The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

I saw Yeah Yeah Yeahs live in 2002 on a festival here in Sweden. I think I bought their E.P at the show, and I remember that I loved both the E.P. and the live show back then. Then they kinda vanished from my radar. I think I listened to Fever to Tell a few years later, but I wasn't really hooked. So to me, this is a weird pick at first glance, as I've always thought of them as a kinda hyped up one hit wonder that never really took off. When I read up on them I realize that I'm clearly wrong here.

This is a good-to-great blaze of radio friendly indie pop/rock! There are plenty of other bands who does this kinda stuff as good (or better), but I enjoy it nonetheless! I will probably check out Fever to Tell and the rest of their discography too to see what I've missed. I will probably need to sort through my CD-collection for the E.P too, as it isn't available on Spotify.
 
Last edited:
Lee Newman said:
Put me in the I think this is better than fever to tell camp.
Click to expand...
It’s Blitz! is a bit too reserved. Nothing close to “Date With The Night” or “Pins” on the album. I think this record is more mature but is missing the vigor and hunger of their debut. It’s Blitz! is still a fun record. I probably just hold Fever To Tell in a higher regard due to nostalgic revelry as much as anything.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
It’s Blitz! is a bit too reserved. Nothing close to “Date With The Night” or “Pins” on the album. I think this record is more mature but is missing the vigor and hunger of their debut. It’s Blitz! is still a fun record. I probably just hold Fever To Tell in a higher regard due to nostalgic revelry as much as anything.
Click to expand...
Fever to Tell is very much a punk album. It’s Blitz! is more New Wave. You’re right though… FTT is guttural and raw. It’s Blitz! is mature and reserved. I really like the dance music played like rock music vibe of Blitz! and I think that’s why it appeals to me. It sort of connects dots for me about how LCD Soundsystem fits into that whole scene.
 
Lee Newman said:
Fever to Tell is very much a punk album. It’s Blitz! is more New Wave. You’re right though… FTT is guttural and raw. It’s Blitz! is mature and reserved. I really like the dance music played like rock music vibe of Blitz! and I think that’s why it appeals to me. It sort of connects dots for me about how LCD Soundsystem fits into that whole scene.
Click to expand...
Yeah, there is some good dance punk stuff from that era. I would say The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Futurehead, Le Tigre amongst others helped blur that line between dance and rock music during the mid 00s.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Yeah, there is some good dance punk stuff from that era. I would say The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Futurehead, Le Tigre amongst others helped blur that line between dance and rock music during the mid 00s.
Click to expand...
I hear you and of what I’ve heard from those bands, this just has a little more bite.

TenderLovingKiller® said:
Here’s an excellent DFA comp from that era…
Click to expand...

I’ll have to check it out.
 
This talk of mid-00s Yeah Yeah Yeahs got me thinking of another band that was cut from the same cloth as early YYYs.

Does anybody remember the Aussie band, The Grates?




I really enjoyed their debut album, Gravity Won’t Get You High. The lead singer gave off strong Karen O vibes.
 
avecigrec said:
I can't unread that.
Click to expand...
This is an interesting follow up read.

freakytrigger.co.uk

what even is a review?

[From July 2018] [This post originally went up at my PATREON: subscribers get to read posts and hear podcasts early — and help offset costs and time and help me do more of this kind of thing. Please share widely and encourage participation in the comments!] It’s […]
freakytrigger.co.uk freakytrigger.co.uk
 
Last edited:
Re: the rolling stone review, that other piece about the review gave it some interesting context. The cynic in me wants to go people aren’t that smart and today I would most definitely believe that, however…. The further back you go the smarter film, books, music and even television are. The seventies were a particularly artsy time in pop culture as well. I do kind of have to wonder how much it might have to do with the satanic panic, like calling attention to it probably brought more scrutiny to it.

I also have all kinds of thoughts about recalling Manson in it. On the one hand, I get it. That was big deal that still shocks to this day. There is also something to be said about pop culture reacting to it in such a matter as Black Sabbath or Black Widow. Finally, a thought that would be harder today, but there is a certain amount of audacity to kind of shame folks from outside the US for not being sensitive to something that happened here. I don’t really have a grasp on how big of a story it was outside of the states at the time though.
 
As to the album itself, it’s a bit of a quantum leap from the first album and really all four of the original Sabbath’s first albums are all great for very different reasons. There is an obvious growth in songwriting and structure with this album and the sound is more emulsified. It’s a great album.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top