Yuck – Glow And Behold
Fat Possum
September 30, 2013

What It Sounds Like:  The reformatted Yuck, with a new singer and smoothed out edges, gives us alternative indie-rock that’s smart enough to know when to pop, when to shoegaze, and when to combine the two into a wistful stroll down memory lane.

The pain is growing old
And these streetlights feel so cold
The end is coming soon I’m told
But I don’t really mind

Everything is going wrong
We’ve been waiting in line too long
And now your coffee’s been way too strong
I don’t really mind
I don’t wanna live forever
But I don’t wanna die together now.

And when the sun is going down
On this cold familiar ground
And you can hear that awful sound
I don’t wanna try
I don’t wanna close my eyes yet
But all I really want is to hold you tight
With all my might.

It’s no mistake that one off the catchiest tracks off of Yuck’s sophomore effort, two-thousand-thirteen’s Glow And Behold, is entitled Lose My Breath.  My Bloody Valentine influenced way too many bands that have borrowed elements from their groundbreaking sound to even attempt to ignore where it all started from.  But what makes Yuck a great band is that they know not to make a carbon copy, and their unrelated standout sounds nothing like the classic, groundbreaking track of the same name.  The former was shoegazing one-o-one with more than apparent touches of darkness, while the latter showcases an easy-going, fuzzy riff that puts you right in the middle of a field of wildflowers, with the sun shining bright, and girls in white dresses picking the said flowers to adorn their hair, as they spin, twirl, and enjoy the Lord’s creation.

Shoegaze with pop sensibilities?  You’ve got my attention.  Have you heard that lead guitar line on Rebirth?  Man, that’s a great one – and so simple!

This isn’t the old Yuck that you remember from two-thousand-eleven, however.  Singer Daniel Blumberg was not only the voice, but an integral part of the duo that crafted the songs off of their debut, along with lead guitarist Max Bloom.  With Daniel stepping down to pursue a solo career, Max stepped up and took over lead vocal duties.  The results, while more mellow, are anything but boring.  You won’t find completely fuzzed rockers like Get Away or gems like Suicide Policeman, but in their place we find the likes of Middle Sea, the record’s first single, that’s full of drive and passion,  and Somewhere, which floats along down a old, forgotten street, searching for love, or an open ear.

Even some of the tracks that could be considered middle of the road, like Nothing New and How Does It Feel, have enough melody in their seemingly simplistic elements that they could easily be individual fan favorites, with no room for arguing.

They even throw us two instrumental tracks for good measure!  We are supposed to be shoegazing a bit, right?

Yuck have borrowed, adapted well, and made a record worthy of their debut.  In light of losing a singer and songwriter, I’d say they’ve exceeded all the expectations set for them.

7.5/10

If you had to listen to two tracks:  Lose My Breath / Rebirth