Fever to Tell is the debut album from one of my favorite bands, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This short, crisp, raw album is pure garage punk/rock/pop at its finest. Lead singer Karen O is a coy and captivating artist, her voice is just so expressive - love her! Maps is the breakout song on this record, I remember seeing the video on MTV in 2003, I was instantly hooked! The best song is Y Control which has a country kind of feel, this song could've easily fit on their follow-up disc, Show Your Bones (another great album by the way!) Rich, Pin, and Cold Night are some of my favorite tracks, just pure energy. I highly recommend this blistering album, you won't be disappointed.

"Fever to Tell" is a really awkward and bizarre listen from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's since there's plenty of potential and musically, the band is quite capable of developing big rock numbers to somber or quieter tunes yet some of them feel a bit underwritten or just not entirely fleshed out with a couple not even more than 2 minutes long. Musically, this record is the band at some of their most aggressive and loudest which makes for some big rock moments but sometimes very little in terms of actual songs.

Rich: An intro that sets the tone: high-fretted guitar notes, big drum part, Karen O's shift from singing to throaty yells and loud distorted riffs. It's certainly an interesting song and the more I listen, the more I like so good on them. 8/10

Date With the Night: Very groove-based song and one of the more memorable ones. However I will say the "choke, choke!" chorus where it gets loud, very distorted and a lot more aggro doesn't sit well with me. The song's got a great energy but whenever that part hits, for some reason I don't care for it. 7.5/10

Man: Another energetic song and all and again like Date With the Night, it's got cool riffs but the problem is that it's ridiculously short at 1:50. Good length or underwritten? Hm. 7/10

Tick: Another really short one (strangely at 1:50 as well) and it's certainly raucous and it's actually funny, if only for Karen's increasingly frenzied singing the more the thing goes on. It leaves an impression but then it goes away just as fast. 7/10

Black Tongue: Now this one I like since it's got cool riffs and it's actually quite singable and catchy as well and Karen certainly shows quite a lot of attitude on this, which is probably why I like it more. 8/10

Pin: For some reason the intro reminds me of that AC/DC song but oh well. Strangely it seems like the more the record progresses the better it gets in terms of melodies. Still not up to the standards of songs later on the record but it works. 7.5/10

Cold Light: Somewhat underdeveloped for me and one I barely return to all that much. Not that there's anything wrong with it in terms of structure and whatnot but it just doesn't grab me. 6/10

No No No: A really out there song with lots of big fat guitar riffs and noisy parts though it's somewhat lacking in singable melodies but then it all of a sudden quiets down for some space-y feedback, strange guitar noises and more jam-like approach. Might polarize some. 7.5/10

Maps: Now we get into the good stuff, and by that I mean the tracks that are exceptionally great. We start off with Maps, arguably their "signature tune" with Karen O's emotive delivery having all the power in her voice by not overdoing it, or as we can say, the Celine Dion approach. Definitely worth a listen if you haven't already. 9/10

Y Control: Cool guitar intro at the start and all the big riffs really help the song become a really entertaining track and seems like they saved some of their better for last. And it's actually a decent length too so yay. 9/10

Modern Romance: A somewhat depressing song with a very bassy but melancholy guitar riff and Karen's vocals at some of their more relaxed on the record. It's something they'd explore a bit more with later records, mainly It's Blitz so it's great to see them not just do aggressive numbers the whole time. Funny thing is that it's only 3 minutes and some long than there's a secret track at the end so it's shorter than it appears. 9/10

From a song-by-song standpoint, Fever to Tell isn't a very strong record until the home stretch but if you just leave it on and try not to look at certain songs individually it works quite well but the band will improve on each listen so this makes this a record that's worth checking out though not one of their more consistent ones.

The headline fronted a wink-wink t-shirt that I regrettably wore as an idiotic adult child attending a state college. No, I never was offered any favors when that article was worn, but it certainly held a double meaning to a mid-90's drunken idiot. While that pathetic exclamation was splashed on my being, vile underground punk / post-punk 'divas' like pre-1987 Siouxsie Sioux (and her banshees) and Linder (Ludus) were ignored in my limited historical musical survey.

1998 was my introductory year to tireless research on great underground and commercial artists of the past several decades. Shockingly early on in my research were the two referenced cynically theatrical cranium crunchers. Both acts wailed with blood under the fingertips clawing -- they were a sound mutilation. Only one maintained a career (Siouxsie) and the other is solely remembered as a curious name check from Morrissey.

Linder was a soul-piercing vocalist. From 1978-83, her unorganized Manchester band recorded only a couple times for a local indie label. When I heard her shrill, but artistically-enrapturing tracks -- she simply froze me in sadness. It was an outrage that she had to be unearthed for any recognition. However, part of me felt that this sound may actually come back and a second opportunity for the experience would return.

Ludus reappeared in the form of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O with "Date With The Night". Melodically brutal instrumentation and O's psychotic chorus wail of "Choke" willed my purchase of Fever to Tell. Although the Yeah Yeah Yeah's sonic background provides an appropriately confused blend of garage, art-noise and proto-new wave, the lead vocalist is its commandeer.

Karen O's lyrics blatantly sexual lyrics are usually attributed to her male lead counterparts. They spark with deadly conviction. She reportedly fell in love immediately prior to Fever to Tell's recording, but is broadcast akin to grabbing an unsuspecting fellow by his testicles and dragging him. There are a couple of mellower tracks, but most are cast with the similar devilish glow, which hovers the cd's entirety. The lone exception is the Sioux-ish hauntingly luscious "Maps". Clocking in at around 37 brisk minutes (including a pause and a bonus sister to the closing listed track), Fever to Tell does not tire and persists its curious allurement even after multiple listens.

Ironically, Karen O would likely attire herself with the same shirt that I wore in school and would not give a damn what anyone thought. Fear not and be dominated with Fever to Tell because it is much more tolerable if you choose not to entertain resistance.

That song is awesome. It's great that good rock music still exists. It just has a catchy beat to it. Check out the "Show Your Bones" album too. Some good songs there as well.

This is a great raw punk rock record many of the songs are around 2 and a half minutes long, and are very catchy, my favorite song is MAN which i think is the shortest song on the record, but Karen O is at her firey best on that one