Whether or not ‘yuck’ is your response to the London-born Indie rockers’ sophomore effort will depend on your approach to music.
If you’re unfamiliar with the four-piece (recently turned three-piece) and their self-titled debut, there’s a good chance you’ll find this record a sun-drenched sonic adventure sweeping with waves of pure post-grunge 90’s nostalgia. A pleasure to listen to start to finish.
If you are familiar and have followed Yuck since their 2011 self-titled debut, you may not be as tickled with the band’s bold new ideas and direction – as well as frontman. (Daniel Blumberg, co-founder and former lead vocalist, curiously departed to further develop his solo project known as Hebronix).
Drawing early comparisons to the likes of noise-rock heavyweights Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement, it could very well be argued that Glow & Behold carries more similarities to that of Real Estate, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, or Neutral Milk Hotel. With other co-founder Max Bloom having stepped up to the frontman role, and the remaining members working to re-establish the group’s identity, one would be naïve to expect a replica of the first album’s sound and feel. Both Bloom and Blumberg are solid vocalists, but with noticeably different styles. No longer do you have Blumberg’s ‘nasal sneer’ giving youthful edge to the tracks, but rather you have Bloom’s soft and hopeful tone carrying melodies over spacey guitar hooks with a renewed cleanliness.
Rather than reviewing the opinions and preferences of either camp, though, I’m going to discuss the actual record. True lovers of music that aren’t marred by pre-conceived expectations of what bands should or shouldn’t sound like will view the album for what it is – a shoegaze summer that shimmers with slacker-pop charm.
The album’s instrumental intro gently climbs like the very sunrise it references, setting the stage for a record that listens through like a dreamy bus ride across the country; head against the glass, lost in thought, watching the beautiful landscape unfold before you. The tracks “Out of Time,” “Lose My Breath,” and “Memorial Fields” are glazed with Bloom’s contemplative vocals and lo-fi guitar hooks that seem to slide through outer space. “Middle Sea” has driven distortion reminiscent of late-90’s hits such as “Everlong” by post-grunge legends the Foo Fighters. The reflective “Rebirth” begins with a dissonance that evolves into a wide-open soundscape laden with building synth and guitar sounds that bring to mind alt-rockers like the New Radicals.
The longing, melancholy atmosphere of “Somewhere” features subtle harmonies layered with chimes and a methodic, thumping bass. The emotional ballad “Nothing New” is arguably the most honest and unfiltered track on the album; on the other hand “How Does It Feel” comes across as one of the less-inspired songs on the album. Framed by piano and horns, the soaring guitar solo towards the end proves to be the highlight of track. As the proverbial sun begins to set and the album’s glow gradually winds down, we’re presented with “Twilight In Maple Shade,” the weary and diminished antithesis of the opening track. “Glow & Behold” ends up a stand-out, bittersweet title-track that features a freely strumming acoustic and Yuck’s final resolution, “I will glow and behold.”
Now while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Let me pose this to the any haters: As people, aren’t we always changing, developing, maturing, growing, and going after our true identity? Couldn’t the same be said about bands and artists expressing their lives, experiences, and passions through their music? Give Bloom and the gang a break here! If you were more privy to the previous album, you have every right to spin that one till it melts! I challenge you to listen to this record not as a sophomore album radically departed from ‘the signature sound that made Yuck who they were, but rather view it as Yuck’s new ‘debut album’… They’ve changed. They’ve grown. They’re still figuring themselves out. They still live and love their music.
What hasn’t changed, you ask? Yuck’s desire to express themselves creatively with emotional lyrics that wander lush soundscapes. This record was made for forthcoming rainy Fall days and will surely keep you warm through Winter. Give it a spin and see.
Rating: 3.75/5