1990's 101

Pavement is the greatest band in the world. Inherent in their sound is a sort of nonchalant swagger that is rarely reproduced. Their albums function as both separate entities and as a complete discography while their tracks can more than stand alone. But for me, it's Stephen Malkmus's off-the-cuff lyrics that truly hit home. Ranging from the apologetic yearning of Gold Soundz-"And you're the kind of girl I like / Because you're empty and I'm empty / And you can never quarantine the past"-to the absurdity of Blue Hawaiian-"Aloha means goodbye, and also hello--it's in how you inflect"-Malkmus crafts songs that both grow and mature with repeated listenings.

Yuck, a band who's self-titled debut was released in February by Fat Possum Records, is essentially the 90's. They manage to embody the detached aspect of Malkmus's delivery while maintaining a sense of longing that is present in many of Sonic Youth's tracks. However, the entire album feels fresh. It may be its juxtaposition with the bleep-bloop, chill-wave music being pumped out of independent labels recently, but the entire album strikes me as being unusually raw and tangible. I can only hope more will come from Yuck in the future.

Tracks to download immediately include the album opener and first single, Get Away, and the slow-jam, entitled Sunday.

Yuck is also playing a show in Montreal on April 30th. Be there or be square.