January 3–10, 2002

music picks|rock/pop

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Remember The Legend of Billie Jean? It’s on cable all the time: Helen Slater and pals are on the run in a big ugly station wagon, dodging cops and parents and other slimy adults who just don’t understand. And in the background, Pat Benatar’s singing "Invincible" all proud and defiant, as if it’s the national anthem for kids, or at least people with half a brain. New York City’s The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a song called "Our Time" that will give you the same feeling, even if the brash guitar-and-drums-only sound is quite a distance from Benatar’s big arena rock. "It’s the year to be hated," sings Karen O exhaustedly, "So glad that we made it." Onstage, O is charismatic and professional, aloof and warm all at once. Free of instrumental responsibilities, she prowls the stage, wraps the microphone cord around her neck and dances while trying to keep her oversized sunglasses on. Often loud and always danceable, this trio is engaging enough to inspire sing-alongs, even if they have to teach you the words on the fly. Über-crit Greil Marcus calls "Our Time" an anthem for post-Sept. 11 New Yorkers, but that’s not really fair — this is a song for the kids, or at least people with half a brain. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs will knock your socks off at Sugar Town this Saturday.

—Patrick Rapa

Sugar Town with The Jane Anchor, Riff Raff, The Minks and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sat. Jan. 5, 9:30 p.m., $7, The Balcony at the Trocadero, 10th and Arch sts., 215-922-LIVE, www.thetroc.com.