“Sacrilege” has impeccable, albeit coincidental, timing. Released 48 hours before Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, the title alone slyly mocks the pontiff’s questionable handling of an organization mired in controversy. Had the three punks comprising Yeah Yeah Yeahs produced the song a tad later, His Holiness might have considered “Sacrilege” to be, well… sacrilege.
Religious dogma aside, “Sacrilege” marks a triumphant return for a group who left on a relatively high note four years ago. The first single on the band’s forthcoming LP, Mosquito, combines everything that made YYYs famous. It possesses It’s Blitz!‘s giddy pop tones while simultaneously allowing Fever to Tell‘s famed grit to seep through its cracks.
While most YYYs tracks highlight Karen O’s unique vocality, “Sacrilege” does so in a much more compelling manner. She assumes a god-like role, as the title suggests, demanding all attention from her listeners. Whether this is executed through her classic shriek or wailing over a bombastic chorus, Karen O commands the track. She ultimately convinces her apostles to abandon their passions to follow her voice for a living.
The song’s surrounding melodies, however, only enhance its intensity. Jagged bass lines ring out underneath bouncing guitar licks as a religious choral group screams “And I plead and I pray”. The track’s sound combinations seem as off-putting as Mosquito‘s album cover. But when its calamitous tones rise from hell’s underbelly into heavenly jubilation, renouncing one’s faith seems justifiable.