This Is Our Jam: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Sacrilege”

When the Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced that its new album Mosquito was a return to its lo-fi roots, we imagined something akin to the jagged guitars of the Is Is EP. First single, "Sacrilege," however, is a very different sort of raw. The track is built around Nick Zinner's entropic, bluesy guitar and an old-school Karen O shriek that does indeed conjure images of basement shows past. That's where the nostalgia ends, though, with the second half of the song rising up as a gospel choir chants the unholy chorus. Still, even with the wall of backing vocals, the track crackles with corroded-tape hiss. The final minute plays like a Southern gothic rock-'n'-roll exorcism, with Karen O leading the congregation: "It's sacrilege, you say." It's proof that while the band may finally be back after four long years, they're still looking forward.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs –– Mosquito "Sacrilege"