Sophomore slump? Make that sophomore jump for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs [ tickets ].

"Show Your Bones" is the trio's finest music so far--independent and accessible. Six years after forming in New York City, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs surrender to their inner pop sensibilities--and the payoff is big.

Karen O feels like Deborah Harry and sounds like Chrissie Hynde as she purrs, growls and rattles her ultra-minimalist lyrics. On the acoustic "Way Out," she declares, "When you mean it on the inside / You still can't get to me." Later, recognizing the pitfalls of the big-time on the anthem "Cheated Hearts, she offers, "Sometimes / I think that / I'm bigger than the sound."

Throughout, drummer Brian Chase gives the music its anxious backbone, while Nick Zinner's guitar frets angular lines that surprise and hook you in. With the mega-power pop of "Phenomena," the Yeah Yeah Yeahs give a sonic nod to their NYC soul brother, LL Cool J.

No doubt, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have earned their street cred with dark, inspired noise. And "Show Your Bones" manages to find time to drop some dissonant nuggets, like "Fancy," where Zinner conjures a sludgy trudge of a groove that could drag Soundgarden through the swamp. Even the sound-of-death outro on "Mysteries" is a tribute to noisy past performances.

But "Show Your Bones" is ultimately a great pop-rock record--one that continues to reward. That it is only the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' second full-length effort promises good things to come for both the band and its fans.