Yuck, with Porcelain Raft / Brillobox / 09.28.2011 / 9:30 / $12

Words by Brendan

Listen to a Yuck song and you’ll no doubt hear strains of “classic” 90s indie rock (shit, we’re getting old): the slacker cool of Pavement, the grungy melodies of Dinosaur Jr., the tunefulness and versatility of Yo La Tengo. It’s just crazy to think that this group of three guys and two gals from London are so young and so perfectly able to filter those (yes, I’ll say it again) “classic” influences through their instruments and voices and come out with a self-produced debut album so effective in its simplicity and vigor. Maybe it’s because they’re young, I don’t know, but goshdarnit, this album is incredibly powerful and listenable, and I think these songs will translate really well for a live show. And hey, look at that, Yuck is coming to the Brillobox next Tuesday, and we have TWO FREE TICKETS to give away! Read on for more about the band and how to enter the contest …

Yuck / The Wall
Yuck / Coconut Bible
Porcelain Raft / Tip Of Your Tongue

I admittedly passed on Yuck when I first saw their songs posted on the blogosphere (hate that term, but it really makes sense here) back in the beginning of 2011. The name? The album cover? Yuck. I didn’t give the tunes a proper listen for a while, but I really dug their Daytrotter session when that came out a couple months after the Yuck LP, so I went back and bought the album online. “Get Away” and “The Wall” present a solid, catchy, rockin’, guitar-heavy front for the album. The guitars are a powerfully tuneful mixture of shoegazey swirls and chug-a-lug bass riffs and heavy strumming, with some densely-packed silent moments in “Get Away”, in particular, that just explode with sound right afterwards. The vocals in “The Wall” can sound a little whiny, I guess, but it adds to the effect and mirrors the lyrical imagery of someone just on the other side from where they want to be. But for every fast and grungy guitar-rock song, like these two and “Operation” and “Holing Out” (see the crazy video below), there are just as many surprisingly tender and beautiful tunes. “Shook Down” is as straightforward a love song as you’ll find, ending with singer Daniel Blumberg saying “You can be my destiny / You can mean that much to me” as the guitar feedback squalls. It’s gorgeous. “Georgia” is just as pretty but a little more upbeat, and I’m not entirely sure that it’s not about Yo La Tengo‘s drummer … (Correct me if I’m wrong, Yuck!) And speaking of YLT, album closer “Rubber” is just the kind of slow-burn jam that Ira, Georgia, and James would use to cap off another LP of genre-bending rock tunes; I daresay, “Rubber” : Yuck :: “I Heard You Looking” : Painful. (There should really be a “rock analogies” section on the SAT.) On top of all that, even though Yuck was just relased in February 2011, the album is already getting a deluxe reissue treatment (!?) by Fat Possum next month with a bunch of bonus tracks, and the band has a handful of 7″ singles with other tunes and B-sides.
 
Yuck / “Holing Out” / Yuck [Fat Possum] / dir. Michael Reich

 

---

Also playing at this show next Tuesday is Porcelain Raft, a moniker for Mauro Remiddi’s solo project. His website claims his “live shows will be solo performances with electronics, voice, guitars, loops and sampler.” The songs sound like more minimal takes on Yuck‘s influences, likely due to the solo nature, but this gives them an aura of intrigue that has really captured my ear. Definitely looking forward to seeing them performed in person, by one person. So, leave a note on our Facebook wall (make sure you “like” us or it won’t count!), @ us on Twitter (with the hashtag #YuckPGH to make it easier to find, and make sure you follow us!), or send me an email to enter the contest! Just say “Yuck doesn’t suck!” or “I want Yuck to shake me down!” or the like. It really doesn’t matter. We’ll pick a winner (at random) on Friday morning and let you know who the lucky guy/gal is!

Buy tickets for this show: Online / Call 412.621.4900 / Facebook event

---

Yuck on the web: Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Band store / Insound
Porcelain Raft on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Insound

Filed under: Live Music, Ticket Giveaway