Yuck - Glow and Behold

When news emerged that Daniel Blumberg had ditched Yuck for a solo project under the name Hebronix earlier this year in April, a small burst of panic occurred within me. Such is the fondness for their 2011 self-titled debut that I hold - and one of the rare records that even my mum will enjoy if I stick the CD on in the car (she likes Phil Collins and that's about it) - but I guess I needn't have worried.

They aren't quite a trio yet - having brought in Ed Hayes as a replacement guitarist, they remain a foursome - but there was the worry, building up to this, that something would have been lost. That fear, added to a very noticeable new soundalike on Glow & Behold, will most likely lose the band a few fans of their debut's lo-fi, noise rock, The Go! Teamish sound. But where their debut found gorgeous jam-alongs in a sea of chaotic riffs and feedback, the sophomore effort is a lot more upfront about the feelgood factor. In fact, this might just be a happier record.

"Well yes, Shaun," you start - canny enough to scroll down the page and find my name - "happiness is nice, but is the album good?" In short: yes. We begin with a stretching and eye-rubbing instrumental called 'Sunrise in Maple Shade' that, alone, doesn't really offer a lot to listen to. Similarly slow to adjust is the twee 'Out of Time' with its subtle glockenspiels and a hushed lead vocal from the stepping-forward Max Bloom, but even on repeated listens I don't feel like I've discovered everything about it yet. A little more straightforward, 'Lose My Breath' plays with classic rock chords and gives the band a glimpse at their former irreverent selves, which is often where bassist Mariko Doi seems most comfortable providing backing vocals on. On the flip side of the coin, though, there's the frustratingly slow 'Memorial Fields' which puts forth the depressing thought "I wanna go back to the end/ and maybe we can start again". Same, if this is what's to look forward to.

Don't worry, though, because 'Middle Sea' quickly renews their ear for a punchy, rousing wave of noise. "I don't wanna wait, I want it now!" is the coda of choice, as if to reaffirm themselves. The first cut from the album, the free download 'Rebirth', should've warned a few listeners of this album's reluctance to tread familiar territory though: the track's a hazy, snare drum-filled bit that crashes towards the end like There Goes the Fear-era Doves (although not even close in terms of quality).

The rest of the album bears a stark resemblance to turn-of-the-century Blur. 'Somewhere' sees Bloom do a convincing Albarn impression, whining "don't control my heart/ we need to be apart" over a gorgeously upsetting piece of new romanticism. The band tackle classic britpop on the perhaps cynically-titled 'Nothing New', which draws on rock & roll balladry influences and builds on it with trumpets and rattles to craft something triumphant. Speaking of triumph, Bloom's vocal turn on 'How Does It Feel' is about the most assured thing on the entire album, before the outro smashes it out of the park with some blasts of sunshine. Another instrumental, 'Chinese Cymbals', rather breaks up the party a little bit, before the most obvious Blur pastiche, a title track, closes the LP. It's a surprising turn for the band, but it sees them issuing silly lyrics about silly problems ("now your coffee's been made too strong") before repeating "I don't really mind" and bowing out with more brass, glam rock influences and the whole kit and kaboodle.

In an analogy I'm sure the NME would love, following Glow & Behold is a little like making the emotional maturity jump in the 1990s from Oasis to Blur: I've said above how similar this record is in sound to The Great Escape or self-titled era-Blur, and given fans of Britpop were divided between the radio-friendly hits of the Gallaghers and the lavish pouting of Albarn, it might explain away the lack of immediate horn-grabbing belters on show here. Of course, everyone loved Oasis (Yuck) right away, but given a little time and care, Glow & Behold might just prove as enchanting.

Rating: 7.5/10
Highlights: Middle Sea; Somewhere; How Does it Feel; Glow & Behold; Nothing New
Avoid: Sunrise in Maple Shade

Artwork Watch: Not quite as eye-grabbing as the first one is it
Up next: Lorde