Karen O.

ICE QUEEN: Karen O. (born Karen Lee Orzolek)
BAND: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
ORIGIN: New Jersey, USA
GENRE: Indie
ACCOMPLICES: Nick Zinner (guitar), Brian Chase (drums)
DISCOGRAPHY: "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" EP (2001), "Machine" EP (2002), "Fever To Tell" (2003), "Show Your Bones" (2006), "Is Is" EP (2007), "It's Blitz!" (2009)
INFLUENCES: Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, New York's No Wave

IMHO: The first time I heard the YYY's was when I was helping my friend Scott to edit his documentary "Kill Yr. Idols", a mise-en-scène of the New York No Wave versus the Yes Wave. He had gone to see them play in some very small venue, and came back and said "these kids are going to be the next big thing, I must interview them for my documentary." He was obviously right. At the beginning I saw Karen O as a female version of Marilyn Manson meets Freddie Mercury meets Morrissey meets Jack Skellington, a spasmodic stick figure jumping, stretching and screeching all over the stage... It took me a while to get used to her stage persona, but I quickly loved the music, the simplicity of a guitar, drums and a voice (what a voice), and the endless creativity and ideas that came based on those three elements. Three studio albums later, I can't wait to listen to "It's Blitz!", and although they have departed a bit from the raw lo-fi punk of their beginnings, their electronica era sounds very promising.

FAVORITE SONGS: "Pin", "Miles Away", "Cheated Hearts", "Y Control", "Way Out", "Cold Light", "Art Star", etc etc etc.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Really, all of them.

SEEN THEM LIVE: At Irving Plaza, NYC, back in 2003. I don't remember much about that show, I should go see them again.

WHAT OTHERS SAY: