Music: Taking On the Naysayers

With a terrific second album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are on the verge of breaking out--or breaking up

If you measure a rock group's popularity by the diversity of rumors it has spawned, then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the biggest band in the world. According to various reputable music magazines, singer Karen O hates German people; drummer Brian Chase rigged an MTV contest to win a Bon Jovi concert in his backyard; and the band's new record, Show Your Bones, is a concept album about O's cat. To set things straight, O, whose seldom-used last name is Orzolek, digs Germans; Chase has never won anything; and Coco Beware, while a real cat, has yet to inspire a song,...

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