Milk Maid – Yucca

Having broken away from band duties with latter day grungers Nine Black Alps, Yucca represents both bassist Martin Cohen’s new band Milk Maid’s debut release and his first foray into song-writing territory. Defined by a twining of finely tuned retro production, scored with some brazen throwback melodies, Yucca has the feel of an historical journey from the offset: from the red-raw punk of the new wave aping opener Such Fun, to the borderline plagiarism of the amped-up, Jesus and Mary Chain-worshiping Not Me, through the lower than lo-fi Kill Me Again (think very early Pavement). In fact, all told, there’s little to mark Yucca out as a contemporary release – rather it plays out as an unabashed homage to Cohen’s long-lost heroes. Though with the eleven tracks on offer here having been so lovingly crafted and beautifully executed, it’s hard to see Yucca as anything other than a triumph. [Paul Neeson]