As Promised

I know it was a while ago now that I promised a follow-up review to my initial YYY It's Blitz! impressions. Apologies - being on deadline at BD and trying to plan some semblance of a birthday didn't allow me much time for blogging. But I am here.

After listening to It's Blitz! I dunno...maybe 10 times at this point...I think I can sum up the album pretty succinctly, or at least attempt to. Here goes:

In this album - the band's third, complete studio record - the YYYs are noticeably more positive in their message. The positivity errs on the side of poppy, sometimes too closely. The angst is mostly gone. Perhaps this is a nice change for the YYYs - I can only imagine what the recording process must be like when all your band members are either angry, depressed or battling serious anxiety. But is it good for us? The loyal fans who are expecting that emotionally-charged and passionate-but-catchy sound?

The answer is both yes and no. No, for obvious reasons. We're expecting something. And we're not getting it - exactly. But can we really expect a band like YYYs not to push themselves, not to experiment? If that's what we want, we are closing our minds to the possibility that uncharted waters can be good. And luckily with It's Blitz! that is the case. Which brings me to the "yes" part. Yes it's good for us because the YYYs manage to do something new and different and do it well. The dance-vibe that the band has only touched on in the past has been mastered in new songs like Heads Will Roll and Dull Life. Even Zero makes you want to move. It's good indie rock which, in my opinion, we don't see done well often enough.

While the music's fervor is considerably less stormy, it is still charged - this time with a more get-up-and-dance affectation. Still, there are refrains within certain songs that hit that nerve - the nerve you want hit but can't quite describe how it happens. The chorus in Hysteric - though reminiscent of a Jerry Maguire line, how cliche - undeniably hits that nerve, particularly if you've got someone to relate it to.

Lucky us who do.