It turns out Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and frontwoman Karen O have flown to Australia of late to promote respective solo projects — Zinner with his symphonic debut, “41 Strings,” and O with her first psycho-opera, Stop the Virgens. The latter is of particular interest around here, as it stems from a shelved 2005 solo album from O left gathering dust while YYYs followed their debut with two more excellent LPs and the personal favorite Is Is EP. Last fall we heard “Duet” premiered live on WNYC, and now we have a video take on the somber cut with Jason Grisell returning on harmony vocals/guitar. Zinner and O originally conceived their band as an acoustic duo back in 2000, so I like to imagine this material as a kind of alternate reality to the heavier direction they ended up pursuing for a decade. Check it out above. Meanwhile, explore Stop the Virgens further with a behind-the-scenes featurette after the jump.
Karen O
Karen O: “Duet”
Karen O’s Stop the Virgens, a new “psycho-opera” written by and starring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman, premiered this month at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Directed by Adam Rapp — and described by O as “a psychedelic ride laced with catharsis” — the solo project features musical direction by YYYs guitarist Nick Zinner with Sam Spiegel, as well as a guest performance from drummer Brian Chase. While previews of the piece were limited to the lucky few in attendance of the live event, an interview with WNYC a few weeks back brought this stunning acoustic taste of their work. Above, hear Jason P. Grisell and O sing “Duet” live.
Karen O Covers Willie & Waylon
We first heard Karen O settle into a low-key country tune with last fall’s Roger Alan Wade-penned Jackass theme, “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough,” but here she is taking on a classic: “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” a late-’70s hit (written by Jack and Patsy Bruce) for outlaw-country greats Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. O’s eery, forlorn cover arrives as the soundtrack to “Abandon,” a short video spot for Chipotle’s new American farming support organization, the Cultivate Foundation. Hear O’s cut — the latest in her consistent run of excellent non-Yeah Yeah Yeahs projects — above.