The three song 'Machine' EP is the New York trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs‚ sophomore
release. Although I was impressed with the angular, art school post-punk of
YYY‚s self-titled debut, "Machine" fell short of my expectations.
With driving guitars and melodic interludes reminiscent of Babes In Toyland,
the title track, 'Machine', packs the punch of 'Bang' and 'Mystery Girl'--
some of my favorites from the debut album. However, the other two songs are
outright awful. The second track, 'Graveyard', is a contrived attempt at the
marriage of dirty garage, riot grrrl, and gospel that bands like The Gossip
really do much better. The final track, 'Pin Remix', sounds like a Siouxsie
and The Banshees record played backwards with some discordant echoes, clangs,
and feedback thrown in to further test the listener's patience.
Unless you want to drive away unwanted house guests, I wouldn't recommend
buying this seven-minute EP. However, stay tuned for the release of Yeah Yeah
Yeahs upcoming full-length album. If Karen O and band can find a way to
channel their schizophrenic avante-garde tendencies into a coherent vision,
their second album could be the equivalent of Sonic Youth's 'Sister' in terms
of the experimental indie scene. We can only hope.
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