It's Blitz!

It's Blitz!
Studio album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Released March 9, 2009
Recorded
Genre Alternative pop,[1] synthpunk[2]
Length 41:49
Label
Producer
Yeah Yeah Yeahs chronology

Is Is
(2007)		 It's Blitz!
(2009)		 iTunes Originals – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
(2009)
Singles from It's Blitz!
  1. "Zero"
    Released: February 24, 2009
  2. "Heads Will Roll"
    Released: June 29, 2009
  3. "Skeletons"
    Released: February 1, 2010

It's Blitz! is the third studio album by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released on March 9, 2009 by Interscope Records. It was originally set for release on April 13, 2009. However, after being leaked to the Internet on February 22,[3] the release date was pushed forward to March 9 for the digital version and March 31 for the physical version.[4]

The album was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Arcade Fire, Talking Heads, Public Image Ltd), along with TV on the Radio's David Andrew Sitek.[5] It spawned three singles: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Skeletons". It's Blitz! was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards.[6]

Recording

According to Nick Launay, one of the two producers, the recording of the album was unusual for being largely written and created in the studio at a time when record labels have cut back considerably on production budgets. The few songs the band did take along to the first sessions were later altered significantly.[7] Launay described a typical session as follows:

Brian [Chase] would play lots of different drumbeats and we'd record it, chop it up and then make a groove loop out of it. Nick [Zinner] would then just jam to it, and we'd come up with an interesting rhythm part. Karen [O] would listen to that and come up with a vocal melody and then suddenly everything would fall into place.[7]

The album sessions took place over several months in 2008, during which time there were numerous breaks "to get inspired".[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [8]
Robert Christgau A−[9]
Entertainment Weekly B+[10]
The Guardian [11]
Los Angeles Times [12]
NME 8/10[13]
Pitchfork Media 8.1/10[14]
Rolling Stone [15]
Slant Magazine [16]
Spin 9/10[1]

It's Blitz! received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 36 reviews.[17] The Guardian‍ '​s Caroline Sullivan commended the band's more dance-oriented sound, writing their "glittery new disco sound suits them very well. It's all cool, brittle catchiness, with a debt owed to Eat to the Beat-era Blondie".[11] Emily Mackay of NME wrote that "It's Blitz!‍ '​s heartfelt love letter to the transcendent possibilities of the dancefloor is an unexpectedly emphatic reassertion of why Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most exciting bands of this decade",[13] while Spin‍ '​s Charles Aaron said that it is "the alternative pop album of the decade—one that imbues The Killers' Hot Fuss and MGMT's Oracular Spectacular with a remarkable emotional depth and finesse".[1] Later that year, Spin would place the album second on their best albums of 2009 list.[18] Theon Weber of The Village Voice said that Karen O "isn't revealed to us through the record's lyrics, which are as gnomic as ever, but through attitudes, tones, put-on sneers, and audible grins."[19] Mojo gave it a score of four stars out of five and wrote that the band has "managed to mix the human and the electronic, the emotional and the artsy, the fashion-forward and the oddly retro."[20]

Blender also gave the album four stars out of five and hailed it as "the sound of a band reborn with new momentum, and on an album that requires dancing, the message is clear: It doesn't matter where you came from. Just keep moving."[21] Clash commented that the trio had achieved growth without distancing themselves from what made their name: "The album proves that they can provide epic music with personal themes, that YYYs can expand without losing what made us fall for them in the first place".[22] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that the band "grapple with separation and need, using dance beats to suggest the compulsive pleasure seeking that tries to drown out loneliness", and he commended their musical direction, stating "The band is echoing the evolution of postpunk, from dogmatic austerity to technologically assisted".[23] Uncut‍ '​s April Long gave it a score of four stars out of five and praised its "spirit of experimentation", stating "What unifies them is a warm romanticism that runs throughout, edging out Karen’s blatant eroticism of yore – even though there are more come-downs than come-ons, every song seems to glow from within".[24]

Accolades

It's Blitz! was ranked as the second best album of the year by Spin, third by NME and twelfth by Pitchfork Media and Rhapsody.[25][26][27][28] Both NME and Spin also listed the song "Zero" as the best of the year.[29][30]

Commercial performance

It's Blitz! debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard 200, selling 13,000 digital copies in its first week.[31] Following its physical release, the album climbed to a new peak position of number twenty-two in its fourth week on the chart, selling 22,000 copies.[32] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number nine with first-week sales of 18,054 copies.[33]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. 

No. Title Length
1. "Zero"   4:25
2. "Heads Will Roll"   3:41
3. "Soft Shock"   3:53
4. "Skeletons"   5:02
5. "Dull Life"   4:08
6. "Shame and Fortune"   3:31
7. "Runaway"   5:13
8. "Dragon Queen"   4:02
9. "Hysteric"   3:50
10. "Little Shadow"   3:57

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of It's Blitz![36]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Additional personnel
  • Tunde Adebimpe – backing vocals (track 8)
  • Atom – assistant engineering
  • Louie Bandack – A&R
  • David Belisle – live Karen and Brian photograph
  • Eric Biondo – trumpet (tracks 1, 9)
  • Stuart Bogie – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 8, 9), baritone saxophone (tracks 8, 9)
  • Tony Ciulla – management
  • Chris Coady – assistant engineering
  • Aaron Dembe – assistant engineering
  • Autumn de Wilde – live band photograph
  • Urs Fisher – art direction, cover and inside photograph
  • Charles Godfrey – assistant engineering
  • Matty Green – mixing assistant
  • Laura Haber – management
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Chris Kasych – mixing assistant
  • Greg Kurstin – piano (track 7)
  • Nick Launay – engineering, production
  • Mike Laza – assistant engineering
  • Justin Leeah – assistant engineering
  • Seb Marling – art direction
  • Chris Moore – assistant engineering
  • Alyssa Pittaluga – assistant engineering
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello (track 7)
  • David Andrew Sitek – production (tracks 1–4, 8, 9), additional production (tracks 5), engineering (all tracks)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
  • Eric Uhlir – live Nick photograph
  • Imaad Wasif – guitar (track 10)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[37] 8
Austrian Albums Chart[38] 61
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[39] 23
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[40] 83
Canadian Albums Chart[41] 18
Danish Albums Chart[42] 40
European Top 100 Albums[43] 32
French Albums Chart[44] 160
German Albums Chart[45] 71
Irish Albums Chart[46] 10
Italian Albums Chart[47] 91
Japanese Albums Chart[48] 62
Mexican Albums Chart[49] 56
New Zealand Albums Chart[50] 22
Norwegian Albums Chart[51] 12
Swiss Albums Chart[52] 85
UK Albums Chart[53] 9
US Billboard 200[54] 22
US Alternative Albums[55] 4
US Rock Albums[56] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[57] 192
US Alternative Albums[58] 43

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[59] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 100,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Aaron, Charles (March 18, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'It's Blitz!' (Interscope)". Spin. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  2. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (March 23, 2011). "Top 10 Garage Rock Revival Bands: Where Are They Now?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Dit it leak". Did it Leak. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs to release album early due to leak", NME, March 3, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
  5. ↑ Goodman, William. "Exclusive: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Talk New Album", Spin, February 12, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
  6. ↑ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List", Grammy.com, December 2, 2009
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Interview With Nick Launay". HitQuarters. November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ Phares, Heather. "It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs". AllMusic. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: It's Blitz!". MSN Music: May 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010.
  10. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (March 20, 2009). "It's Blitz Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sullivan, Caroline (March 19, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!". The Guardian. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  12. ↑ Wood, Mikael (March 30, 2009). "Album review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'It's Blitz!'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mackay, Emily (March 26, 2009). "Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (It's Blitz!)". NME. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  14. ↑ Love, Joshua (March 26, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  15. ↑ Rosen, Jody (March 17, 2009). "It's Blitz!". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  16. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (March 16, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!". Slant Magazine. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Critic Reviews for It's Blitz". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  18. ↑ "The 40 Best Albums of 2009". Spin. December 7, 2009. Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  19. ↑ Weber, Theon (April 1, 2009). "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Bowery Ballroom Blitz". The Village Voice. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Review: It's Blitz". Mojo (London): 94. May 2009.
  21. ↑ "Review: It's Blitz!". Blender. March 2009.
  22. ↑ Murray, Robin (March 13, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!, Album three from the NYC trio...", Clash. Retrieved on April 15, 2009.
  23. ↑ Pareles, Jon (March 29, 2009). "New CDs (Yeah Yeah Yeahs: 'It's Blitz!')". The New York Times. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  24. ↑ Long, April (2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!". Uncut. Retrieved on June 10, 2010.
  25. ↑ The 25 Best Albums of 2009 Referenced July 31, 2010
  26. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7744-the-top-50-albums-of-2009/4/
  27. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2009". NME. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  28. ↑ "The 40 Best Albums of 2009". Spin. December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  29. ↑ "50 Best Tracks of 2009". NME. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  30. ↑ "The 20 Best Songs of 2009". Spin. December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  31. ↑ Peters, Mitchell (March 28, 2009). "Leak Builds 'Blitz!'". Billboard 121 (12): 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  32. ↑ "The Billboard 200". Billboard 121 (15): 38. April 18, 2009. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  33. ↑ Jones, Alan (April 14, 2009). "GaGa edges it in albums chart". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  34. ↑ "It's Blitz! [Digi-Pack]". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  35. ↑ "It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs". iTunes Store US. Apple. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  36. ↑ It's Blitz! (CD liner notes). Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Interscope Records. 2009. B0012735-02.
  37. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  39. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Chart history: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  43. ↑ "European Albums: Week of April 25, 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  45. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!" (in German). charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 9 April 2009". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  47. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 16 (dal 06-04-2009 al 12-04-2009)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  48. ↑ ヤー・ヤー・ヤーズのアルバム売り上げランキング [Yeah Yeah Yeahs album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  50. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  51. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  52. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  53. ↑ "2009 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. April 18, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  54. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  55. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Chart history: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  56. ↑ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Chart history: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  57. ↑ "2009 Year End Charts: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  58. ↑ "Alternative Albums: 2009 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  59. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  60. ↑ "British album certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!". British Phonographic Industry. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2014. Enter It's Blitz! in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search