With My Best Friend is You, it seems Kate Nash has decided to shy far, far away from the sweetly sung, Lily Allen-tinged ditties on her debut. Well actually, there’s nothing too shy about it.

The 22-year-old’s effort, released on April 19, finds the English songstress dabbling in the territory of defiant riot grrrl rawrrr, complete with crashing drums, jagged guitar squeals, and far more experimental, layered song construction.

Take for instance “I Just Love You More,” a slow burning, building repetition of the same line: “I just love you more than…anything.” As the cymbals crash and dive deeper with each repetition, the singer slowly spirals into jittering cries and guttural yelps recalling the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Karen O until completely breaking down, unleashing wild cries of “Bah, bah, bah, bah, dah, dah, bah, bah!” It’s a briefly amazing moment–and more importantly, an introduction to entirely new side of Nash we’ve never heard before.

That’s not to say that there isn’t any trace of Nash’s initial sound that brought her initial acclaim back with 2007′s Made of Bricks. With songs like the catchy first track “Paris” and the album’s lead single “Do Wah Doo,” Nash’s album blazes with the sunny piano melodies, hand claps, and blaring horns that colored her first album.

Later on with “I Hate Seagulls,” Nash closes her album in the same way she did her debut: a simple, melodious tune–occasionally silly and entirely heartfelt–which finds the singer cooing softly about all the things she hates (among them, scabs and “rude, ignorant bastards”), but ultimately returning to the one thing she does like: “You’re so nice, and I’m in love with you.”

For the most part, however, Nash isn’t so sentimental on My Best Friend is You. In fact, she’s as scathingly to-the-point and jealous as ever: “Kiss that girl and I will shrink up and I will die / And I will think of a thousand ways that I can hurt you, and you will never touch my hand,” she promises in the misleadingly sweet, twinkling chorus of “Kiss That Grrrl.”

While the singer’s musical references may have matured in the past three years from Lily Allen to Bikini Kill, her lyrics still paint her as a young spirit–at times immature and often emotional–though now with more anger and angst than ever before. Give “Mansion Song” thirty seconds and see if your eyes don’t nearly pop out of her sockets as Nash recites a caustic, damning monologue about women who allow themselves to be used. It’s a must listen, but be warned–she’s pissed.

Then there’s “Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt,” which begins simply enough with a lonely guitar strum and some twinkling bells; the tempo building slowly as Nash narrates a sad, broken love story. “I don’t know how more people don’t have mental health problems / Thinking is one of the most stressful things I’ve ever come across…” she suddenly begins to utter above the swinging beat, diving deeper and deeper into a rapid-fire monologue about life. And dictionaries. And India and pyramids and swimming and shouting. It’s dizzying, but brilliant at the same time–a perfect representation of the very manic thoughts Nash claims she cannot control.

Nash’s newest release is for fans of riot grrrl sound and ’60′s girl group pop (and quite the treat for fans of both). While I can’t guarantee that fans of her first record will take to My Best Friend is You quite as kindly, there’s just enough of a hint of sugary sweet sprinkled in between the raging rawrrr of the album to please listeners of all types.

Want to win a poster AND a copy of It’s Blitz, the new album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Send an e-mail to YYY@muumuse.com by TOMORROW, May 13, @ 12 PM EST to win! A winner will be chosen at random and notified immediately. USA applicants only. (Sorry!)

In honor of Lady O and the boys’ latest gallavant ’round the nation, I thought to myself: What better way to celebrate their tour then by giving their music away for free to strangers?!

So while you’re waiting to see them, check out their performance of “Heads Will Roll” on Later with Jools Holland.

Fancy footwork!

Click “Read More…” to see the tour dates, here to order tickets, and below to hear more from the YYYs!


TOUR DATES

5/23 Quincy, WA – Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre On Sale 5/2, 10am
5/27 Detroit, MI – Clutch Cargos On Sale 4/29,10am
5/28 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall On Sale 5/2, 10am
5/30 Minneapolis, MN – First Ave On Sale 5/2, 10am
5/31 Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Club On Sale 5/2, 10am
6/2 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant On Sale 5/1, 5pm
6/3 Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont On Sale 5/9, 10am
6/6 Mountain View, CA – Live 105 BFD
6/12 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
7/31 Jersey City, NJ – All Points West

Yes Muusers, the Yeah Yeah Yeah‘s upcoming single “Zero” from It’s Blitz has just made its way into the audio stream.

“Zero” sounds a bit like The Killers, if fronted by Santogold and produced by…Moby.

“Zero” sounds nothing like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

No crashing drums or howls on high from Karen O to be found here; just cold, calculated New Wave-esque electronica and guitar riffs. Normally I’d be all about the production in a pop song, but for the YYY’s? …Not their strongest suit.

As one fan noted, “Zero” is a grower, not a shower. But for the “their old stuff was better” crew seeking the impossibly raw, blood-n-dirt energy of Fever To Tell, this simply may not bode well for the band.

Let’s just hope that “Zero” is but the launching pad of the album.

EDIT: Upon listening ten more times this morning, I think I may like this after all.

DL: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (Sharebee)

I told you.

Last December, I predicted that the new album by N.A.S.A. (comprised of Sam Spiegel and DJ Zegon), The Spirit Of Apollo, would bring about a certain kind of Apocalypse.

Well, look around: A crumbling economy, a lesbian taking over as premier in Iceland…It’s only a matter of time before the Great Winged One of Darkness bursts forth through the crumbling Earth’s core and begins spewing hellfire and wickedness for eons to come.

But while we wait, we can still give a listen to the new album!

N.A.S.A., short for North America, South America is a collaborative effort between some of society’s most cherished and talented indie rockers, hip-hop superstars, and a slew of freaks and geeks in between (Karen O, Lykke Li, M.I.A, Santogold, and Tom Waits to name only a few) …all coming together for one masterful piecing together of music and imagery.

Opening tracks including “Money” and “Hip-Hop” take a moment to frown upon the evils of greed and the “instant fame” complex plaguing modern pop today, all within hook-heavy choruses and stellar musical production.

Like most of the raps featured within Spirit, the verses benefit from superior, thought-provoking lyricism rather than mile-a-minute brag attacks: “When I first started, I was whole hearted, but now the game became dearly departed / Billboard charted, artists get retarted when them checks come, I still respect some.”

Standouts on the album are generally unsurprising; those featuring the megawattage stars tend to shine brightest, such as Karen O’s deliciously unexpected cameo upon the appropriate titled “Strange Enough.” Though all too brief, hearing her weird, warbly voice only served to further my desire to hear the upcoming Yeah Yeah Yeah‘s release.

Then there’s “Gifted” featuring Lykke Li, Santogold, and Kanye West, a track that leaked earlier last year. With all of its glittering, sputtering beats and crushed electronica, “Gifted” sounds doubly gorgeous in high quality. “Way Down” is another sizzler, creeping in like a lazy ’70′s summer haze. “Don’t ask me where I’ve been…Way down,” Barbie Hatch slinkily croons throughout the funkified, tripping beat.

“Whatchadoin” might be the most irrestistable number; a thump-tastic set of classic M.I.A. back-n-forth rhyming, and uncontrollably catchy, plumped up beats. Santogold‘s rockier, grittier influence also makes itself apparent against the more tribal beats of M.I.A. “Whhhhatcha’ doin?” taunts the chorus, in a classic Arular stomper only Ms. Arulpragasam could properly dominate.

At times though, the album suffers from an oversaturation with heavy hip-hop, such as “The Mayor.” The same applies to “Spacious Thoughts,” which seems particularly all over the place with the inclusino of Tom Waits‘ signature growlings atop a doped-up, hip-hop thump that never fully unfolds into something cohesive.

Still, it’s an issue of preference. For me? I’m not into harder hip-hop, so the tracks don’t appeal. For others, I’m sure they could very well play like the tracklisting to a dream mix-tape.

In short, the album is a sm ashing success, bringing together the rich flavors and flows from all reaches–both geographical and musical. Hearing the album in full allows itself to the fundamental idea of musicas a forum for communication and expression, and this diverse cast of both superstar and underground icons truly serve to enrich the album with their own unique influences and styles.

Plus, the beats are pretty damn hot.

A job well done, N.A.S.A. Now go on and set the world ablaze.

DL: Whachadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner) (Starfire Remix) (Sharebee)

Click here to pre-order The Spirit of Apollo.

Sam Spiegel (perhaps better known as Squeak E. Clean) is, as we all may soon come to realize, the devil. One needs only briefly look over the exhaustive list of indie darlings and pop culture icons (including Karen O, Nina Persson, Lovefoxxx, Tom Waits, and Ghostface Killah) set to lay down their vocals upon his killer debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, in February 2009 to know that for sure. The only explanation of this impossible gathering of talent is dark magick, leading to what will surely become a downward spiral of hellfire and damnation upon the Earth, at last leading us all unto the End Of Days.

But until that day, we’ve got one new track from the release called “Gifted,” which benefits from the assistance of Kanye West on the first verse, Santogold on the second, and Lykke Li in the choruses. A hipster’s wet dream? You bet your sweet girly ass jeans it is. Yet with its uber-slick synthesized production and bouncy, bubbly bass, the Apocalypse has never sounded so sweet.

DL: N.A.S.A. – Gifted ft. Kanye West, Santogold, and Lykke Li