ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 15TH 2011
1YRON’S TOP 52 RECORDS OF 2011 RANKING: #52


Brushing up on your Yuck (doesn’t that sound fun?) is a task that can leave you more or less on the fence. On the one hand, this was one of the more memorable debut albums of 2011 and it only grew in stature as the year progressed. But then again, it’s a record that tries so hard to recreate that early Nineties indie-grunge ‘slacker’ scene without producing the actual goods to feel like anything more than a passing fad. Just as quickly as grunge fell to the sensation of the (now refreshing) Britpop movement, Yuck’s self-titled debut aims to revive a scene that is dead for a reason. There are no other bands at present pushing this revival and after a year, it seems unlikely that Yuck will inspire any other band to give it a go. Sure, you’ve got bands like Deerhunter and No Age pushing the lo-fi garage rock of yore, but they’re imbuing it with an originality that makes it interesting to hear in relation to their contemporaries. Frontman Daniel Blumberg has stated that Yuck are concerned first and foremost with melody. This is all fair and well, but it doesn’t make for an interesting listen on anything more than a purely base level, especially when the guys you’re aping did it a lot better twenty years ago. To their credit, Yuck have crafted some neat songs here. Holing Out and Suicide Policeman are equally catchy with irrevocable choruses, hooking you from first listen. It’s this impressionistic nature which makes Yuck easy to love but equally forgettable all the same. When you can hear everything the first time because they want you to, it’s hard to remain curious.


Yuck warrant comparisons to Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr. to name a few but it remains a decidely obvious tribute. The gritty realism of Sub Pop and Seattle is nowhere to be found, and the obvious reason for this is that we live in 2012, not 1991. You cannot recreate something without accounting for the time passed, whether that’s a year or twenty, and perform it with utter conviction. The Wall and Get Away are probably the best thing that Yuck has to offer and they’re over within eight minutes of the record starting. It’s just as well that Yuck rely on melody so much, because at times it’s the only thing that this record has going for it. Of course, it has found a solid audience who will defend this to the grave because of how great it makes them feel (not that they’d acknowledge any other reaction could be derived from music and retain a prolonged interest). We all know this kind of person: he (or usually she in my experience) never really grew up remembering it the first time around, and now chooses to aggravate those around him by playing it loud and proud to push for a reaction and validate his poor, incredibly obvious taste in music.


But this is an album that deals in two dimensions. It’s so straight-forward, very passive, and a total like-for-like rehash that you beg for Yuck to shake it up a little. They clearly have potential and it would be great to see them follow this album up with something that really makes you sit up and listen. Unfortunately, the only way they’ll achieve that is by really altering their current sound to produce something really original. Perhaps it’s unfair to judge Yuck so early on, but it’s hard not to wince when the fact that not a single member of the band is old enough to actually remember the scene they’re so reliant on. And why would they? Surely any band old enough to remember the floppy hair and flannel shirts would’ve done it first time around. Yuck is worth a listen for roughly half of its run time, but don’t expect it to make much of a lasting impression despite how readily it throws itself at you. Go straight to the wellspring for inspiration.