Yuck - Glow And Behold
Release Date: 1 October
Label: Fat Possum Records
Rating: 4.0 out of 10
The sophomore curse. It's a real thing. It's happened over and over again to many a revered debutante band from every genre. When Yuck emerged from the shadows of obscurity in 2011, Pitchfork and every indie music consumer everywhere latched onto them with fierce loyalty. They had a good, strong debut and now are back with their second offering.
The driving force behind the sophomore curse is the first impression. No one is immune from judging books by their covers. 6 seconds is all it takes for us to decide about people. One album is all it takes for musicians. If your footing is firm to begin with, great expectations will overshadow your next effort. The better the debut, the more scarily intense the expectations for the sophomore. Where most second albums are contrived efforts ('Congratulations', 'The New Fellas', 'Showtime', 'Favourite Worst Nightmares'), which may or may not please, 'Glow And Behold' sounds lazy rather than effortless. There is very little punch, energy or inspiration in it. It's like a pasty stoned teenager hanging out on your couch. You don't mind having it there if you know it. I know this band, quite like them and have nothing personal against them or any other shoegazers out there.
Blow by blow:
01: Sunrise In The Maple Shade - The opener sounds like an interlude. Not the most interesting one. A repetitive number that hovers somewhere close to neo-folk without actually going there. Possibly a fresh way to begin an album. But at 3 minutes long it feels sloppy to not have vocals if there is nothing of much interest in the music.
02: Out Of Time - A Travis sounding guitar kicks into only a slightly less frothy pop-esque feel, with less audible vocals than the average indie pop band. When the guitar bends it adds a bit of interest. Also there is vague wailing sound it produces to end. Like a twilight zone effect. Nothing punchy.
03: Lose My Breath - Ironically breathy vocals play over the 90s revival guitars. With guitarist Max Bloom doing most of the vocals this time round, Yuck are sounding a lot like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Who are fronted by a woman. Interesting..
04: Memorial Fields - A four minute subdued affair that doesn't really go anywhere. With more breathy vocals.
05: Middle Sea - Scuzzy grunge guitars pierce the pallid gloom of the album, driving it into more than mildly interesting territory. At this point you're five tracks into the album and it feels like it's just starting.
06: Rebirth - Buried beneath languid layers of sound, the guitars get lost in the shoegaze haze, bringing the drums into sharper focus here.
07: Somewhere - They manage to resist the urge to go upbeat and drop a genuinely pretty down tempo number. 5.45 of some gentle New Order inspired ness about not wanting to be alone. Touching but not memorable. The best moment on the album so far though.
08: Nothing New - It's all right there in the title. Hand claps and tambourines add vague interest to an otherwise typical indie ballad. The first time they've actually sounded like the English band they are. A heavily disguised trumpet tries to cheerfully gain entrance towards the end of the track, but is obscured by another lazy finishing verse.
09: How Does It Feel - Undeterred the trumpet slips in with an introductory moment on this next forgettable moment. It's not that they're bad or unfocussed or clueless musicians. There's just little relevance, interest or point here.
10: Chinese Cymbals - Cheesy wordplay can't save this one. Another instrumental moment. That's all I have to say about that.
11: Glow And Behold - A clumsily building, corny lyric fest. Not a good way to end an average album. Maybe the worst part of it all. That determined trumpet finds a friend and competes with some Christian Youth group guitars to see us to the door. The guitars win with their repetitive, 48 bar refrain to fade out. Stuck record moment.
There are pretty moments on this album, but all of it combined is pretty lifeless. They just didn't push the boat out very far or to very interesting places. This is the part of their career where you fast forward to the third album.
WVS.
The driving force behind the sophomore curse is the first impression. No one is immune from judging books by their covers. 6 seconds is all it takes for us to decide about people. One album is all it takes for musicians. If your footing is firm to begin with, great expectations will overshadow your next effort. The better the debut, the more scarily intense the expectations for the sophomore. Where most second albums are contrived efforts ('Congratulations', 'The New Fellas', 'Showtime', 'Favourite Worst Nightmares'), which may or may not please, 'Glow And Behold' sounds lazy rather than effortless. There is very little punch, energy or inspiration in it. It's like a pasty stoned teenager hanging out on your couch. You don't mind having it there if you know it. I know this band, quite like them and have nothing personal against them or any other shoegazers out there.
Blow by blow:
01: Sunrise In The Maple Shade - The opener sounds like an interlude. Not the most interesting one. A repetitive number that hovers somewhere close to neo-folk without actually going there. Possibly a fresh way to begin an album. But at 3 minutes long it feels sloppy to not have vocals if there is nothing of much interest in the music.
02: Out Of Time - A Travis sounding guitar kicks into only a slightly less frothy pop-esque feel, with less audible vocals than the average indie pop band. When the guitar bends it adds a bit of interest. Also there is vague wailing sound it produces to end. Like a twilight zone effect. Nothing punchy.
03: Lose My Breath - Ironically breathy vocals play over the 90s revival guitars. With guitarist Max Bloom doing most of the vocals this time round, Yuck are sounding a lot like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Who are fronted by a woman. Interesting..
04: Memorial Fields - A four minute subdued affair that doesn't really go anywhere. With more breathy vocals.
05: Middle Sea - Scuzzy grunge guitars pierce the pallid gloom of the album, driving it into more than mildly interesting territory. At this point you're five tracks into the album and it feels like it's just starting.
06: Rebirth - Buried beneath languid layers of sound, the guitars get lost in the shoegaze haze, bringing the drums into sharper focus here.
07: Somewhere - They manage to resist the urge to go upbeat and drop a genuinely pretty down tempo number. 5.45 of some gentle New Order inspired ness about not wanting to be alone. Touching but not memorable. The best moment on the album so far though.
08: Nothing New - It's all right there in the title. Hand claps and tambourines add vague interest to an otherwise typical indie ballad. The first time they've actually sounded like the English band they are. A heavily disguised trumpet tries to cheerfully gain entrance towards the end of the track, but is obscured by another lazy finishing verse.
09: How Does It Feel - Undeterred the trumpet slips in with an introductory moment on this next forgettable moment. It's not that they're bad or unfocussed or clueless musicians. There's just little relevance, interest or point here.
10: Chinese Cymbals - Cheesy wordplay can't save this one. Another instrumental moment. That's all I have to say about that.
11: Glow And Behold - A clumsily building, corny lyric fest. Not a good way to end an average album. Maybe the worst part of it all. That determined trumpet finds a friend and competes with some Christian Youth group guitars to see us to the door. The guitars win with their repetitive, 48 bar refrain to fade out. Stuck record moment.
There are pretty moments on this album, but all of it combined is pretty lifeless. They just didn't push the boat out very far or to very interesting places. This is the part of their career where you fast forward to the third album.
WVS.
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| And they thought it was a great idea to get their gran to produce the album... |
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