White Music for Black People

Coates on the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album:

I think my opinions are shaped by basically missing any music created by white people during the mid to late 80s. Kids like me would have been dismissed as "acting white" for listening to a ban like the Yeah Yeahs Yeahs. OK, that's dishonest--I would have been the one doing the dismissing. What can I say? I was young and stupid, and thought the Bomb Squad and Marle Marl created the world. To get a listen from me, you had to run game--think George Michael who half my hood thought was black. We couldn't get cable in the city, and so we missed a lot of videos. (Hell, even Madonna got cut off, post "Get Into The Goove.")

Kenyatta, who did listen to a lot of white 80s acts, was saying how much of the stuff I'm digging today is derived from her childhood. I can vaguely hear that. But not really. The YYYs offer a shot at redemption, a chance at forgiveness for that imaginary black kid who I mocked as white because he dug Flock Of Seagulls. Forgive me Derwin. Everyone else, cop It's Blitz. Derwin already has it.

I agree with Coates, the album is quite good. It sounds sort of like a David Bowie album mixed with the Pretenders. And Karen O's voice is great. Like Coates says, it's not flashy but she never oversings. And her voice has this thing where it sounds like it's part of the rhythm section as much as it is part of the melody of the song. Just listen to her sing on "Soft Shock," which may be the best song on the album, and how she says the words "what's the time, what's the day, don't leave me?" Good stuff.