Yuck – Glow and Behold

yuck-glow-and-behold

 

Yuck are one of those bands that managed to survive without their old lead singer. This radical departure hasn’t caused a radical departure in their sound, since they still play music that sounds exactly like mid 80s-to-mid 90s underground rock music, but they put some horns and chimes on the first track, so that’s something. They also moved away from the oomph of a band that sounds like Dinosaur Jr. to the mmph of a band that sounds like Teenage Fanclub, with Max Bloom doing his best Evan Dando impression. I must emphasise, when I say “a band that sounds like Teenage Fanclub,” I mean “exactly like Teenage Fanclub,” and should specify that this doesn’t mean the grungy Neil Young-meets-Sonic-Youth worship of “A Catholic Education” or the smoothed out Dinosaur Jr.-meets-Big Star worship of “Bandwagonesque,” but the kind-of-wimpy folk-rock that’s characterized their sound since “Grand Prix.” This is literally the exact opposite of “Rubber,” the highlight of Yuck’s debut album. Glow and Behold is pleasant enough, but considering Yuck’s gimmick was doing a really good job of sounding exactly like a band that emerged from the hardcore muck of the 80s, New Yuck’s gimmick of sounding exactly like the B-sides of a band that emerged from the bands that emerged from the hardcore muck of the 80s, in the 90s, is kind of forgettable. Maybe Yuck’s third album will have them mining the 2000s for inspiration and they’ll sound like the Strokes. (Fat Possum, fatpossum.com) Topher Duguay

 

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