Make no mistake, these guys know their fretboards. Grand, crashing symphonic majors go head-to-head for you attention with the most beautiful minors, giving the whole album a very full, gravity-based feeling which sucks you in and takes you, right from the start, on a real journey. In this respect, they come across as a lighter, less self-important version of Mogwai – yes, they’re very guitar-heavy but they also know they have an audience who want, first and foremost, to enjoy themselves.
To quote their official biography, YAK “seamlessly blend the modern and the classic” In doing so, they draw a dark veil of menace over proceedings. This is like one of these classic old-time film noirs in which the blackest possible sense of despair permeates all proceedings. Doom-laden bass chords jar deliberately with razor-sharp lead guitars and the whole thing sounds wonderful.
These guys know full well that they don’t fit into any kind of class or genre that’s around these days. But that suits them just fine. They’ve got their own furrow to plough and, when they do it this well and this thoroughly, then long may they continue to do so.