Customer Reviews

Yuck

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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band loves American music this much (and vice versa), I can't help but feel like national borders are, at times, outdated.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.

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.

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.

Every year it seems there's that one great newish nostalgia-aping band that just flat out does it right. Year's ago it was The Strokes' rap-rock killing, Iggy Pop-loving introduction; last year it was Best Coast's Liz Phair-inspired stoner/slacker/girlfriend debut; the year before that it was The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Stones Roses and My Bloody Valenting-loving pop debut; the year before that it was Times New Viking's GBV-obsessed breakthrough Rip it Off; and this year it's Yuck's Dinosaur Jr. and Teenage Fanclub indebted eponymous debut, which just might end up being my most-listened-to record of 2011 at this rate.

Built on a solid, solid set of 12 fuzzy rockers, this very young London quartet's sometimes loud, sometimes sweet sound arrives so developed - so good that you can easily play it next to any classic-era records from college rock's classic era bands. Bands like Dinosaur Jr (minus their metal influences), Chavez, the Fannies, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh and even The Jesus and Mary Chain. Unlike most mimic-y records, Yuck manages to be just unique enough that it stands alone, a rewarding debut that has - no joke - at least six songs that I'd rank among the 50 best from the first quarter of 2011. Six! Opener "Get Away," for example, comes of like a young and accessible Thurston Moore singing over some seriously soaring J Mascis guitar riffs. It's the kind of song made for blowing speakers and angering neighbors. "The Wall," a song that should be a hit single, feels so much like a Pavement single (right down to the overly-simple drum and bass tracks) that I can't help but wonder what Mr. Malkmus thinks of the song. Lead single "Rubber" is a reverb- and feedback-layered haze of a song that borders on stoner rock, begging me to wonder how and why it was chosen to be not just a single, but the introduction to the band. After a few listens the "Should I Get In" hook feels as accessible as anything; and damn if that haze doesn't make my mind feel smoky and relaxed, just like any number of great Jesus and Mary Chain tracks. The track ends up being a perfectly long, perfectly washed-out guitar-stuffed closer for what it an otherwise poppy record.

"Shook Down," another of my instant favorites, reminds very much of Bandwagonesque Teenage Fanclub, playing through like something of an indie rock ballad, floating by with jangle-y guitars, honey-sweet vocals, a solid melody and a classic hook that the coolest couples you know will play for each other for decades to come. "Georgia," another mid-tempo banger with a big riff, uses boy-girl vocals perfectly in a way that almost reminds of The Pixies, but not really. What comes through on every song is how much this crew adores music - good music. Shoegaze. Indie Rock. Punk. College rock. Stoner rock. Whatever. When I hear a record like Yuck, it makes me want to argue that the 90s was the best decade for music. It probably wasn't, because a lot of those sludgy rock records (not to mention all that Fred Durst-y and Master P-y stuff) haven't aged too well. But if you take the best bands and albums of the 90s - pretty much all of which seem to be represented here - you have a pretty damn good case, making this record feel like something of a musical dissertation on the period. Even the less impressive works, such as "Suicide Policeman" and "Operation," are cool cuts, making Yuck a front-to-back solid listen, reminding music fans how fun and rewarding mope-y jangles and blasting melancholy can really be when played by the right kids.

Key Yuck members Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloo, found success early, via a band called Cajun Dance Party, who released a pretty solid record in 2008 titled The Colourful Life for XL Recordings in 2008. They top that record here, easily, releasing what I predict will go down as the standout debut record of 2011 - and probably one of the 10 best releases of the year. It'll be interesting to see what this band does next. I doubt if anyone will complain if they continue making these 90s college rock-influenced boy-girl indie pop jams. But, my hunch is that, as they're still all very young (around 21 on average, I think), Yuck will grow and grow and grow, this eponymous debut standing as their A.M. sort of starter record. Whether or not they have a Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Summerteeth type record in them remains to be seen. Of all the new bands out there, these guys seem like a very good bet for the "Next Best Thing," already displaying an amazing understanding of pop craft. And howling guitars. And, most importantly, big, memorable, lovable hooks. Yuck, I'm in love.

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I was browsing through the new music and came upon this interesting cover art, with the band name 'Yuck' - That was enough for some odd reason to pique my interest and I am glad that it did. After listening to a few of the samples it was a must purchase album. I've given it quite a few go-throughs and find it an amazing, suprising, album. It reminds me of all the best aspects of the 90's, and each song holds it's own weight without sounding too similiar to the last- all in all, a great purchase!

They play hard. They play soft. They play loud. They play with the passionate talent of youth.
The debut album from this London band delivers squalling, guitar-driven pop hooks with a
devastatingly potent & powerful indie rock spirit. These songs will stick in your head and capture
your heart with the pure, gritty beauty of their spellbindingly edgy melodic energy flow. Former
members of Cajun Dance Party, Impossible Village. Recalls the best of Dinosaur Jr., with bits of
Yo La Tengo, Bombay Bicycle Club, Teenage Fan Club, Sonic Youth, East River Pipe, My Bloody
Valentine, Sparklehorse, Built To Spill. An early 2011 favorite!

Really reminscent of Sonic Youth, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Yuck immediately reminds you of their influences but also stands as their own sound. It's a good album what I've heard of it.

the best band of 2010/2011 i saw them at springsound festival in Barcelona, they are really a great an fun band. recommended. also the seller.

I purchased this based on the strong Amazon recommendations. Personally, I can't give this 5 stars, which I'd reserve for trail-blazing albums that redefine a genre and create a new sound, or at "worst" the kind of albums which encapsulate the best work in a musical genre. I'd say this is more in the four star territory of an album that's very enjoyable to listen too and stands up to repeated listenings -- no small achievement in and of itself.

The comparisons to Smashing Pumpkins and Pavement's later albums sound about right in the other reviews -- Yuck's sound also remind me of a lesser known band from the 1990s out of Austin, Texas, called Bo Bud Greene and perhaps even a more popular act like the Gin Blossoms with a slightly dirtier guitar sound over-laid with echo and reverb effects. I don't hear the sonic wall of guitars that you'd hear from a band like My Bloody Valentine -- maybe the mix of the vocals is somewhat My Bloody Valentine-esque in the way that it's pushed down in the mix and the delivery tends to be a bit understated. I also don't hear searing guitar lines of Dinosaur Jr with J Mascis absolutely shredding. Most of the non-rhythm guitar lines tend to be restrained fills without the notes piling up quickly; the rhythm playing tends to be fairly Pavement-esque in its laid-back quality. The songs are up-tempo, but for the most part, restrained 3 to 4 minute pop songs.

All of the songs are well-constructed, catchy numbers. There are no weak tracks. There's nothing that I'd say really borders on a "hit" either aside from perhaps the opening song "Get Away" or "Operation," but all around the eponymous debut is a very promising first album. Fans of the 1990s "indie" break-through bands will likely enjoy the album. The sound is familiar, but avoids being slavish to its influences. There is a "Yuck" sound that I can discern that is its own.

Like many of the other reviewers here, I look forward to hearing what band comes up with next.

What's amazes me about the band's leader is that he was born roughly around 1990 and he has such an authentic grasp of the music from that period. This is a very talented band with superb song-writing. While much of it can sound derivative and the lyrics are not great, it comes such such feeling and ernestness that I am sucked into it every time I put it on. Every track is unique and memorable, particularly the first track which resembles the overall sound of the album and might remind me (I haven't heard these bands in quite a while, so I might be off) of early 90's bands like Lush or Ride or the Posies. Almost no one listens to these bands nowadays so don't worry about my claims that it sounds derivative. It's refreshing to hear this power-pop slash shoegaze coming back into existence again. The record speaks, if anything, more of a deep love or appreciation of music than any sort of desire to be famous rock stars. For its faults, which seem minor in comparison to the listening-pleasure it brings me, I couldn't possibly give this less than five stars.