Released way back in March, this disc nevertheless slunk its way onto many a Best Of list – and for good reason. On their latest, power trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs hones the energetic, infectious, and often heartfelt sound that put them on the map with, well, 2007’s hit single “Maps.” Third effort It’s Blitz! takes that spirit and blows it towards the rafters, fueled by a heady combination of airy synths, Nick Zinner’s crunching guitars, and Karen O’s caterwauling vocals.
The album launches out with its most frantic beats, lead single “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll.” Both are menacing and urgent, with the latter sporting some disco backbeats and synths that are decidedly rock-y, not the cheesy, artificial dance rhythms often associated with the device. And as Karen O proclaims, “Dance ‘til your dead!”, it seems almost dangerous not to agree. 
What’s eternally interesting about Yeah Yeah Yeahs is the way they approach song structure: there’s nary a traditional chorus to be found here, and every climax feels all the more earned for its delayed buildup. Like the disc’s iconic cover image – a woman’s hand crushing an egg – the songs here are explosive and strangely, messily lovely. Amid all the fuzz and disarray, Karen O emerges as one of rock’s most indelible frontwomen, a sparkly songstress anchoring Brian Chase and Nick Zinner’s clamor. Whether she’s breathily exclaiming “You’re a zero-ohh” or returning to “Maps”’ bare, blood-soaked sentiment on “Hysteric,” her vocals are a passionate, if sometimes confounding, call to arms.
The aforementioned “Hysteric” is also one of the album’s standouts, restrained and intimate. Employing their usual skewed syntax (“Other half, strange steps / Heels turned black / The cinders they splinter”), it comes as a soothingly climactic moment when O finally proclaims, “You suddenly complete me.” “Maps” will always be a creative touchstone for YYY, but “Hysteric” comes close to that glory – which is saying quite a bit.
The album is a subtler, more downbeat affair than 2006’s raw, gritty Show Your Bones, and while this works for the most part, I wouldn’t have minded a few more cuts in the vein of “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll,” which are tailor-made for crowds to jam to. Still, the emotional depth and stylish instrumentation of the material here more than stands on its own. “Runaway” and “Little Shadow” are mellow and dreamy, all wispy instrumentation and O’s cool cooing, while “Dull Life” allows Zinner some room to riff to his heart’s content.
It’s Blitz! has hands down the best cover art I’ve seen in a long while, and the album’s no slouch either. Yeah Yeah Yeahs shows here that they’re a group to reckon with; they’re just getting better and better, finessing their sound as they build it bigger.