Fever To Tell

bonkers to think that karen o started learning guitar as a winter art project for school and this album followed not too long after. follow your fuckin' dreams and do whatever the fuck you want!! i think the first time i listened to this album i didn't really like it - especially as someone who had be introduced to the yeah yeah yeahs through it's blitz! and show your bones. this album used to sound rough and unpolished... but as i've gotten older it's become my #1 yeah yeah yeahs album bar none. karen o's energy is BLEEDING through every song on this album. it genuinely feels like this album is physically thrashing me around until i get to maps - then it EMOTIONALLY thrashes me with one of the greatest love songs ever written. ugh. love this album. great stuff!!! highlights - rich, date with the night, man, black tongue, cold light, maps, y control

I think most of this album is pretty good but then Maps and Y Control hit and for like 10 minutes this is one of the greatest albums ever made.

Yeahhhhh i love Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Previo a escucharlo ya le tengo ganas. No supera a It's Blitz!, pero para ser su debut es un muy buen álbum. Siento que tendría que reescucharlo para disfrutarlo mejor, aunque pienso que podría llegar a gustarme mucho.

wtf is this timing I just listened to this album yesterday! Karen mfin O. I wish I got into them when I was small, though I’m glad I always appreciated Maps. // Floored the whole way through, no skips, lovelovelove endlessly I also recently had a dream I was Maps for Halloween (ie Karen O wearing a fuck ton of maps, including folded accordion style as a bow in my hair, and this may be a sign.

This is punk and it is gad-awful. I don't need to hear this ever again.

Fun intro into some punk/al rock. Some songs are good, others I can never remember despite having just listened to it

6.5/10

I was initially resistant to this album like a lot of the most hipster-y indie stuff of the early aughts. I wrongly had conflated this with, like, The Shins or Modest Mouse or Snow Patrol and such. I was stupid. This is one of a handful of truly excellent garage rock thrashers of the time (see also, White Stripes, Strokes, Interpol, Arctic Monkeys). It's also unique among them in that it takes what is fundamentally fast, sledgehammer-y guitar work and combines it with a rhythm section that essentially transforms it into dance music. They got even more indie-pop, danceable as they went on, all of which was still pretty excellent. This is where they maxed out, though. "Maps" and "Y Control" are both song-of-the-decade/song-of-the-century entrants. Every other track is an absolute banger with the exceptions of "Cold Light" and "No No No," which are merely good.

Fever To Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003) Karen O is an insane vocalist. Some very good songs on this too and overall a very enjoyable album. ⭐⭐⭐ 6.75/10

The early 00's were rife with repetitious, samesy music.

This is a great album. I love the frenetic energy and rawness, and Maps is an all-timer. Karen is a brilliant rock vocalist. I would rank the more polished 'It's Blitz' above it and there's some pretty dumb lyrics but it's still a really solid 8/10

I liked the first half of the album less than I would have thought but the one-two punch of Maps and Y Control in the second half was wonderful. 4.5

Ok yeah this was fun and I somehow never listened to it before

Not saying it's morally correct, but these guys would have gotten bullied at my high school

I really didn't get into until the back half or so.

Basic punk/garage rock riffs with a singer I could do without. That's an odd thing for me to say, since I'm usually down for out of the box vocals when we're talking about rock and punk. After reading some other reviews of this album, the one song people tend to praise, "Maps," I find to be the least enjoyable. I don't think I'll be giving this one another listen, but it's not as bad as some previous albums I've sat through.

It was a short album and her voice was good at times, but felt screechy at others. It was ok.

Yeah they have a unique sound which is decent

This was terrible and I hate that I had to listen to this. They just sound like an angstier version of The Strokes. Except it doesn't work at all. They just sound super whiny and emo and fake. Just gross. Nothing on this album works well.

A bit like Hole but better vocals. Lyrics are overly repetitive tho. Maps best track on album

This is exactly the kind of rock music I don’t like. It feels uninspired and just people banging chords and talking. I’m sure they have a following but i can’t stand it. It sounds like an annoying little brother

maps is great but album not for me

mid

unfortunate for this album that maps is about a billion times better than the rest of it

What else can I say? Fever To Tell is superb.

Music to fight by.

Awesome

A forgotten gem!

I actually hate the vocals. Genuinely annoying to listen to. The music, however is great

Energetic, vibrant, punky alt rock. Soooo much color and texture. They have such a distinct sound! Awesome listening experience. Maps has recently had a resurgence online and for good reason.

Banger, this is why Karen-O is an icon. Also, can't imagine how you begin to write some of these guitar lines...

Very enjoyable, raspy post punk. Maps is a banger so is Cold Light

Wait... they don't love you like I love you...

I still don't really get this band. it's not bad per se, it just doesn't really speak to me. is it a millenial vs. gen x thing, despite at least one and arguably all three being firmly in generation x? regardless, it just doesn't feel like it's for me. 3/5.

6/10 No es malo, tampoco es wow. No me aburrido, estuvo bien

It sucked. Don't they all?

While I'm not always in the mood for this, it was a truly groundbreaking album and there are some great songs on here. I really dig the creativity of Nick Zinner's guitar parts. He comes up with a bunch of otherworldly sounds that are totally unique. And obviously Karen O is one of indie rock's most infamous frontwomen, for good reason.

Nothing here struck me as special.

This feels like a more powerful, female-led Franz Ferdinand! I’ve been looking for an album like this for a while, it feels arty enough to have significance, but also fun enough to be an enjoyable listen, there’s almost a heavier Wet Leg sound with the vocals! ‘Maps’ is the big hit, and also my favourite, but the whole album is bursting with passion and energy!

I’m a xennial so it’s kind of weird I’m hearing this album for the first time, but in my defense all I did was rave in 2003. Of course Maps is familiar, but the rest of the songs were all new to me and very good.

bangin

I honestly didn't know Yeah Yeah Yeahs had this sort of thing in them. I had heard It's Blitz! and Maps, but neither of those works really prepare you for how hard YYYs go across this album. It *really* feels like dance *punk*, not post punk, not goth. They have insane performances and sneering lyrics all across this thing. I'd like to specially shout Karen O's utterly distinct vocals here in particular. But, as is proven by Maps, YYYs *can* do pop songs too, And just as well. Maps is genuinely an excellent pop song, and you get to see their chops come through in some of the other later songs here too. But as far as the punk stuff goes, Rich, Date With The Night, and Man is a pretty crazy opening salvo. And songs like Pin and Y Control keep it up. I am *very* impressed by this. I'd say this is honestly one of the coolest albums of it's time and place.

Mal

Nice album, not amazing but decent.

I don’t like this at all. One star…

Too similar throughout and uninspired. Not very good.

Quite liked this, but probably would not revisit.

Album #277 Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell This album is a tough one for me to rate; on one hand you have six songs which are amongst the best of the early 2000s garage-rock revival scene (that being the first two and last four), but sandwiched between them you have six garage-punk outbursts which at best leave me cold, and at worst annoyed. One thing that is for sure, though, is that Yeah Yeah Yeahs feel like a complete product; their aesthetic and sound are essentially what I would expect the average early 2000s indie rock band to sound like: aggressive, yet sensitive. I doubt I would ever consider this amongst my favourites of the era, but considering how strong the scene was, that isn’t too much of an insult, and of course Maps could go head to head with almost any song from the 2000s and stand a chance. Definitely a landmark moment in time, albeit one that is a bit dated. Best Songs: Maps, Modern Romance, Y Control Worst Song: Tick Score out of 10: 6.5

So many of the new bands made their debut in the 2000s sound of their time, cough Strokes, cough. This was not that. Fever To Tell is still fresh, with a constant propulsion from start to finish with a few truly great songs. I will definitely spend more time with this group moving forward.

Sometimes a bit annoying

I was lucky enough to see YYY in 2023, and it was kind of a life-changing show. Needless to say, I've been a little obsessed with Karen O since then (and since watching "Meet Me In The Bathroom"). I love this era of NY music, and YYY is no exception; their debut came out positively swinging. Gritty, angsty, feminine, and in-your-face - what more could you want from an early 2000s punk album? The group shines during "Maps", of course, but I was happy to find several other gems here that I hadn't taken the time to listen to before. Favorite tracks: Maps, Y Control, Modern Romance (an incredible 3-song run)

Great album. No notes.

Not my favorite. Maps rocks but that's about all I got

bad

Lots of good energy on this. I feel like it does fall off a bit at the end and the final track was a bit… Poor. Maps, iconic as it is, does feel really out of place on this album. Really enjoyed the loud songs though.

classicccccc babe !!!!

didn’t realize tht one tik tok song is yeah yeah yeahs

I've never really gotten too into these guys, but I think Karen O is cool and I've always loved the song "Pin" from this album. Also "Maps" is an undeniable classic of course. Favorite track: Pin 3.5/5

not as polished as It's Blitz! but solid. it reminds me of White Stripes + The Dead Weather, which was the rock/blues/punk/raw sound at the time. I think this should've been bigger, but their second album was more polished and refined.

I was a bit out of the loop in the early 00s. I was aware of most developments, but I was not engaged with many of them anything like as much as I had been in the 90s. I have done a lot of catching up and while YYYs might not have earned a place in the top tier of my 00s breakthrough bands (Dirty Projectors, AnCo, TV on the Radio, Strokes, Arctic Monkeys; yes I’m basic) my respect and recognition for what YYYs brought to the table and how important it was grows and grows. A credit to their skills is how it’s only now, sitting down to write this, that I have thought of how they are a trio and Karen O is generally singing only. Experiencing the album, I never find it wanting for impact or fullness. Generally it’s quite the opposite. I’ve never seen them live, but I understand they figured out how to make it just as explosive in that setting too (I guess Karen O is a major factor there). I love how, listening today, while I focused my attention on the instrumentation and production, I still came away (rightly) with an overwhelming feeling of Karen O centerstage. Although here, compared with ‘It’s Blitz’ (which I have already reviewed) she may have fewer pop-ready hooks and is maxing out the screechy punky angle, but her presence is nevertheless magnetic and exhilarating. Hot take: today I noted parallels in the production with that U2 album everyone hated because they were made to own it via apple. I believe U2 have voiced YYYs fandom and on that album they were attempting to get back to their punk roots. Who knows? Not me, just a guess.

I loved Its Blitz and I think I loved this even more. There’s just something so primal about this album. A great rock band with female singer is my favourite combo as well which obviously helps. Maps, Tick and Rich are the songs I already knew. Man, Pin and Y Control hooked me aswell. I would skip a song on the album and I think it’s brilliant.

Awesome record with some of my favorite songs of the 00s on it.

I have heard that the Yeah Yeah Yeahsare pretty good. Karen O is the lead singer. This is their debut album. I look forward to listening to it. First, the cover is pretty cool. Karen O’s vocals are unique. She screams a lot. Sometimes her vocals grate on you. Karen O is the principal songwriter. She is a very talented woman. There is a nice combination of electronic and real instruments on the album. The guitar is prominent. Most of the songs are short. There are quite a few good songs on this album: Rich, Date with the night, Cold Light and Maps. This is a good album. Four stars

Urge To Yell

liked it

Preferred this (slightly) to Its Blitz! Still a bit ploddy though. Fine I suppose . 2.5

I liked Its Blitz a good bit better but this was good

This album was alright, I’d listen to these songs stand alone probably, but I’m glad to listen to their music more!

I guess I just don't find this band very interesting. The demos in the deluxe version are better than the album...the 4-track album would have been better. 3.

Ég fíla þetta sánd, en fíla ekkert lag sérstaklega umfram annað.

Solid album - 3 1/2

I remember Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the brilliance that is "Maps", however this is not representative of their sound. They mostly sound like their contemporaries. There are a few good tracks, but on the whole, Fever To Tell is a product of it's time.

Take a shot every time the singer just shrieks for absolutely no reason Maps is an alright song, definitely the best vocal performance out of all the tracks on here. At the very least they do a pretty good job of filling the songs with energy and I guess when they want they can kinda jam out I just have so much I hate about this one. I do not like Karen O’s vocal style at all; I think it’s annoying, abrasive, and I hate out she just sings out of tune for half of the album. Those ear piercing screams she just throws in there really annoy me and do nothing other than make noise. Particular lowlights are Tick and Yeah! New York, just two abhorrent vocal performances. I don’t care for the low fidelity indie sound in general, and it doesn’t work here either; everything sounds like it was recorded from an iPhone sitting in the corner of the room. Though instrumentation is probably the strong point of this one, there’s still some really frustrating backing tracks including that annoying rhythm in Rich and whatever Cold Light’s supposed to be. I feel kinda bad being this mean, I’m sure Karen and the rest of the band are cool people, but this just kinda has everything I dislike about indie music and combines it with a voice I just can’t stand. This is probably going to be one of the higher 1s I’ve given since the instrumentation can be cool at times, but this one actively hurt to listen to for most of its runtime and is deeply flawed in my opinion

They knew Maps was the best song because the rest of the album bends around it. The first half is all fast aggressive punk snippets with extreme singing and heavy noise, and then it gets to that buttery-smooth maps, and then denouements. So much so that its hard to believe the last couple songs and the first are the same album. There is no bass on this album at all which is an interesting note. As for whether or not I like it, I'm not sure. I think you can just poach the good song and leave the rest.

Good, not great. The band's name more memorable than the songs. Sounds heavily influenced by The White Stripes and other garage band sounds of the times.

I had heard a lot of good things about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and especially from this album, so you can say that i had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately though i just could not go around this one. I listened to the album a few times, maybe should have listened a couple of more times but I couldn't. It's a shame because the album is full of energy and full of life and you can definitely feel those teenage sweats but unfortunately that did not translate into actual enjoyment. The instrumental is way too loud, most of the times not the most inspired either. I could barely hear the lyrics and the lyrics themselves in most of the songs are weak. There are few songs that i could enjoy, i couldn't even tell which was one. You can barely notice the difference between the songs, you don't even know that the songs have changed because they all sound alike.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Fuck YEAH!

I didn't like this very much. Mostly low quality garage band dreck. Occasional decent tune, but really not of any interest to me.

No skips. At all. Absolutely fantastic

Cover is fun. The album is good but some of the songs are blah. Maps of course is the highlight. Also really like Black Tongue 6.5/10

Not bad

fun and energetic

yeah yeah YEAH! Loved this!

This hooked me at first, started to lose me in the middle, them brought me back in by the end. On a second listen, I liked everything even more. The reckless, barely contained energy feels exciting and dangerous, and I'm always impressed when someone can sell repetition like Karen O can.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of those bands that I love, where every album has 5-7 songs that I adore, and, since they seem to shed their skin and evolve after every record, it makes for a pretty great catalog. But the reason for the preamble is that while it's probably their best album, Fever To Tell probably isn't a four-star album. The first half relies pretty heavily on Karen O belting out repeated syllables over a messy garage band. Fun, but it kind of meanders. The second half is a goldmine though, full of seductive, fully formed songs that showcase what a bolt of lightning Karen O is. I'm going to give it four stars on the strength of the back half, and because the whole thing is an A+ dance-around-in-your-underwear-on-a-Saturday-afternoon album. (Also, I want to do my part to offset the silly 1-and-2-star reviews left by people I'd accuse of loving this record if Hamilton Leithauser was the lead singer, if you catch my drift.)

Liked this a lot. Pretty rocking and holds up

Cool

Absolute perfect piece of electro-indie that still feels relevant today, nothing but absolute bangers

Something is missing. Is it a bass player? Songwriting? Talent? A real edge? All 4?

I love the sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but not the songs of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. With a few exceptions. They sound cool but somehow it never really comes together for me.

Just a fantastic. So much energy to every song makes it an absolute classic. Arguably betted than its contemporary Is This It?

Felt more like a jam sesh rather than a studio recording.

I think only a couple of their songs work for me. They are kind of chaotic which I probably loved when this came out but now I don't enjoy as much. They're still pretty fucking cool though.

Not for me. 1/5

Kannte schon zwei Lieder: “Date With The Night” und “Maps”. Gute Punkmusik mit ner weiblichen Vorsängern.

Still holds up for me. I do wish they had a bass player though and not just a octave pitch pedal. Top Track: Poor Song

One of us hates it

good

257) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell - 4/5 These songs are short, and the music is fun and thrashy. I liked “Maps” like everybody else does, of course, with the more restrained vocals and the jingly repetitive guitar. But also “Pin,” with its video with the insects, and “No No No” with its dub percussion thing. Sometimes it all felt a little - forced? cheesy? But around the 4th track it started to grow on me, like oh right when they’re doing this cheesy rockstar thing it’s maybe on purpose, kind of like a The Cramps sort of thing; so then it was ok. I’m not running off to download this so I can listen to it all the time, but I liked several of these tracks much more than I thought I was going to. And I’d rather listen to screamy-thrashy than most other genres, so that alone brings it up to a 4.

very forgettable album, nothing stood out to me but it wasn't explicitly terrible