Yuck – Yuck

Yuck is the self-titled second release of the British indie rock band. When I first started listening to this album I silently compared what I heard to the indie rock legend Pavement. Very high praise indeed. The album has some quality of pace or vocal style that I couldn’t quite lay my finger on. Not to say that I think this band has achieved the same level of genius as Pavement, yet they approach it on the last couple tracks. At times Yuck employs a wall of sound, and rough sounding guitars. On tracks like “Sunday” the guitar comes out more clear and melodically focused. Not surprisingly I found myself much preferring “Stutter” or “Holing Out,” the songs that showcase the grungy sounding electric guitar and tinny-far-away vocals. Still, Yuck maintains a very accessible rock sensibility throughout most of the album. My favourite track by far is “Rubber,” which is a full on shoegazing trip, with downplayed melodic vocals and the electric guitar a mess of noisy trebly awesomeness. This track is a slower pace but it feels like a solid insurmountable rock anthem, with the drums picking up at the end crashing symbols and snare. (Fat Possum, www.fatpossum.com) Kyra Leib