The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have gotten some crap from fans who feel that the New York City trio’s latest album, It’s Blitz!, is too polished, too poppy, too mainstream. Really, is it so hard to embrace a little melody now and again?

While the synth-centric It’s Blitz! departs from the rough-and-tumble sound of previous full-lengths Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s disco potential has been evident for years, with remixes both official and otherwise pointing the way. From Tommie Sunshine’s thumping Brooklyn Fire Retouch of “Y Control” to a cut-and-paste take on “Cheated Hearts” courtesy of Steven Bloodbath, singer Karen O is as enchanting when filtered via club sound system as she is on the stage of some hole-in-the-wall venue. Arguably even more so.

While “Zero,” the lead-off single from It’s Blitz!, is brilliant, “Heads Will Roll” is even better. The track owes a little something to New Order’s “Blue Monday,” but partnered with Karen O’s emphatic entreaties (“Off with your head! / Dance ’til you’re dead!”) and a dreamy bridge, the Yeahs’ have crafted one catchy little ditty. How even the most hardened of indie hearts is still able to resist its temptation is beyond my comprehension.

Clubgoers need not wait for a remix to get things moving this time around, as “Heads Will Roll” arrives club-ready. Hear here:

Purchase Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

Photo credit: Josh Wildman