3/5 stars

There are two sides to alt-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: the loud, tough, concert-rocking side (think “Heads Will Roll”) and the ultra-vulnerable, intimate side (think “Maps”). The two are so different at times that the groups can seem like two different bands from two different genres playing for two different kinds of audiences. The more polarizing of the two sides is the hard-rocking side, where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs often move into the experimental realm. Some appreciate how unique they are, while others find this side of their music downright bizarre. Mosquito, the band’s first album since 2009’s It’s Blitz!, is a return to the band’s garage-band basics. This is what makes the album a fun listen, but it’s also the album’s main weakness. There’s ample experimenting in the album, but at times, there is little cohesion. However, the band’s spirit and unfaltering uniqueness still powers.

The hard-rocking side opens the album with the debut single of the album, “Sacrilege.” The song starts with Karen O singing, softly piercing and containing her signature screams that sound more like they belong on the battlefield than the recording studio, then building to a powerful crescendo backed by a full gospel choir. It is backed up by a looping guitar riff and pronounced drums. It’s a classic Yeah Yeah Yeahs rock song; crazed, urban and cool.

The album soon moves to the weird beginning with the title track “Mosquito.” Karen O whispers “mosquito” over a beat that sounds like it’s from a voodoo tribal ceremony. The song is dominated by her frenzied screams, but the guitar and strong percussion help to build the manic nature of the song. It’s a song that either people will hate or will love; I myself lean toward the latter. The descent into musical madness flops with “Buried Alive,” which features Dr. Octagon (also known as Kool Keith), and here, things get just too weird. The song is an aural overload, with way too many different sound elements and rapping that seem incredibly out of place on this garage-rock album.

The best part of the album is when the ultra-tough Karen O persona falls away and we see her softer, quieter and deeply vulnerable side. “Subway” tells the story of a girl who loses her love in the subways of New York City. Karen O’s voice is quiet and subtle, at times just a whisper that is drowned out by the beautifully simple guitar, the synths and the sounds of a subway train passing by. The most touching of all is the closing track, “Wedding Song.” A sharp departure from the craziness of “Mosquito” or “Buried Alive,” it is instead a mom-friendly love song. Downplayed guitar and a powerful drum beat back up the subdued vocal. It’s not hard to imagine the ever-dynamic O with tears falling down her face as she performs this live.

It’s undeniable that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back. Although Mosquito is a little manic, it comes together in the emotion that it elicits from its listeners, whether that be joy, confusion, heartache or love.