{"id":42530,"date":"2016-02-29T15:33:35","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T21:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/?p=42530"},"modified":"2016-02-29T15:33:52","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T21:33:52","slug":"yuck-stranger-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/2016\/02\/29\/yuck-stranger-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Yuck: Stranger Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Stranger-Things-Art_opt\"Yuck has produced yet another appetizing collection of songs. Stranger Things<\/em> marks the band\u2019s third full-length album and the second with guitarist Max Bloom at the helm after the departure of previous frontman Daniel Blumberg. Yuck had not only managed to survive Blumberg\u2019s recession, but decided to go with the change and run, hiring guitarist Ed Hayes and bringing Bloom into the spotlight to produce their more subdued sophomore album, Glow and Behold<\/em> and a slightly confused Southern Skies<\/em> EP. Stranger Things,<\/em> however, gravitates back to the spirit of group’s debut album, Yuck<\/em>, with the signature energy, fuzz and distorted vocals that were lacking in Glow and Behold<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Unlike Yuck\u2019s previous records, Stranger Things<\/em> is their first album to not be released via Fat Possum, and was entirely self-recorded\/produced in Bloom\u2019s mother\u2019s basement and released under the guise of Mam\u00e9 Records. This seems to have helped cultivate the raw sound Yuck was previously known for and that was softened during Glow and Behold<\/em>\u2019s production. Songs like \u201cHearts in Motion,\u201d \u201cYr Face,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Ok,” and \u201cCannonball\u201d anchor this album to Yuck\u2019s original sound with heavy fuzz-guitar lines and megaphone-esque vocals.<\/p>\n

While Stranger Things<\/em>\u00a0at times seems to be a homage to their debut album, the combination of Bloom\u2019s distinctly different vocals and a blend of sonically successful aspects of Glow and Behold<\/em> give this album enough nuance to, more or less, successfully revitalize that Yuck sound fans fell in love with. The four-piece\u00a0also taps into their softer side with several tracks on this album. Bass player Mariko Doi takes over with her shy vocals for \u201cAs I Walk Away.” \u201cLike a Moth\u201d is easily the most subdued track on this album and \u201cDown\u201d features an appropriate synthesizer part that is much more prominent than Yuck has typically allowed.<\/p>\n

Stranger Things<\/em> will likely wind up being viewed as a stepping stone for whatever Yuck decides to do next rather than any sort of revolutionary new album, but that should not discount the quality of this album, or the band. Yuck has yet to put out anything worth disliking. The departure of Blumberg prompted Yuck to experiment for a bit but seems they are finally returning to their roots with Bloom at the wheel this time around.
\n
\nRecommended If You Like: Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Sonic Youth, Built to Spill, My Bloody Valentine
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Recommended Tracks: 2 (Cannonball), 10 (Down), 3 (Like a Moth), 9 (Swirling), 11 (Yr Face)
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Do Not Play: None
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Written by Alex Frank on 02\/29\/16 <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stranger Things is a return to the old Yuck but with a refreshed lineup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11774,"featured_media":42531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3235,3230,181],"tags":[4324,4504,3341],"class_list":["post-42530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-music-reviews","category-new-music-rotation","category-rock-rotation","tag-alex-frank","tag-stranger-things","tag-yuck"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Stranger-Things-Art_opt.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}