Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were an indispensable part of New York City’s art-house punk scene well before the release of their 2001 self-titled EP, but 2003 was the year that the rest of the world got on board. The trio’s teeth-gnashing full-length debut, Fever to Tell, was a wonderfully fucked-up pastiche of Pennzoil pop and junk-store punk that scored favorably with fans and critics alike. Many of those pundits were drawn to lead vixen Karen O, who may be the sexiest leather moll to front a rock band since Chrissie Hynde. After a year of relentless touring, Fever was perched near the top of most critical polls, including Jon Pareles’ New York Times list.