Yves Klein Blue may have a pretentious name, but don’t let that put you off their music. This album is a delight amongst the dirge of MGMT wannabes and generic Wombats-esque bands that have emerged over the last twelve months.
Every track on ‘Draw Attention To Themselves’ is different, but not in a way that detracts from the overall sound. The band shows off their musical influences in a skilled way. ‘Polka’ has a thumping, violent chorus that is reminiscent of Pixies or Modest Mouse while ‘(A Bookend)’ has pianos that sound a lot like Joe Jackson. This is not to say that Yves Klein Blue mimic the influences around them; rather they take those influences and use them to forge something different and exciting. The album races through to its conclusion, and at one minute and fifty-six seconds, ‘The Streetlight’ is both the shortest and last track on the EP, but its laidback swagger will stay with you after you’ve turned the record off.
The band has just finished working in North Hollywood with Kevin Augunas, producer and engineer of ‘Robbers and Cowards,’ Cold War Kids’ breakthrough album, and he is a wise choice. We can only hope that Yves Klein Blue’s next production will be just as refreshing. For now let’s hope they really do ‘Draw Attention To Themselves’ (sorry, but I had to put that pun in somewhere).
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