Seattle, WA's the Girls have matured a bit since releasing their self-titled debut album in 2005; while that LP was described by one critic as "
the Cars mixed with
the Buzzcocks,"
Yes No Yes No Yes No suggests that someone in the band has been listening to
Wire's
Pink Flag, and flashes of that album's sharply intelligent attack are plainly visible in the formula. However, just because the Girls have been digging deeper into the archives of the first punk-new wave era, that doesn't mean they've been doing a whole lot of original musical thinking, and
Yes No Yes No Yes No sounds plainly derivative, from the buzzy whistling of Derek Mason's keyboards to
Shannon Brown's mannered vocals. Of course, in this era of "new new wave," the Girls are a few steps ahead of their peers in that they manage to conjure an approximation of the intelligence and sense of style of the late-'70s/early-'80s bands they clearly love along with their sound, and "Point of Departure" and "Where Wolves Drink" are edgy enough to suggest this band might actually develop a personality of its own given enough time. The Girls also have the good sense not to wear out their welcome, as
Yes No Yes No Yes No runs just under 26 minutes, but until they learn how to do more than ape their heroes, maybe it's just as well they don't give themselves more room to move. ~ Mark Deming