Rock 'n' roll blitz

It's been almost a decade since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs bolted out of the same post-punk New York stable that once housed The Strokes and White Stripes. But where their counterparts ended up getting lost in their own self-importance and stagnated, the YYYs have continued to grow from strength to strength.

Led by Karen O (aka Karen Lee Orzolek), a no-nonsense songstress with all the fiesty qualities of a genuine riot "grrrrl," the trio - with Nick Zinner on guitar and Brian Chase on drums - immediately set about applying a cool aesthetic gloss to their own brand of garage rock.

"Men like me 'cause I'm a warrior," Karen declares without a hint of irony on "Warriors," a track from the group's recently released third album It's Blitz!, and one that shows that Miss O is certainly no shrinking violet. In many ways, it heralds the start of a new chapter in the band's career, where that final stride toward perfection has become their No. 1 priority.

It's Blitz! is not so much a diversion from the rougher, more aggressive feel of their two previous discs, but rather a swankier, sleeker step up. 2006's Show Your Bones, named for the effect of plugging yourself into a light socket, will no doubt remain a classic for tracks like "Black Tongue" and "Honeybear." But this latest effort ultimately brings out the best in the band. It's probably got a lot to do with their longstanding desire to incorporate more of a dance element, which is largely achieved on tracks like "Dragon Queen" and the infectious new single "Heads Will Roll."

Unlike many bands of their ilk who feed on their own fame, with Karen O and company there's definitely no pretense. Although onstage she teases her audience with bizarre dance routines, gestures and throwing rock shapes that would put Freddie Mercury to shame, she's not one for basking in the artificial glory of stardom.

It might have seemed otherwise back in 2003, following the explosive media interest in the band's 2003 release Fever To Tell, when Miss O accepted celebrity invitations to the Grammy Awards and the like, and ended up being photographed with socialite Paris Hilton and her unfortunate pooch. But then she came to her senses and moved to Los Angeles, where she admits, "I can just hang around and not have to worry about going to parties."

Which isn't to say that Miss O has entirely given up on frivolity. Indeed, it remains the driving force of the band, including their production assistants. In 2005, Karen lent her voice to an award-winning Adidas footwear commercial directed by her then-boyfriend, Spike Jonze. And when rock critics were salivating in anticipation of Show Your Bones, Jonze's brother Sam Spiegel, who produced the album, exposed his wicked sense of humor by tricking everyone into believing that it was going to be a concept album about O's cat, Coco Beware.

As for what to expect at their Prague show, all you have to do is refer to the title of the new disc.

James Scanlon can be reached at
features@praguepost.com