Yuck—Glow and Behold

Review by Luis A. Apolaya

Though the London-based quartet Yuck has been likened to the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr., these influences do not resonate as conspicuously in their sophomore effort. The guitars and vocals are much cleaner and less drone-laden than in their debut, though distortion can occasionally be heard in the background, or as a track is fading out. Sounds more like Oasis or Death Cab for Cutie. Might not satisfy fans of the Yuck debut, but recommended for those looking for some fresh indie pop. FCC clean.

1. (3:00) Instrumental, begins at 4 seconds, looped echo guitar riff throughout entire song, background—distorted guitar, organ, vibraphone (?)—has a slow crescendo, horns blare in the middle, fades out slowly. Nice intro to album.
2. (3:21) Happy guitar riff, has a pop song vibe, vocals are clear, drone-like guitar chord fills the chorus, soft glockenspiel in the middle, Theremin (?) by the end of the track.
3. (3:56) Pop vibe, guitar has a bit more buzz, acoustic guitar in the background of chorus, reminds me of early Weezer.
4. (3:55) Slow riff starts off song, soothing atmosphere, constant mellow tempo throughout, trumpets in the middle, backward-playing by the end of the track.
**5. (4:16) Almost sounds like a track off their debut: fuzzy guitar throughout song, catchy riffs, rocking rhythm, soft-voiced chorus, something an indie rock band would play at an outdoor music festival.
*6. (3:54) Shoegaze drone in the background that persists throughout song, walking pace tempo, brief organ crescendo in the chorus, echoey guitar appears now and then, drums get more active after the middle and help finish the track.
*7. (5:44) Melancholy guitar riff at beginning, nice bass, lamenting vocals, overall sad atmosphere, glockenspiel and piano in chorus only makes it sadder
8. (3:55) Acoustic guitar accompanied by a synth intro, doesn’t take long for electric guitar, bass, and drums to show up, horn accompaniment by the middle, hopeful/epic (?) mood to instrumentation, last thirty seconds have barely audible synth.
9. (4:12) In the same vein as track 2, trumpet in intro, volume increase in guitar during chorus, at all other times not much more than an indie pop song, interesting guitar solo plays during the last minute.
10. (3:32) Instrumental, similar to track 1, as title suggests it has a twilight mood, mostly repetitive guitar riffs and messing around with distortion effects, hint of Oriental percussion briefly appears after the middle.
11. (6:21) Intro with acoustic guitar and vocals, gradual crescendo into chorus, reaches apex after the middle, last two minutes of song are an unnecessary repeated distorted guitar riff with an abrupt ending, not recommended.