Yuck

Yuck | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fat Possum
• ASIN: B004I199D6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,932 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Get Away

2. The Wall

3. Shook Down

4. Holing Out

5. Suicide Policeman

6. Georgia

7. Suck

8. Stutter

9. Operation

10. Sunday

11. Rose Gives A Lilly

12. Rubber

Editorial Reviews

Over this past year, Yuck have emerged as one of the best and brightest new bands, not to mention one of the most mercurial and unpredictable. Far from following any set patterns, they have instead forged their own path and cultivated a fervently devoted fanbase in the process, from their gorgeously winsome debut single 'Georgia', released on Transparent (and recently on Fat Possum in the US), to the 4 track, piano-led Yu(c)k EP 'Weakend', on Mirror Universe Tapes, to finally signing with Fat Possum/ Pharmacy Recording Co and releasing their sprawling, epic single 'Rubber' in November.

That deliciously maverick streak shows up once again on this, their hotly anticipated debut album. Self-produced, it finally unveils the full breadth and scope of Yuck, showcasing a band capable of sprinting off in pretty much any direction you can think of, so diverse and fully realized is its vision. It also shows that their previous releases were merely skimming the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the quartet of Daniel Blumberg, Max Bloom, Mariko Doi and Jonny Rogoff are capable of. This is a confident, wildly ambitious record, but also one which brims over with a ragged warmth and tenderness, tipping its hat at alt music heroes past such as East River Pipe, Dinosaur Jr and Sparklehorse while at the same time retaining a unique identity entirely its own. From the rousing call to arms of the opener 'Get Away', to the hypnotic sturm und drang of 'Rubber', and the grungy serotonin rush of 'Operation', it is clear that this is a band in full control of their powers when it comes to anthemic and offbeat guitar rock. But they also reveal an achingly fragile side too, as with the gorgeous, heartsick croon on 'Suck', or on 'Sunday', where Blumberg asks, 'Did you take the rhythm from me? Yesterday I had it all' over chiming, jangling guitars. Additionally, after an autumn tour which took in raucously received performances at this year's In the City and a sold-out London show at the Lexington, Yuck will be taking to the road for another headline tour of the UK, before heading off to the US for a spate of live dates, not to mention their debut shows at SXSW in March.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Promising Debut April 2, 2011

By Tom Birkenstock

Format:Audio CD

Take a look at that cover art. I mean, look at it. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it's just so damn easy. After glancing at the cover art of Yuck's eponymous debut, you immediately know that this group worships at the altar of J. Mascis and other 80s and 90s indie rock guitar gods. You probably already have a good idea of what this album sounds like, but I'll risk redundancy by dropping a handful of words on a review.

In a long tradition of English musicians, stretching back at least as far as the Beatles and the Stones, the London, England based Yuck seem far more interested in what's going on across the pond than in their own back yard. And I can't blame them. We make some fine music in the States. But sometimes it takes a foreign ear to be able to locate the very essence of great American music and then to play it back to us. I know artsy Americans like to prove the superiority of their own taste by claiming artist X from Europe is so much better than artist Y from the U.S., but when a European band loves American music this much (and vice versa), I can't help but feel like national borders are, at times, outdated.

Above I alluded to Yuck's love for Dinosaur Jr., and while this might be the case, I wouldn't limit their influences to any single band. Songs like "The Wall" and "Operation" have a beaten, gravel encrusted wall of guitar that certainly pay tribute to J Mascis's wailing guitar, but you will find that much of the album leans heavily on lighter ballads. "Suicide Policeman," for example, follows the lead of Yo La Tengo by incorporating horns and backing vocals that sound like they were rescued from a 70s AM radio rock ballad and housed in a much better song. The fact that Yuck are just as comfortable turning down the lights and plucking as few strings as much as they are setting their songs to full rock demonstrates how dynamic their music can be. To further prove this point, Yuck ends the album on "Rubber," a chugging, Sonic Youth inspired epic that trades in hooks for texture.

Some might accuse Yuck of being two steps away from cover band territory, and, to be sure, certain songs wear their influences on their sleeves. But I think any charges of unoriginality are largely without merit. After all, the indie rock bands Yuck is clearly influenced by were a diverse bunch of musicians connected only by time and a shared love of the guitar. Yuck doesn't so much echo these influences as they have internalized and recombined them. I must back track somewhat from my introduction. Despite the obvious similarities between Yuck's cover art and some Dinosaur Jr.'s albums, the band easily transcends my lazy comparison. Yuck has produced an impressive debut that gives me faith that, like many of the bands they are influenced by, they will be putting out worthwhile music twenty years down the road.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars back to the 90's February 24, 2011

By dolby taylor

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

Astonishing debut, reminiscent of the best early 90's indie and lo-fi alternative. Think Pavement meets My Bloody Valentine or maybe Nada Surf meets Silversun Pickups. listening now for 4 hrs straight and no songs to skip.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern take on 90's influences April 3, 2011

By Mark Abrahamsen

Format:Audio CD

Being well-versed on 90's alternative (plus of course 70's, 80's, 00's etc.) I very much love Yuck's debut. I'm impressed with how it's produced, written, played, might be one of the best of the year. The sound is familiar like an old friend (Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., Nada Surf, Smashing Pumpkins etc.) yet with own brilliant take that makes it feel new and fresh. I definately recomend buying Yuck's S/T, I know it'll be in rotation in my player for a while.