Yeah Yeah Noh - Automatically Saturday

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 8 / 9 / 2015

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Yeah Yeah Noh are, as far as I am aware, Oadby's only band ever. Now based between the equally sleepy Leicestershire small town of Market Harborough and Birmingham, Yeah Yeah Noh reformed after an absence of twenty-five years for guitarist John Grayland's fiftieth birthday in 2012. Originally part of the undercurrent of the C-86 movement, they still sound as quirky as ever but also remarkably fresh. On 'Let's Start a War', the opening track of 'Automatically Saturday', their second studio album and first since 1985, they sound like a band very much in control. The vocals by Derek Hammond are reminiscent of those of a youthful Morrissey, while 60's keyboards edge in and out and the cutting riffs of the guitars are enough to please any past fan. 'In a Loop in Time' is like an upbeat Wedding Present. This grips you with something urgent to say while also making your feet want to move too. The title track has a disco post poppy punk feel like Kraftwerk overdosing on New Order. 'She Pulls the Petal from the Flower' is foot-tapping indie for the old folks. It sounds familiar, but also fresh and ripe. 'Buttercup Close' is a psychedelic number, while on 'Poetic Delivery' their maturity shines through. 'Shooting from the Hip' features the vocals of seonc vocalist Sian Howarth, and sounds like Sandie Shaw fronting the Smiths or the Beautiful South with an odd touch of Devo thrown in. 'On the Queen's Highway' is doom-laden and Gothic, and full of dark atmosphere, is reminiscent of the Cure and Joy Division. 'The Second House from the Corner' sounds like a house version of the Teardrop Explodes. 'Up on the Downs' is a jangly indie pop number, while 'Smoking, Running, Petting, Pushing' has a new wave edge and, funky in tone, most unlike anything the band have done before. 'Slipstream Dream' features a dramatic vocal from Howarth, and is a classic Kylie-style pop number. 'The Family of Love' once again features Howarth and ends the album in the style of the Beautiful South. A fine if somewhat overdue return.

Track Listing:-

1 Let's Start a War
2 In a Loop in Time
3 Automatically Saturday
4 She Pulls the Petal from the Flowe
5 Buttercup Close
6 Shooting from the Hip
7 On the Queen's Highway
8 The Second House from the Corne
9 Up on the Downs
10 Smoking, Running, Petting, Pushin
11 Slipstream Dream
12 The Family of Love

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yeah-Yeah-Noh/179922345453384
https://twitter.com/yeahyeahnoh1

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