Big Eye hired a bundle of New York area hopefuls for this
Yeah Yeah Yeahs tribute. This is better than the company's usual tack of letting studio types tumble lamely through the material; however, some of the stylistic choices are a little off. A tribute to
Karen O's crew is suspect anyway, given the band's short shelf life. Nevertheless, here it is.
Undermine X obliterates the inky sheen and curiously strong emotions of "Maps," twisting it into generically jocular alt metal. High Tigers do a better job with "Our Time," respecting the original's dynamics but giving it a slight punk/emo spin, and while the New York No Stars' Meghan White sounds remarkably like
O, she and her band somehow turn "Y Control" into
No Doubt while still staying close to the original. You have to hear it to believe it.
Tribute to Yeah Yeah Yeahs shifts gears in its second half. The "Roots of" portion includes what seems to be a live version of
Nico's "All Tomorrow's Parties," as well as two relics of the '80s L.A. death rock scene in
.45 Grave and Super Heroines. (Clarifying the misleading liner note upsell, the latter's connection to
Hole comes via Heroines bassist Jill Emery. In other words, there's no real connection to this comp.) Ultimately,
Tribute to Yeah Yeah Yeahs is probably of worth more to fans of the groups involved than the one being feted. ~ Johnny Loftus