Yuck

Nostalgia works in roughly 20-year cycles, and so like clockwork, two decades on from the release of Nirvana's Nevermind and the subsequent rise and fall of alternative rock, young bands are starting to feel the pull of the age of flannel. Two of the key elements of the early '90s were horrible band names and hideously ugly album covers, both present and accounted for on the debut by London's Yuck. Fronted by two members of former teen indie hype Cajun Dance Party (speaking of crap band names), singer Daniel Blumberg and guitarist Max Bloom, Yuck's debut album is unapologetically beholden to the bands that ruled college radio when this lot were still in diapers: Sonic Youth's feedback, Dinosaur Jr.'s deliciously whiny vocals and Pavement's sullen attitude are all present and accounted for. But the real touchstone for these Brits is Teenage Fanclub circa A Catholic Education and Bandwagonesque, when all the aforementioned sonic touchstones were placed in service of solidly constructed, sweet-natured pop songs. For all the bratty aggression of immediate standouts like "Get Away" and "Holing Out," it's softer, more overtly melodic tunes like "Suicide Policeman" and the surprisingly fetching instrumental "Rose Gives A Lilly" that give Yuck the depth and charm to be more than just an impressive extended karaoke exercise.