Yuck - Get Away
Yuck - Shook Down
Yuck - Suicide Policeman
It seems like music references back upon itself over and over again all the time. Yuck's first album has such a huge nod towards the 90's indie scene that you might become confused half way through the album, and wonder if you're just listening to a collection of covers from the past. Listening to the album is like a time machine ride through all of the good parts of the old scene without having to deal with a lot of the lesser pleasant experiments.
Although the album starts off with the heavy grunge guitar and pounding drum trend from the early 2000's,the strong influence is clearly Dinosaur Jr. And in pace with this premise, each song makes you remember a band you used to love.
The second song, "The Wall" is reminiscent of Zolof. The third, "Shook Down" like the Pernice Brothers. The fourth is just a general nod towards the punk influences and then Dj again. Track five makes you believe that Elliot Smith did not die, but in fact joined Belle and Sebastian. Track six, "Georgia" has a feeling of the Sonic Youth. And from there, the mixing and matching of the old life continues.
The idea is solid in theory, but in practice the resulting match up makes me think less about Yuck as a band, and as more of a collective of all the bands from the past. Sure the singer may have the grunge effect on his voice, but if he's singing the classic tunes, what makes it so special or different from anything prior? All of the band members are great at what they do, but what they do is nothing new.
It's a feel good hit for the summer, with no pretentious about being anything special. All the songs are enjoyable and the feeling of nostalgia is probably it's biggest asset. As great as this album is, I think I am much more excited at the prospect of seeing what they do as a band once they figure out their own sound.
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