#437 Yuck - Yuck

Further 2011 favs from around the web, more garagey rock, this time from the UK.

The 90's are back! It has undeniably begun, the resurgence, an honest to god 90's rock revival, full of chiming guitars over layered guitars, with the occaisional squealing guitars, chugging, repetitive structures, 3-4 minute songs, strained melodic yelping. The first harbinger was the (increasingly enjoyable) Mr. Dream album, which was so 90's underground-tastic that some dubbed it parody. Stay tuned to this space for more evidence.

In the meantime, I feel like I'm taking a spot the reference quiz, with answers like Beulah (Shook Down, Suicide Policeman) Built to Spill (Suck, Operation) Early Pumpkins (Stutter) Numerous Watery 90's Bands I Never Really Listened to (Sunday), with a vague wash of My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, and generalized swirl rock. I'm pretty sure there's a right answer to The Wall, Holing Out and Georgia too, I swear I've heard those exact guitar sounds and chord progressions before, but I just can't quite place them.

The highlight is the misleading opener Get Away, with its keening guitar line traipsing over the top of rumbling alterna pop, and that song rung in my ears after my first listen, leading me t think fondly of the album as a whole. But on a second listen, I'm finding the sound getting stale already. Maybe its the general verse-choruseyness that I'm even more tired of than I was in the 90's, maybe its the fact that I'm not that into the 90's sound any more, maybe its just the fact that this album just is kind of repetitive, even outside of its cultural pigeonhole, but it doesn't last long beyond the "man, I remember liking stuff like this in the 90's". It's perfectly pleasant, with nice variations in tempo and dynamics between songs, even if there are almost none with any of them individually. I demand more, its 2012 people 3/5

You might like this if: you liked the 90's, and want something agreeable to put on in the background while you play A Link to the Past.