It's Blitz!

A hard album to assess. The album has a real sweep to it, a sense of ideas being mustered, and a evident passion. So why am I not responding to this as warmly as I should? Maybe it's the middle. Like your mum aged 22, there's palpable sag in the middle. It could be me: I was at uni when this came out, and the hype of the New York rock revival never persuaded me, despite the constant claims of Sonics/Gang of Four/New Order parentage. Possibly it's my aversion to record-collection rock, and I'm not impressed by a rehash of Bizarre Love Triangle. But ultimately the Yeah Yeah Yeahs just aren't enough. You want more. Listening to them, you want them to be a little more melodic, a little more emotional, a little more abrasive, a little more arctic, a little more erotic, a little more bombastic, a little more detached, a little more serene, a little more urban, a little more experimental and a little more fun. You have here a decent band, sure, and that's fine, but a decent band is not a great band, and even though I want to root for them now, I find I can't outright.

Greater than the sum of its parts, dull life seemed appropriate for covid and realised this might have been the last cool person called Karen

Jam packed with tasty synth-fueled indie jams. Feels like it’s cut from the same cloth as Florence + the Machine, but they used that cloth to make tight jumpsuits instead of flowy dresses. It may be a Friday morning, but this album makes me long for Saturday night.

Day 25 of Albums You Must Hear... Next up on my list of randomly generated music is an album titled Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released in 2009. Not gonna lie, I’m not super familiar with this band. The first track, Zero, had me optimistic. Okay, this is going to be a dance/punk record. Heads Will Roll, the second track, is so good that I was super stoked for the rest of the album! Then, this album took a nosedive into loneliness and despair. While the production is top tier, and the vocals of singer Karen O are satisfying to listen to, this albums premature crescendo left me with musical blue balls. In all fairness, music is closely tied to the mood of the listener, and if you’re in the state of mind for the last 8 of the ten tracks on Ok Blitz!, I’m completely understanding. Maybe I got this album at the wrong time, but I couldn’t give it more than a couple listens. I’m not shitting on this album from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, just after hearing the first two songs I felt honey dicked. You can’t name your album Blitz! with an exclamation point and then lose all momentum after two songs in. On that note, in conclusion, Heads Will Roll is REALLY good and I’d totally add that song to a playlist in a heartbeat. Please share your thoughts, memories and opinions!

Electrifying. Karen O is a rock and roll goddess and the band has a blast on this record. Every song is just a ton of fun, very original, and a lot of good grooves too.

Flat and uninspiring.

boring

Surprise! A scant two weeks after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ debut album shows up here we get another one recorded six years later. I loved their debut but hadn’t expected a second album on this list from them. I also did not expect to love IT’S BLITZ! even more than the first album. This is a stunning evolution. Karen O’s incredible vocals shimmer over glittering synths and driving dance floor beats. Heavy doses of disco and new wave transform the band as Karen O achieves Blondie-levels of greatness. The opening track “Zero” erupts pure glitter as the dance floor lights up around me and a cascade of lights fill the room. How’d I wind up in the coolest club in town?! “Holy shit!” was my last thought as I lost myself in this incredible song. No chance of leaving the dance floor now as “Heads Will Roll” fires a one-two disco punch. This is the sort of song that gets you dancing by yourself without giving a fuck about who’s around. The drums keep time as Karen O rules the dance floor on a wave of synths and gritty guitars. This is no sterile electronic environment. These songs cozy up like best friends sharing moments of joy, sadness, pain, love and surrender. How the hell does an album get this cool?! Karen O would be right at home in a silver body suit on a series of disco-oriented tracks like “Dragon Queen.” They’re joined by lush ballads like the piano-driven “Runaway” or the guitar-and-organ-powered “Little Shadow,” perfect for coming down with that special someone at the end of a night. Songs like “Faces” and “Hysteric” add a zest of Tegan and Sara quirkiness… so much to discover! IT’S BLITZ! invites you to dance and chill with the coolest trio in town. Get your leather on… ‘cause you’d be crazy to pass up this much fun!

Love the covert photo of the exploding egg! And that just about exhausts my praise. I would call It's Blitz a failure except that you have to actually attempt something to fail. It's Blitz is deeply mediocre in every imaginable way: songcraft, synth textures, arrangements, and production. This is kind of the late oughts version of bubblegum music like the Archies, but with shitty synths and inferior songwriting. Except for the vocals, this album could have been generated by a reasonably sophisticated AI. That's how generic and uncreative it is. I complain a lot about modern hip hop in this channel, but It's Blitz makes those albums look like the height of sophistication and ambition. If I could give this half a point, I would. Mind numbing.

5/5 Aggressive, fantastically layered synths begin the album with a bang on Zero, before the choppy dancefloor hit Heads Will Roll goes hard. The guitar parts compliment the lighter synth brilliantly. Soft Shock has a quite delicate, elegant quality and Karen O's vocals slip between the punchy synth so well. The simple slightly cryptical lyrics are so alluring. The atmospheric, slower Skeletons is a welcome change up, followed by the alternative rock banger Dull Life. The verses are exceptional to the ear, and the change ups are great, as the song progresses in such a satisfying manner. Shame And Fortune has a great attitude and way, like a prime Radiohead song. Night and day with the beginning of the following Runaway, but it builds that same dense synth-guitar sound in, which is just amazing, especially coupled with the orchestration. How can you follow it? Well it was an inspired choice with the funky, quirky Dragon Queen. Love it to death. Hysteric might be a more straightforward alternative rock song but it has such a simple beauty, and then to finish Little Shadow's melancholic, bold tone is a welcome reward for 40 minutes of your time. All in all, it's hard to tell on first listen, but this might settle in as one of my favourite albums of the 2000s. Just banger after banger after banger. Very hard to pick a best track. Zero 5/5 Heads Will Roll 5/5 Soft Shock 5/5 Skeletons 4.5/5 (LEAST FAV) Dull Life 5/5 Shame And Fortune 5/5 Runaway 5/5 (FAV) Dragon Queen 5/5 Hysteric 5/5 Little Shadow 5/5

Zero is a tune. It's a great energetic way to start the album. I knew that song well before listening, and also knew 'Heads Will Roll' which is also good. The energy and vibe changes a bit beyond this, but it's generally solid, with some standout tracks sprinkled in. 'Runaway' is great, it's got a real depth and atmosphere to it. 3.5 rounded up. And side note: It's a great album cover!

Maybe it's just Monday, but I hated this. Her voice is terrible, songs sound like reheated Madonna. Go away

I love this album so much. I know the first two songs. They were regular hits at the dance parties I used to have with my kiddo when they were little. And I don't really think I can play those first two songs loud enough. Cool to finally hear the rest of the album. New favorites: Skeletons, Dull Life (fucking rocks), Runaway, Hysteric. and all the other songs are good. Karen O's voice is so great. Love the music. Awesome album!

Awesome! I likee it even more than i thought I would!

-Nice blend between dance tunes and slow/acoustic tunes.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs” take garage rock and post-punk, streamline it, install air conditioning, and leave it odourless. I found this fine, but it slid off my plate. The last song is an exception: that caught me out. “I wanna go and *SHIT* in your pants” was a lyric I spontaneously improvised in the car, immediately hoping my two-year old wouldn’t record and repeat.

Loved it. Went and found more

I loved this album! Skeletons was my fav. I love how every song is different but still work together so well. i had heard the singles off this album and enjoyed them. Loved the whole thing together

This album rocks! Was already a fan of the first two hits, and I found the whole thing very engaging and interesting. It’s fun and dancy and soulful and something I just wanted to keep listening to. Great stuff!

I love this album! It’s rare that I love the studio recorded version of something as much as hearing it live (I used to have a bootleg that was from a concert), but it does it for me. Karen O’s vocals, the strings, the pulsing and the energy! I love it!!!!

'Heads will roll' is such a banger. It's a pretty solid album all round. they remind me a lot of the band Metric, in particular with the vocals. First three songs lead to a strong start, a punchy punky party album. Very suddenly becomes a bit more melancholic with 'Skeletons' which threw me, only to be whiplashed back to those fast beats with 'Dull Life' before winding down to more melodic songs once again. The final song 'Little Shadow' comes across almost like a lullaby and is a very sweet way to end what started as quite a raucous album.

Really surprised by this one! It's so different from Fever to Tell which we had just two weeks ago. The sound is cleaner and seems more intentional. Dance beats but still an alt-rock sound. I dig it!

I miss this indie, a little bit ethereal, but also with a punch and cool voice

Lead singer's voice is airy and refreshing. The songs are light and fun. I'd put this on again and go for a drive in my nonexistent convertible. I especially liked the dreamy "Hysteric."

I'm really not that familiar with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs besides their singles. This album is fine. Heads Will Roll is obviously a standout. And Shame and Fortune had a pretty good riff. I like Karen O.s voice. But this probably isn't something I'd return to.

Nothing remarkable, certainly has a strong indie sound to it. A second listen opened it up more, but I think this needs a particular mood when listening....

a little too indieslop for me but does have some bangers

After a fairly scathing review of their debut, I loved this album. The version I had included the acoustic versions which upon a second listen of the original’s showed even more depth. On my third listen back to back. Thanks to 1001 for this

Ohhhhhh this album. Heartfelt dirty indie! I am very biased with this album, as it’s the album my wife and I adore together. We eventually danced our first dance as a married couple to ‘Hysteric’. This album, to us at least, is a perfect 5.

The start of my fascination with eggs. Wait. That came out wrong.

A fav

I LOVE this band! Was originally only familiar with their iconic "Heads Will Roll" but after seeing them at Osheaga, I fell in love! They're a band that doesn't have a bad album, and this album is a great showcase of their range. They've got fun pop bops, more aggressive rock and some slower ones on there too. Thank you for giving me a reason to listen to The Yeah Yeah Yeah's today!

It’s Blitz I’ve not listened to this album before. The first four tracks are excellent, Zero and Heads Will Roll are fantastic disco-garage-indie-punk bangers, Soft Shock has a synthy Maps vibe and Skeletons is a superbly catchy bit of atmosphere and mood. I love the synthesiser addition to their sound and the general idea of adding some dancefloor to their garage style. It does dip a little after that stellar start, but it's always listenable and there are some great tracks - I like the back half of Shame and Fortune, the riff/hook is great and the synthy spacey funkiness of Dragon Queen is excellent, and Faces is great as well. It’s a very enjoyable dancey, indie-garage album, elevated by the synthiness, some great melodies and Karen O’s charismatic voice and presence, tipping it into a 4. 🥚🥚🥚🥚 Playlist submission: Skeletons

It's 2025 and we're still collectively indie-hungover, so it takes some willpower to fairly rate this album without defaulting to a go-away knee jerk reaction. Trying to factor that out, I actually like this one okay. Some Kills, some White Stripes, and good energy.

Nr. 106/1001 Zero 4/5 Heads Will Roll 4/5 Soft Shock 4/5 Skeletons 4/5 Dull Life 4/5 Shame And Fortune 3/5 Runaway 3/5 Dragon Queen 3/5 Hysteric 4/5 Little Shadow 4/5 Faces 3/5 Aberage: 3,64 Really liked her voice.

Rocking. Hard guitars and fucking attitude. Love it. 4.4 as it was just a little short of amazing.

The thing with YYYs is that the lyrics bounce back and forth between inspired and insipid with little to no warning. That said, this album is really quite good and just gets better as the album went out. The back half of the album is straight fire. This only misses a 5-star review because of a few, pretty goofy tracks at the beginning.

Interesting but not for me. 3.5/5

Came into this with negative expectations because I really dislike Heads Will Roll, but was pleasantly surprised. A nice mix of soft electronica acoustic and mellow tech rock vibes. Very similar to Chvrches or Metric, two bands that I really love.

Didn't love a couple of the slower tracks, but the album was overall enjoyable and I added to my apple music library. Good vocals. Beat is unimaginative but inoffensive. Stands on the guitar and vocals, and the singer is talented. It doesn't shatter any expectations or redefine alt-rock, but lots of fun.

I enjoyed this. Nothing grabbed me but I do have a greater appreciation of YYY’s. This mix bothered me a bit, very similar to a tiny desk concert. Low volume or velocity or something.

The Good: We all agree! The Bad: Sometimes one needs to not follow the flock… The Ugly: Fucking raw egg on ones hand… it’s just… Did I like this album? Not really. Is the album bad? Not really. Should this album be on this list? Not sure… Will I ever listen to this album again? Not sure… Am I getting a little disappointed with the 1001 list? Yeah Am I going to listen to silence for at least 3 hours today? Yeah Can I get an amen? Yeahs! 2 1/2* upgraded to 3...

This is a rock album? it doesn't sound like it, really cool interesting synths. it sounds like music you would hear in a ad, its not bad. very experimental. music that could played in a show. its cool nothing crazy though. overall this was a solid album

Yeah Yeah, whatever. All of this sounds the same.

6/10 - some good songs on this, but I always have this issue with this lead singer's voice, 3 or 4 songs max and it gets annoying

Lost interest in the YYY's after this album. However, this disc still holds up.

I like Karen O's voice but most of the lyrics are pretty inane and not in a good way. It's okay.

good, i feel like it deserves a second listen but im not sure if ill ever be up for doing it the honors. first two songs were bangers and i fuck heavy with the album art. they also sang heads will roll on glee

For the first few minutes, yappy frontwoman Karen O sounds like an imperious 12-year-old. But then comes the chorus with its glacial 70s synths, and she suddenly bursts into life. "Off, off, off with your head!/ Dance, dance, dance till you're dead!" she booms, and it justifies her indie-icon status like nothing else she's ever done. No other track on It's Blitz! surpasses that 10 seconds, but the band's glittery new disco sound suits them very well. 3.5 stars

Really don’t know what to make of this album. It sounds in part rather late 00s dated yet other parts still very fresh. I don’t think the absolute bombardment of “Heads Will Roll” on TV and social media has endeared me to that song on another listen. My favourite track was the opener Zero. Plus marks for the lead vocals.

This album gets off to such a sick start. Zero kicks off with a crunchy synth baseline that cooks along through the whole song. And of course Heads Will Roll is a classic dance track. From there though, the rest of the album slowly fizzles, which is a shame when so much energy lives in those first two tracks. Most of the other stuff is just fine though, and I wouldn't roll my eyes listening again. 3.5 Highlight: Heads Will Roll Lowlight: Shame and Fortune Surprise Hit: Zero

I was ready to hate this album because I can't stand "Heads Will Roll" and the band name is easily one of their worst in all of music. That said, I begrudgingly admit there were some solid songs on here, particularly "Zero" and "Runaway". 3/5

kinda generic 2000s indie pop if you ask me

2.5/5 I just can’t get into this. She has a hypnotic voice, but I just don’t identify with the songs.

kinda vibe, liked skeletons 3.5

This is pretty cool album. Everyone remembers Heads Will Roll, but there are some other bangers on there too. Dull Life is great.

Ok the only song I would listen to repeatedly is Heads will Roll if I had to rate 3/10

It’s ok. It sounds kind of new wave-y in parts, and sort of in that mid-2000s Strokes/She Wants Revenge/The Hives/Interpol genre. I don’t love the singers voice, but I think the fact that it’s a female singer is the only bit that sets them apart.

Rating: ** 3 ** Notes: Really liked the beginnig of the album, and was really suprised when i realized that i actually know one of the songs ("Heads Will Roll") but the further the album progressed, the boringer it got. Also I did not like that they put the same songs but acoustic version of it in the album... that should be done in a delux edition. Songs which stood out in no particular order (credits to Uncle Gue for the idea): "Zero" "Heads will roll" "Soft Shock" ------------------------------------------------------------- Rating Scale: 1- very bad 2- bad 3- neutral 4-good 5-very good additonaly -/+ sign if necessary

It's another album with one standalone hit, and the rest of the album, while sounding polished, feels lacking in depth. It really is a thing of its time: these albums have some form of emotional connection, with slightly acoustic elements that millennials really grew fond of.

This album sounds like a bunch of musicians were locked in a room and told to come up with an album in record (excuse the pun) time. It's musically unimaginative and really just one notch up from musak.

The Obama-era synth-heavy indie sound has gotta be amongst my least favorites sounds of all time. Still well-produced for what it is.

I feel exactly mediocre about this album. Not bad not great. Recognized one song but I can't see myself ever intentionally searching for the artist or that song.

Never knew the name of the Heads will roll song which is so crazy to know finally which album it’s from. There were a few stand out songs but frankly I was pretty bored for most of it and found myself zoning out.

Bleh, not the best of the year. 2009 was a better time than this. 222

Not my thing. Im sure it's a great dance album but that's not what Im looking for in my listening time.

Kinda boring nothing too memorable but made me remember they were the “wait, they dont love you like i love you” song guys. one good song but other than that its a fart album

Man this album is such a let down. Head Will Roll is all gas, and then they're just completely asleep at the wheel the rest of the time. So aggressively mid, it's actually impressive. On to the next one.

That sounded thin

underwhelming knew one song but even that has a better version as a remix didnt bother listening to the acoustic versions

I enjoyed some of their earlier singles- twitchy guitars and Karen o is definitely a charismatic performer; that said, this sounds like an LCD soundsystem album and I’m not Johnny Disco. I’m sure I might like some of these songs on a well curated playlist but I was glad when the album ended.

not for me i think. top songs: heads will roll, soft shock, dragon queen

I didnt get through all of this. Partly no time, partly not prioritising it. It wasnt terrible. Got theough most of it. But didnt grab me. It was just OK.

Some very classic riffs / bits. But overall too loud for me

This was a bit like if you were to put The Distillers through some dull, vacuous mainstream pop rock filter. There's even a track on here called "Dull Life" to not-so-subtly qualify that. It constantly plays out as though it's desperately begging to be let off its leash, but the air-conditioned, corporate production and its tendency to segway into half-baked, "delicate" slop just as it promises to build up a head of steam, ensures that it all remains a bit tepid and flat. The Spotify version has FOUR acoustic bonus tracks tacked on at the end, which is where I cut my losses.

The most boring band of the 90s

Nah Nah Nahs. Ah, I'm being a little uncharitable. There are precisely two good songs here - 'Dull Life' and 'Dragon Queen'. Everything else is a bit stultifying. It's easy to be lulled by the pretty sounds, especially the singing, and to overlook that squatting at the heart of this album is a fairly mediocre, ambition-lite collection of music.

This is so of its time. Written in the studio, this is a triumph of digital editing and slick production. Nick Launay brings his excellent taste and great ears to create a slick and (vaguely) dance-able aesthetic, much more sophisticated than the 3-piece punk vibe that the band brings. The album is front-loaded with the singles, although I like some of the rockier tracks that follow, eg Dull Life (which is reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees) or Shame and Fortune. After all is said and done, I don’t really remember any of the tracks once they finish playing. I prefer it when they don’t veer too far from their punk roots. I really like her voice, though. And the cover photo is awesome.

One of the worst albums so far

Never listened. Expectations: None - Verdict: Not for me. - This just felt very bland. I don't dislike it per say, but there just isn't anything here for me.

Trash album. It sounds like generic mall music, tailor made for mid 2000s teens born in the US. I could have died without listening to it and I wouldn't have any regrets. Good album cover tho. Hope they didn't have to take too many photos to get the final result.

Very morose and dull. The musical equivalent of treading water. Hard to listen without wanting better.

Tried to listen to all but eh. Pantera has been around forever and any time i caught them it was "It has all the elements I like - but I just don't." Something about the harsh sound of both guitar and voice combined is graty on the nerves. Song 3 'Hollow' was okay - but not representative of their work as a whole. On my patented -100 to +100 rating scale where ripping open that box to find the product inside is misrepresented by the photo on the box is a -30 this is -50.

2000 something were the time when indie rock finally went bad and this album is a good example of that

While this wasn’t difficult to listen to, i did have to question why was I listening to this. First little bit of the album had some good things to it, and then it fell flat. Never recovered after that.

Not what I expected, not for the better. Take your euro synth pop back to the early 80s and leave it there. Except for "heads will roll," that’s perfect for a Halloween playlist. Also, I'd like to hear that with a Pete Rock remix, a Butch Vig remix, an industrial mix and a house mix that uses "Dance, dance till you're dead" very prominently. 'K thanks.

More no no nos, amirite?

I don’t wanna. Nooooo. The first Yeah Yeah Yeahs album surprised me and wasn’t horrific. The 2009 scares me. Let’s see. This is an odd one. I’m sitting here kind of slack jawed. I can’t in good conscience say that this is “bad,” but man do I ever not like it. That chorus is nails in a chalkboard and the music is just electro pop that just sort of sits there. Main keyboard riff isn’t too bad, but the rest is gross to me. Oh I feel like I’ve heard this song before. Apple commercial? Boring electronica. This is music that is meant to be interrupting conversations at lousy nightclubs. Repetitive and devoid of musical value. Some autotune crooning. Autocroon as the kids call it. Maps redux. Why create this? Why bring this to the world? Is there not enough suffering? This is an atrocity. Minus a billion stars. Skeleton feet? Skeleton me. That’s it. This is so bare and horrific. I am grasping for something to hold onto. This song is a descent into hell. Dull life, eh? Hmm. I wouldn’t remind the listeners of the word dull. Oh god. It’s electronic Mumford and sons. This is bad “btw.” Oh yeah here we go. I thought it was going to a big buildup for some crescendo. If it actually did that instead of just staying with the boring intro, it would’ve been PERFECT for some Hollywood ensemble comedy with an all female cast. Alas, I have to table the writing for Bridesmaids 2 and live with this blaring in my ear. Yes, please do a whisper ballad, we’ve had too much fun! (we haven't). Fuck this was brutal. This is, ugh let me check my notes, another pop song. My Mouth, OUR HOUSE! It doesn’t even seem well played? Wow! That’s an annoying chorus. To be fair to them, this sounds like it could’ve been released 8 years later. I mean chart music was still dreadful in 2017, but they had an early track on a shiny brand of terrible. Her “sweet” voice doesn’t work for me, so when it’s so heavy in the front, it’s not a win. Cash is NOT good for you fans of excellent SPEED network game show, Pass Time. What would the crossover be between people who know that show and read this review? 100% I assume as I’m the only one who fits both descriptions. This song is sappy and unpleasant. Pass. The obnoxious drums in the background ruin any softness this one had, but it was nice to leave the Berlin synth dungeon for a few bars. Bars? Like liquor establishments? Accidental pun? I don’t know. Who cares. This sucks too! This is my personal hell. It has the palpable desolation of a parking garage. Barren concrete erected where something vibrant once stood. By “something vibrant” I am referring to music, not previous Yeah Yeah Yeah’s works. My bones ache. Please give me a good album. 0 HIGHLIGHTS: What is a Highlight? A bright spot? A song I love? It can be either. A pleasant surprise, an amazing song, and even the best of a bad bunch. Oh yeah this thing had none of that.

Didn’t do much for me. There’s none of the raw edge they had in the best parts of their early work. The first one that really felt like it didn’t belong in the top 1001 albums, regardless of personal taste.

Really really poor. Generic and unoriginal pop. How is this even in the shortlist for 'reasonable attempts in 2009' let alone the Greatest albums ever produced. Have I mentioned how pathetic this is?

Couldn't make it past the first song. Nuff said.

More like the Shit Shit Shits

Very much not my style. Heads Will Roll is obviously a monumental contribution to pop and electronic music, but couldn’t be further from my preferred style

I gave this the old college try... Convinced myself to be excited, immediately realized I was right not to be. Participated for approximately 1/8 of the recommended duration before calling it quits, then felt guilty so returned to try again after sufficient time had passed. Concluded life is too short and moved on to more enjoyable pursuits.

Superb

I know tiktok loved Heads Will Roll, so I should too, but Soft Shock >> Heads Will Roll <= Runaway

Way ahead of their time. This has been my ultimate favorite

When to listen: Driving upstate in the sun. Yea, it's moody, but it's got a ray of light to it musically that I love. Starts great, lags a bit as it goes through but that doesn't change my rating.

The first two albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were pretty good, but this is where they knocked it out of the park. There's a cohesion to this record that's sorely lacking from their others (especially the ones after this one), and it feels like all three members were at the top of their game here. Despite the fact that it was released in 2009, I still see this as one of the defining albums of the 2000s, and the best album to come out of the boom of New York bands from that decade.

es kann sein, das mein rating bissle zu hoch ist. aber es hat schon mehrere echt krasse lieder auf dem album. ich kannte die band nicht und vom cover hatte ich was in hiphop richtung erwartet. zum glück war es das nicht, hab sogar “heads will roll” gekannt. die band hätte aber echt ein anderes albumcover nutzen sollen.