Yuck traffic in early ’90s sounds, but their simple template goes further back than that. They are a standard four piece with no extra adornments, and they emphasize cohesion. Lead singer Daniel Blumberg plays rhythm guitar while versatile bass and workman-like drums act as an anchor, and the lead guitar comes out on top.
Both guitarists and the bassist sing (the drummer sings along to every song but sadly didn’t get a microphone at the Black Cat last Wednesday), but they never step on each other’s toes, adding emphasis or harmony when it’s needed. Their instrumentation is similarly tight—guitar chaos never overpowered melody or dragged on, looser tunes never spiraled too far apart. After weak vocals on the opening song, they played seemingly without a hitch the rest of the night.
Much of their sonic unity appeared due to the bassist, Mariko Doi, who hid behind bangs that covered half of her face, never once looked at the audience, and focused on her instrument, driving songs forward, pulling them together, slipping liquidly around her two guitar players. During an instrumental breakdown towards the end of “Suicide Policeman,” her playing was faintly reminiscent of reggae; she blasted through “Georgia” with a streamlined bounce.
Yuck has only released one self-titled full length, but it is uniformly strong, and their set reflected their consistently excellent song writing. “Operation” was stripped down to its very core; a lean, mean, forceful blast. The circular patterns of “Stutter” were distortedly hypnotic, guitars and bass navigating metronomic drumming.
Yuck played a couple of songs that weren’t on their debut album: “Milkshake,” with its irresistible Velvet Underground strum, and the B-side “Soothe Me,” which can be a bit lackadaisical on record but benefited from the tight power of their live performance. The set ended (like their album) with the slow, huge, cathartic “Rubber.” As the rhythm section left the stage, the two guitarists stayed, stretching out a wave of feedback. This was their only moment of self- indulgence, and it was well earned.
