Yeah

AMG Review of Yeah

Jason Damas
All Music Guide

After a long (nearly three-year) absence, the Wannadies returned in 1999 with their fifth proper album Yeah. Although its release was hindered slightly (it appeared in the U.K. six months after its initial Swedish release and in the United States even later), Yeah is a tour de force that effectively expands the band's sound even farther. The Wannadies enlisted former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek as producer, and this proved to be a very wise decision -- his trademark stamp is dripping off of most of these tracks, especially the title track, an outstanding techno-glam rock party anthem, and on the handclaps in "Big Fan." Yeah is a slightly darker release than their previous efforts -- due mostly to some bitter record company battles. Because of this, there is a good share of ballads, especially darker ones. While they're not the Wannadies' forte (and are, therefore, amongst the weaker tracks on the album), they're still excellent and help distinguish Yeah from the previous Wannadies releases. Other highlights include the Nirvana-esque "I Love Myself" and the pure melt away pop of "No Holiday."