uck’s music is more pleasant than its name or history might suggest.
The band’s self-titled 2011 debut sounded like a perfect distillation of all good things about `90s rock. The Fat Possum Records release was well-reviewed, as “Paste Magazine” called the album, “nothing but 50 minutes of substantive noise-rock bliss.” According to “Pitchfork,” though, the band lost its front man Daniel Blumberg in April.
The band promised to soldier on with new music following Blumberg’s departure, and today it fulfills its promise with the release of its sophomore album, “Glow and Behold.”
“Glow and Behold” picks up where “Yuck” left off. The album’s opening track, “Sunrise in Maple Shade” slowly and gorgeously warms up, not unlike a rising sun. The song sounds like an amalgamation of Sigur Ros and Explosions in the Sky and begins the album with a soft-heartedness not as prominent in Yuck’s previous work.
The album plays like a sampler of various takes on garage rock.
“Middle Sea” pounds and careens with shredding guitars juxtaposed with tender background vocals. “Memorial Fields” begins with a few taps of a tambourine and slowly unravels into a slow-burning march, replete with a horn section.
Acoustic guitars strum on the bouncy, almost indie-pop “Nothing New.” Horns not only accompany, but kick things off front and center on “How Does it Feel,” which even carries a bit of a groove.
Though “Glow and Behold” mostly follows the musical course “Yuck” charted, the band’s subtle addition of horns and synths progresses the album effectively and smoothly. Satisfying moments replace wholesale changes to Yuck’s sound, like the horns buoying the buildup of album’s closing title track. The most notable change in “Glow and Behold” is its steadiness. The sharp teeth the band sometimes bared in its more rocking numbers on “Yuck” are dulled here to calming, relaxing results. “Glow and Behold” carries a sustained energy and includes musical peaks and troughs, but the intensity and volume levels are more consistent.
The band still cranks it up to 11 occasionally, but Yuck has, it seems, become less yucky.
The band’s music is perfect for an autumnal release, as its no-frills, heart-on-its-sleeve vibes and ringing guitars feel as comforting as pulling on flannel.
Yuck’s name and somewhat grotesque album artwork may be a bit off-putting, but it is all a guise. Under the slight strangeness of “Glow and Behold” is another installment continuing the most pure-hearted, guilty-pleasure grunge rock to come along since Pavement disbanded.
