stripes to the Arctic Monkeys to Linkin Park & Blink-182. It never ever gets boring, but the album does eventually get a little stale in terms of the “hey, listen to this sick-ass guitar solo & our kickass drummer” production. Her vocals are what keep the album floating well above water, and she’s got a stellar range – she can switch from softer to raspier & grittier on a dime, and she does a great job of pulling the most emotion out of both the lyrics & the instrumentation. If I have any knocks, it’s that for as much as the instrumentation/vocals rock, the lyrics are a bit of an afterthought, and it’s sort of a shame that it never really comes together as one big coherent package (save for “Maps”), but they’re all still good enough to work in a strong enough harmony, and it never takes the album that far down for me. Granted, it’s enough to take it down to a 4.5, but that 4.5 is moreso driven by the fact that this does have a little bit of that early 2000s “PS2 sports game menu” stink to it. It’s not overwhelmingly there, like how I felt with Apocalypse Dudes (which I really feel like I should revisit, I dunno), but it’s got one. However, it’s definitely good enough to overcome that – the album is just a really fun ball of energy that definitely felt ahead of schedule for 2003, and probably set a lot of subsequent indie rock (or just mainstream rock, even) into motion. I really liked it – it’s a super fast 37 minutes, and while it has its flaws, it’s super enjoyable, & it’s just easy to get lost in each track and headbang your heart out. I’m glad it’s on the list, and I’m glad I can finally put a name to that damn TikTok sound that I’ve heard for months on end. No shame in bumping it up to a 5 – certainly a 4 at worst (or a 3 if you got really bugged by the production).

Hard to argue a 5/5 on this one

Holy shit that was unexpectedly incredible - so energetic and fun. Some tracks seem to loose the plot a bit but nothing too out of place

Que álbum excelente e uma baita surpresa, uma música que bombom recentemente no tiktok está nesse álbum e se eu não tivesse escutado esse álbum por completo, jamais saberia que a música maps, bombou no tiktok, faria parte desse álbum sensacional

Takes me back to the time when this kind of music was edgy! I’m part of the demographic and this is definitely cool

Favorite song- Maps

Wow! "Fever To Tell" is truly a trip. It's clever and angry at the same time, and the words runs out of Karen O's mouth with the ease of someone who needs to get something off their chest. And speaking of Karen O: Brilliant! Her voice, the way she sings, the way she plays with her voice, what is unique on her. Yeah Yeah Yeahs' debut is simply mindblowing.

Yeah this felt like propper gurlpunk. It slapped hard and I'm surprised I've never heard of it before

Haven't listened to this one in a while. Short and sweet, gets in, rocks your head off, and goes. 4 stars for the album, 5 stars for Maps.

A tried and true favorite. Brings back all the college memories. Bought this on CD at WalMart on a whim.

One of my all time favorite indie rock groups. The way they can shift between sub-genres of rock is great. Maps is the all time classic on this album, and a song I played way too many times in Rock Band. I love Karen O’s voice so much, and was just ecstatic to see this made the list!

This album is like if the White Stripes were cool, actually. Very much cut from the same cloth. Lots of dirty blues rock that makes your colon rumble, but that isn’t everything it has to offer. No No No’s outro is a really cool sonic treat. Modern Romance sounds a bit like the Velvet Underground. And contrasting with all of that, their (probably?) most famous song Maps is that much cooler. The tremolo guitar throughout is nuts. The vocals being clean and soft makes your ears perk up because it is so different. The album has ups and it has downs. It is a work of art. Karen O is an amazing vocalist. I am extremely glad I got to listen to it finally.

No No No - more like yes yes yes This is the kind of indie, punk, alt, a little sexy type music that really gets me going. This album in particular really reminds me Pinkshift, but the stuff I was familiar with before this reminds me more of Metric or Momma (the former makes a lot of sense since the 2 bands roomed together during their formations), and those slightly more reserved songs are the ones I felt a bit more drawn to. Tonally this album does everything right - the whiny guitar, a smooth rounded bass, some classic rock drums, and the added synth effects combined with Karen’s ranging style really make for an excellent album. Mix wise, none of the instruments really get in the way of one another, and though it may be rocking and rolling it’s never overwhelming or uninteresting. Best - Maps Worst - Tick

It’s basically perfect. So of the times but it’s aged so well. Some incredible songs on here but the urgency of the entire album tells a story too. I didn’t love the album when it landed. I thought it was pretty good but I didn’t sit and do the entire thing and now I have I’m delighted.

groundbreaking for 2003 and still fresh in 20 years, a little dance-y and a little lyrical, love it!

No bad songs. Top 50 albums all time probably

Exceptional album

This was an rocking album that kept me grooving until the end. So much angry beautiful girl rock, that showed how we can be strong but still have weak moments. Rich was rocking, Date with the Night was good and Man had a fun voodoo vibe. No no no grew on me and then kind of went weird. Maps and Y Control are just downright amazing. Tick was kind of a weird short ok interlude, Pin was better. I also love their background and that they have such classical training but then go so punk rock with the band. Will I listen again? Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Great album! Love their sound. Very raw and expressive and Karen O is just a total rockstar. Date W the Night, Tick, Pin, and Maps are all great. Y Control is my favorite Yeah Yeah Yeahs song of all time. They rawk in all the right ways. THIS is rock and roll.

a pretty great 00s indie record. i liked the moments where it was more garage rock-y than the more artsy stuff, but i felt like the entire album was pretty consistent. of course, the big song off of this, 'maps' is great but i think it's pretty unique amongst all the other songs. it definitely stands out in that way. really liked it!

Only knew a few songs off this album from a long time ango and liked the whole thing.

Punchy raw

God this album is so good. Sexy, uncompromising, relentless. I like it as much as the first time I heard it many years ago.

Slaps

...ignites a 'big roaring flame!'

One of my favourites

What is there to say, this is the best album I’ve heard so far and it’s now under the timeless classics category.

FEVER FOREVERRR. Max volume straight into my veins. And my neighbors. I'm a nuisance for this one. Can't get it loud enough. Won't be able to hear my grandkids cuz YYY turned up. Permanent cloud over me for not catching this era live.

Genius in it's simplicity as it was when it was one of my favorite albums during my teenage years. The guitars scream and Karen O wails! As raw and sweet as strawberries in a mason jar.

One of my favorite indy albums of the 2000s. Maps is an all time classic.

Notable tracks: Basically all. Maps is iconic

A fave

Amazing

I liked it

Loved from the beginning, the sound, the voice, the variety

Fantastic record

Really enjoyed. Clearly the group lives what they're doing

Early 2000s indie classic. While I prefer their later material, this gave us some of their best work. Maps is an all time classic.

Another great album

Girl boss punk rock that’s probably better or just as good as other early 2000s indie rock

Baby I'm afraid of a lot of things But I ain't scared of lovin you Baby I know you're afraid of a lot of things But don't be scared of love Cause people will say all kinds of things That don't mean a damn to me Cause all I see Is what's in front of me That's you Well I've been dragged All over the place I've taken hits Time just don't erase And baby I can see You've been fucked with too But that don't mean Your loving days are through Cause people will say All kinds of things That don't mean a damn to me Cause all I see is what's in front of me That's you Well I may be just a fool But I know you're just as cool And cool kids They belong together Yeah, this is a hell of a good album. 5/5

Breath of fresh air in the middle of sad boy music and terrible British Rock. It's a bit dated but it's loud and energetic and a welcome break. The fifth star is just for that.

This is a rock album. You have to be in the mood to listen to this, but it is a great album. Short and sweet.

Contagious angsty and energetic fun.

I really like this. Made me want to listen to Wet Leg.

Howls ripple throughout Absurdities and punk riffs Punctuate this art

Oops! All Bangers.

Yeah, yeah yeah! This one rips. It's raw, energetic, and its brief runtime over the course of 12 tracks will leave you feeling you just got slapped by the coolest person you've ever met. Man I wish this band never would've polished their sound in future records.

This is truly one of the greatest albums ever written. I have so many thoughts about how good this album is I can't think of a coherent sentence to write. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

This is one of the few times where between a debut and famous album the debut was actually better. It’s blitz was also great but this album just ripped with so many bangers like tick, pin, and maps. Felt much more punk and less poppy than it’s blitz in general.

Yeah yeah yeah

Red Rain is an instant classic and the hits keep coming with little dead air

Best song : all Worst song ; none Blew my expectations out of the water Even if lyrics isn’t it strong point

I must have listened to this album 1000 times. It's both the party that is starting to fray at the edges and the come down. No notes.

Love this album. It just exudes “cool.”

That rare combination of being catchy without ever becoming grating or irritating. Dramatic and passionate. Pretty much perfect.

Really good in my opinion

I don't love when does some squealy things with her voice, but this is solid lady punk rock. I started listening to this before I was really awake, so I started it over, and this is a much better album that I thought it was on first listen. I think the back-half of the album is the better half, but an awesome album nonetheless.

A perfect product of the time, and one of the greatest debuts ever released.

This is an album that goes under the radar. Its absurdly great like a 5⭐️ great. I always though tuat we finally had found a successor to the throne left from joan jett and chressie hynde that had been left u filled with a few failed tries to everlasting greatness. Although the single made it to the top of the charts they left this amazing group in the cold after this album, when they should have gone all in. Great voice, grest sound, great producing, very original style, good writing, simply a very well put album that doesnt get the credit it deserves. I had not realized it was this good until today.

4.5 still sounds great and so fun

I got this cd when came out in 2003 based purely on reading articles from Rolling Stone and other publications. This was before Maps became a hit, I had maybe heard "Date With The Night". I became so obsessed that I had a picture of Karen O taped in my locker and did a class project about her that involved drawing a magazine cover with her face on it. I was in middle school and this was the coolest shit I had ever heard. "Maps" has gone on to be a huge hit, featured in video games and referenced by Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé. It's an excellent song and more in line with the direction the band followed, but I have a soft spot for the grittier tracks from the front half of the album. The energy is off the charts on "Date With The Night" and "Tick", for example. To this day, one of the most fun live shows that I've attended was Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the "It's Blitz" tour in a tiny bar venue. I got into them because pre-Youtube, written concert reviews inspired me to buy this cd and they absolutely delivered.

Frenetic. Punky, A little arty. And really good. They stretch a full sound out of guitar, drums, and vocals. Karen O's vocals kind of remind my of Siouxsie Sioux, if she was in a more garage rock kind of band. Brian Chase's drumming is almost Larry-Mullen like in its precision. Nick Zinner's guitar and keyboard create a round out their edgy sound and fill it with great textures. Maps is easily the most accessible song, but Tick and Y Control are my faves.

Raw and awesome. Not sure how I missed this in 2003

I really liked this album. If you like garage rock/punk rock this is for you! I will definitely check more of their albums out

Absolutely overlooked this album during the 2000s indie wave. Outside of Maps which is super well known is a great rock album that brings to mind early White Stripes and other noisy, distorted guitar rock. Will be jamming to this for a while.

Incredible record. Purchased on a whim and a vague, detail-less recommendation from a trusted friend in 2003, I stuck this on, expecting from the name, some melodious indie pop in the vein of The Wannadies or something. When this fantastic racket started belching from the speakers to say I was taken aback was an understatement. Obviously, they're extremely well known now and deservedly acquired legend status. Karen O needs no more words written by someone as inconsequential as myself. That deep, grinding guitar masks the lack of bass and drills into your bones. Fun juxtaposed with yesterday's Fromohio where the bass was a standout feature. The drummer smashes the shit out of everything. Still sounds alluringly threatening and fresh 21 years later. It comes out now and then pretty regularly and I just do not tire of it. They never bettered this record as a whole, but pelted out several tunes over their career. The disco pop It's Bliss probably comes closest. But this is an absolutely singular record. Really is all killer. Anyone who thinks it's shit is objectively wrong.

One of my favorite all time albums. Amazing.

Banger! On hard rotate all weekend. Really catchy, raw post punk, not too self serious proper band music.

Yeah yeah yeah

Old fave

A rare album that I have loved since the very first listen. It sounds like a chaos train barely hanging on the track and it's utterly brilliant.

5/5. A bluesy and chaotic rock album. Not quite punk, more aggressive rock. Vocals really compliment the music so well, a scratchy high pitch mixed with low bass-front instrumentation and shredding guitar. It's also somehow accessible and catchy despite being so loud yet doesn't remove the ambience. The later songs on the album slow down a bit yet still creates a more subtle and calming theme with Karen's wonderful voice. A really cool album of great songs back to back. Best Song: Date With the Night, Man, Modern Romance

This is without a doubt one of the greatest debut albums of the 21st century thus far. Manic, pretty much insane and catchy as hell. It sounds like nothing from the New York scene of the time and better than most of it. Stellar production and ripping songs all mesh together with the bat out of hell that is Karen O.

Really solid album with a few songs I already liked before listening to it

Fantastic album. Fantastic band. It went on repeat three times and I enjoyed it every time. I'm a big fan of Yeah Yeah Yeahs anyway, but the album truly is unique and worth many more listens.

It's an album that sounds familiar (60s garage rock anyone?) whilst also sounding fresh, thanks to the vibrant production and brash performances, with plenty of foot stomping noise. No idea what she's singing about half the time but that's part of the appeal. Love the energy.

Fab: Punchy and fun.

Didn't expect to like this as much as i did. love their sound- real throwback to punk. read that this album was critically acclaimed and i can *hear* why.

Great album, can’t top Maps, such an amazing song

oh we love karen o

It's a banger

Short & sweet punk rock songs done NYC Garage Style. Minimal trio still gives more body to their songs than many larger outfits. The guitars sound huge and the drumming is immense. Attack and retreat, all the while listening to the siren like crooning of Karen O. Amazing first album that is gripping with its urgency, like pulling you aside amidst a wild party to whisper/yell its' affections to you. Hard not to love it back. The songs 'Maps' or 'Y Control', either alone would make this a must listen album.

It's fun as hell, over before you even realise. One of the best vocal performances you'll hear on an album, just gives every song so much energy, and brings the emotions out perfectly on a moew somber song like 'Maps'. Soon as it's over I just want to play it back again.

well this is the first album that's after 2000 that I've had for a while. I've definitely heard these guys' name before, but could not name a single song right off the top of my head...I like this sound. Reminds me of something that would have been on Scott Pilgrim. Honestly I very much liked the griminess to this album, feel guilty not having rated others as highly but this was a great album start to finish. 5 stars.

everything was pretty nice no no no was kinda weird, not my taste synthy rock

Love this album. Karen O rules

One of my favourite bands I know far too little.

I've listened to this countless times since it's original release and have always loved it. It's just as compelling, inspired and energising now as it ever was. Seeing low reviews from people who haven't even heard of it, citing low expectations purely from the cover, makes me feel quite sad.

Such a great album to revisit, enjoyable from start to finish.

Punk rock. Yes. Genau wie meh sich das au vorstellt. Findi ausgezeichnet. 4.7/5

One of my all time faves!

the coolest and cleverest album of 2003? i think i agree! i remember it as a 4 star album but it is actually much better.

This garage/art/dance punk album oozes energy and drips with attitude and coolness. It makes you want to move in some way or another. Karen O delivers a unique and memorable vocal performance and is a quality frontwoman. Riffs are simple but catchy. Drumming feels both loose and tight at the same time. Every move the band makes serves the song well. This album was made for the sweaty underground and hardly has a dull moment (most songs aren’t long enough to get bored, and there’s enough diversity between them to not get same-y), keeping me entertained fully through.

love these guys

I guess I got a type; this is the second album I listened to twice back-to-back. The first was Surfer Rosa.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a super talent. Maps helped them achieve commercial success but I don't think they give a shit, their tunes are so raw and in your face. Its got Blondie vibes, the punk ala Scott Pilgrim distortion is a great sound, and I just want them to make music forever.

well it’s precious to my heart sooooo

Oh my, oh my!!!! This is an amazing album!

A clear definer of alt-rock punk, that influenced some of the best rock artists of the 21st century.

Female punk at its best and good throwback

Hell yeah

How did I miss this amazing band. Raw and Punky!

THIS is what female punk alt rock voices should sound like. She is a goddess.

super good!

I loved it! What a great album. This will definitely go into the rotation.

Brutal

favourite song: tack i had heard a couple tracks on here before but this was my first proper listen. really really liked this. tick is such a cool song. like a punkier strokes.

Very good album. Very much enjoyed discovering it.

Super cool. I never listened to them when I was younger, but I should have. So much angst lol

Raw and cuts to the core. What a sound. Didn’t listen to the entire thing but super interesting.

Really came out of the gate swinging. A fan!

super gut, definitiv mal allesbreinzimmern

Nice punk album here. I was aware of Maps and am not really a fan but other songs on this album like Tick and Black Tongue really make Maps unforgettable and makes this album memorable.

I was blown away by the energy this album has. I will never be their biggest fan but this is a game changer for me

surprisingly good

9/10 - Fire album. I was hyped from the start as Rich was an absolute banger. I would not be surprised if Nosebleeds was inspired by this. Pin would have been a top song for me if she did not sing "bum bum bum bum..." but no no no, maps and Y control are all great.

Karen O is AMAZING

Well, this was already a 5 star album to me. I had high hopes for this band, but they haven't been super productive as Karen O I think wanted more of a solo career. At any rate, I hope they give us more.

I only heard of this band because Karen O had a couple songs on the I'm Not There album. I'm 80 albums in and this is my first 5 star to a band I'd never listened to before. This is why I signed up.

I remember when this album came out. I still feel like it was probably my introduction, one of my first real exposures, to the grittier side of the 2000s alternative music scene. Karen O has such shaky, imperfect, grating, squealing vocals on this album, which perfectly lend to the edginess of the instrumentation. Like, her vocals are truly and intentionally unhinged at times, but it's outstanding in this environment. This album certainly fulfills the vibe of "garage rock", but it's additionally artsy, dancey, and a bit glam as well. Everything is laced in punk attitude, but they take it steps further to ensure the album has layers. This album finds the Yeah Yeah Yeahs taking garage rock out of just a sit down jam session and turns it into a garage dance party. Many of the tracks on here come in at less than 3 minutes, but they don't sound half baked or too short -- they're truly just right. They're now relatively well known for doing that garage rock dance party vibe, but this studio album debut is where it all took off for them. At the time that this album came out, "Maps" got a fair bit of attention, which is ironic, because I believe it the most low key, most produced and most polished song on the album, and is therefore the least representative of what this album has to offer. It's a great song, but still, the rest of the album is much different! I feel like many people missed out on being exposed to the "real side" of "Fever to Tell". I just don't remember there being anything else quite like "Fever to Tell" at the time that this came out, and 20 years later (!!!!), I still don't think there is anything quite like it. Lots of very random things that seem disastrous just come together here to make a great, cohesive, full album. The ways this album stands out helps make it quite deserving of a place on this project. It's been MANY years since I heard this album fully, and I wasn't sure if I would still like it as much. Well, I do.

Rating: 10/10

Love it. 6/5 bangers from start to finish. Can’t believe it’s 20 years old!

9/10 my demographics contractually require me to give this no lower than 4 stars

A masterpiece of nyc indie rock! Loved everything about it, fun, energetic, sexy & vulnerable, intimate & empowering. I must admit I’ve always loved this band. And as my kids can attest, I think Maps is one of the best music videos of all time!

Algoritmo do Spotify foi colocando a "Maps" na lista de todo mundo (inclusive a minha)

Loved this album since I first heard when I was 17. It will always be a 5 for me. The first half is more raw punk/garage rock then when it gets to No No No, Maps, and Y Control that's what takes it to the next level. I know they wanted to grow and not repeat themselves on album two (like The Strokes) but I wish they did so we had more songs like this from them.

nostalgia is the only way to express this

Crucial album defining the 2000s

FUCKING AMAZING! Yeah Yeah Yeahs are always a great listen!

Excellent post punk album

Possibly the greatest album to come out of the aughts era NYC scene. This album absolutely rips!

HL: "Maaaaaaps", "Rich", "Pin", "Y Control" This is YYY #3 for me, after It's Blitz (2009) and Cool it Down (2022). Thus, I strongly suspected I'd enjoy their debut as well, and was proven right today. Every album has had a song I enjoy head-and-shoulders above the rest ("Maps" here); I don't know if that's a criticism, however, because there's still plenty more to like: "Pin", part bubblegum, part chewing tobacco, the melodic noise in "Y Control" & "Rich" the dance-punk party of "Black Tongue" & "Date with the Night", & the gentle wind down of the last 2 songs Hell I’ll even take the weird breakdown in the hilariously named “No No No” October 28, 2023

Só barulho, muito chave

Awesome indie rock album, love it 5/5

An absolute banger, full of sass, jaggedy guitars and frenetic drumming. Yes!

Sexy indie sleeze love it

Loved this. Reminder of Wii Dance with the kids

Great

I was very anti-RIAA in the early 2000's and therefore didn't listen to any music that came out at the time. I basically stopped getting new stuff that I didn't just stumble on the artist on the Internet with free songs and non-RIAA produced CDs. I did not stumble upon the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and if I had I'd have discounted them because their label is under the (very large) RIAA umbrella. So today was the day I learned about this awesome band, whose stuff I'd surely have soaked up like a sponge. Chick-fronted punk? YES PLEASE. I'll be listening to this one a lot.

good 8.7

Great album from start to finish.

Best debut album of 2003

I liked this. Would Def listen again.

CRAZY GOOD!! but what would you expect from the singer of heads will roll?? basically all songs are a 10/10

Imagine coming out with a song like “Maps” on your DEBUT album. Absolutely magnificent. Front half is just pure female rage. I assume this absolutely SLAPPED for the teenage gals in the 2000s.

Yes, this is more like it. Saw them live touring this album at Barrowlands. Loved it. Worst support act ever (The Locust, power violence is the genre apparently). Most of the girls in the crowd were trying and failing to look like Karen O, style icon. This album stands the test of time

Love

I kept going back and forth as to whether this was a really strong 4/5 or a 5/5 but it's clear to me that it's a 5 in my opinion. There's so many strong songs on this record and they all are consistently good. Their sound at this point has reached a place where it has this great definition of itself yet it can also explore freely without its quality taking a hit. It's just so good. Throw this album on when you have a party. Throw it on when you are painting. Throw it on when you are having sex. I really love Karen O's confidence on this record. It's unrelenting, in your face, and yet not in an intimidating way. She's cool, playful, silly, and all around a true frontwoman. She always seems like she is 6 feet tall and just this tower of coolness whenever I see her (I just checked and she is 5'6). Everyone knows "Maps". You either love it, like it, or are sick of hearing it but you still think it's amazing and refuse to change the station when it comes on. To me this track lives in the highest echelon of quality alt rock, and really defines this early 2000's era. It's right up there with "Everlong". Personally I've heard it about a few hundred times per year since release but it's such a beautiful love song that my instant reaction to hearing that tremolo guitar is always "aaaaah, yes.". The drumbeat is so cool, the vocal parts are so cool. One of the best songs ever. "Maps" Slaps.

Fucking fantastic. Biting lyrics with playful use of diction and enunciation. It doesn't feel like any of the musicians are relegated to the background, and their skilled collaboration is apparent in each track. This is gonna send me down a rabbit hole, isn't it? 5/5 stars.

This album is so good. The YYYSs are absolute juggernauts who don't get the recognition they deserve.

Gold

This album has a spark that I don't think YYYs ever managed to capture again (I do like some of their other albums, but none of them sound anything like this). Rich is an absolutely killer opening track, followed by Date With the Night (banger), Man (banger), Tick (banger), Black Tongue (banger), Pin (banger)... Then a couple songs I like a touch less, than the obvious stand outs of the show Maps and Y Control. Honestly, I probably appreciate this album more now than when it came out. I think it was a little too pop-punk for my tastes back in the day, but now I do feel it be hittin'. I waffled back and forth between 4 and 5 for a while, but every time I do that I kind realize that if I'm debating between those two numbers... Then it's probably pretty fucking good. 4.5 rounded up because why not.

I actually like the yeah yeah Yeahs I liked every truck on this album it's a funny playful punky super firm screeching with playful delight kinda sexy

"Wait, they don't love you like I love you." --- Favourite Tracks: Date With The Night / Pin / Maps / Y Control Summary: There is not much I can say about this album as I am very familiar with it; only that I love it and that every time I listen to it, it takes me back to being a romanticised teenager. 'Maps' is one of those songs that I think will be with me my whole life, as I am sure is true for many other people. Seeing Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the first time at Reading 2009 is still such a vivid memory.

Love it. So many girl-led groups come off as cynical money grabs, but this is completely delightful. Major Pretenders vibes. (That's a good thing.)

One of my favourite indie albums Amazing then as they are now, great live as well.

Fever to Tell is such a distinctive album for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I'd almost describe this as more of a punk sound, with Karen O's distinctive vocal stylings but also just her approach to yelling and screaming into the mic. I'm not sure their distinctive sound has carried over into other albums in the same way, but Fever to Tell is absolute fire and most of the tracks are bangers.

One of my all time favs

Good album, forgot I liked the yeah yeah yeahs

I played this late at night with the volume LOUD. We have vocals, drums and guitar. That's it? They deliver quite the sound. The wiki notes say Karen O sounds like PJ;  the album starts off a lot more punked up and the vocals are quite shouty but yeah I understand the PJ comment. On songs like Maps she sounds more like Chrissie Hynde so yeah I'm all in on this one.  Karen comes across as artsy, with loud angst and a good dose of attitude but can also sing a ballad. I like the pun in the title "Y Control" -  meaning being controlled by a man (ie the Y Chromosome) and at the same time asking "Why control?"  That's enough to meet the "art rock" definition. I never really listened to the other YYYs LP  in the 1001 but will have to. 

The beginning reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey's debut. Raw, raunchy guitars, snappy riffs, great vocals, though Karen O is more experimental and sounds more like she's having fun. I love the band's overall sloppiness and the way they might suddenly head off in a different direction, like with Karen O vocalizing the guitar part in "Pin". "Maps" is a glimpse of the future - it's exactly what they sound like 20 years later (now). Different but still great.

Karen O is just so cool. She checks off all the characteristics one would look for in a lead singer. The YYY’s and this album played a big role in the early 2000’s indie rock movement. Fever to Tell rips at a frenzied pace, with Zinner perfectly accompanying Karen O’s chaotic vocals with his quick sharp guitars. This album was fun to listen to in college and nothing has changed, the energy is so strong, so good, so cool. 5 stars

damn my first Yeah Yeah Yeahs album. I don't even know if I've ever even heard a song by them, but damn this was amazing. No skips really, but Rich, Date w/the night, No no no, and Y Control really stood out to me.

Criminally underrated.

Claaaasssic. Listen again

I went to the uk tour for this album. i don't think teenage not-nigel was quite ready for the full art rock onslaught of a microphone being shoved fully in karens gob while she screamed art star. It also took a lot more aging and gigs attended to realise how impressive it is to make that much noise as essentially a guitar and drums combo. album stands up very well with age too.

Yeah this is awesome. Indie Rock the way it can be.

Much love to Nick Zinner’s guitar work, and the rest of the band’s contributions, but there’s one reason why this band ever mattered, why it is one of the few bands cited as being leaders in the early 2000s NYC scene, and that reason is Karen O. She brings a swagger and brashness to that scene, and rock music in general for the time, that had been left vacant. She wants to party, she wants money, but she mostly wants to fuck, and the way her lyrics and vocal style deliver these desires is still mostly unique to her. She brings a chaotic energy to most of these songs that feels genuinely explosive, and it made them stand out even further from groups like The Strokes that were a little too cool for this kind of emotion. These songs, while more polished compared to the stuff that came before it, still sound rough in the landscape for the time. It’s clever punk songs by way of art students, who were still young enough to give an edge of dangerousness that I think they lost in subsequent albums (even though I mostly enjoy those as well). When the album does slow down to breathe, it does so through sweet and saccharine smiles. Maps is a stand out for a reason, and a truly vulnerable moment from a woman who, for most of the album leading up to it, seemed more ready to hit you over the head with a beer bottle than say I love you. I also want to give special mention to Pin, which is a song I come back to time and time again, and describes a feeling I felt so often as a teenager trying to better understand myself through friendships and lovers. If there were ever to be a Mount Rushmore for the blog rock era, this would have to be on it.

got reco'd a song from scott pilgrim bec of this

very much in my wheelhouse for a band i have no memory of! excited to hear more, this was great

heaterrrrrrs

This was a huge album for me in high school. It was great to re-listen as a part of this project, and the album holds up completely. The raw aggressive sound is still unique among rock albums, the guitar sounds are fascinating and Karen O's vocals are captivating. Maps is still a certified banger.

one of the best

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

Just good good good, yeah I stand by that

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

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.

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

Love this album 5/5

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

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.

Fantastic album, still sounds as fresh as these years later

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

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

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.

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.

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 <3 Karen O

Pretty great

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

fantastic

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

Absolutely phenomenal

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.

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

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

if anyone sees this hi

AMAZING

I love "Fever To Tell" so, so much. One of the most raw, unrestrained, manic debut albums, and yet it is most known for the passionate restraint of "Maps." That song is deserving of its legacy, but the rest of the album's frenetic energy is what made Yeah Yeah Yeahs undeniable. Karen O is one of those truly special lead singers that is so infectious and magnetic, and the way she lets loose puts Yeah Yeah Yeahs over the top. "Fever To Tell" is also special because Yeah Yeah Yeahs never quite repeated that unbridled explosion. "Show Your Bones" and "It's Blitz" are both also favorites of mine, but very different from this debut. And I think we still have "It's Blitz" yet to come on the list!

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

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.

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.

Long time fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, was looking forward to this as part of the last 8 albums on this list. Faves: Date With The Night, Maps, Modern Romance.

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

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

Karen O Yeah Yeah Yeah.

Fun album, reminds of high school.

Classic. 5/5

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.

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

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

👍

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.

Unmissable.

Great album, always a fun one to revisit.

Classic album

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 from teenage years

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