K.O At Home-2006 Demos

I finally downloaded/listened to it this morning. It honestly makes me a little uneasy to even admit that because of how deeply personal the demos are. For those of you who don’t know the back story:


Karen O recorded 14 songs in her own home several years before they were unearthed in late 2006. The demo (46 minutes and 22 seconds) mostly consists of acoustic songs, with several different tracks on each song, all played by Karen. She burned these songs onto a CD-R, created a handwritten cover (including a photo of her with an unknown woman and an Oscar Wilde quote) and gave it as a gift to TV on the Radio’s guitarist and music producer, Dave Sitek. It’s been reported that the woman on the cover with Karen is Janet Weiss, but the cover I have seen online definitely is not Janet. After several years, Dave moved out of his apartment, leaving behind several items including two briefcases. One of these briefcases contained the KO at Home demo CD. An anonymous man (known only as “Mike”) found the CD and decided to keep it and give it to a friend as a gift. Before he gave it away, he converted the CD to MP3s on his computer. Soon after, he decided to post them on the Internet, citing that he found the tracks to be “interesting” and that he “thought other fans might appreciate them. Make a long story short, the MP3s were released, Dave freaked the fuck out and Karen was pissed but later released a comment that included the line “shit happens”. But this is all old news.


We are given a raw glimpse into the true essence of Karen Orzolek.This is not the zealous and demanding frontwoman we all know and adore. This is a fragile, quiet woman writing heartfelt songs for a friend she cares deeply for. Something about the songs (which are not labeled tracks) is almost unnerving. I’m not sure if it because I am consciously invading someone’s privacy or the simple fact that some songs are so underdeveloped and puerile that they literally sound as if they are falling apart. It’s as if Karen’s voice is clinging onto each and every syllable, taking her final breath. It doesn’t get more organic than this, folks. Nevertheless, I’m sure that K.O At Home is a must for any YYYs fan and I know I will continue to listen to it in the future. Sorry Karen.