Mini Review: Yuck - Yuck

There’s been much hype surrounding Yuck, but for all the wrong reasons. If you read up on anything about the London four piece or simply if your ears are well informed it’s that the band share a common and noticeable with alternative and indie rock bands of the 90’s, and their music is an all-encompassing "90’s sound".  That may be true, and both the Pavement and Guided By Voices reunion tours of last year have likely contributed to the buzz, but for a band to amass such attention for this reason is beyond the point, and in my opinion childish. As it happens Yuck come across as a band with more style than substance, although to enjoy the album as a modern day indie rock album that stands out from the crowd is more rewarding. "Get Away" is an enjoyable opener, and the lackadaisical solo of "Holing Out" is evidence of the band taking themselves less seriously than their critics, definitely more in keeping with a good 90’s attitude.  Much of the rest of the album avoids becoming a series of reference points by merging and subverting typical elements of their chosen style, making riffs that sound familiar but rarely pinpoint able (at least not to me, Pavement had started before either me or any of Yuck’s band members were born, to put into perspective). "Georgia" is one of the better tracks: below a fairly shoegazey sheen a soft Velvet Underground-like riff can be made out. However the merging of so many sounds eventually becomes repetitive. Many tacks such as "Suicide Policeman" and "Suck" are unlikely to get many repeated listens. This is a good kind of revivalism, but Yuck have tried to take on more than they can handle, especially when compared to more focussed contemporaries such as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and as enjoyable as this album is in places, I think I’ll stick to Slanted and Enchanted.
6/10