I understand why people dig Yukon Blonde. They’re not nearly as melancholy as Fleet Foxes, but they reflect enough of the Seattle-based folk band’s sound to provide another option to listen to while wandering through the leaves of autumn.
They have enough pop-driven choruses to inspire giant singalongs at live shows. But there are times when a band’s sound needs to change.
Fire//Water isn’t a bad EP. At 13 minutes, it’ll likely be a good investment for those wanting something to carry them into the band’s sophomore release in 2012. It’s catchy and kind of fun. The song “Choices” features gorgeous harmonies and a classic rock feel.
But the release just feels tired. Many of the drum and bass rhythms are overly simple. The lyrics are redundant. The line “they’re setting fire” is sung way too many times in the appropriately named “Fire.” And the song “Water” sounds like a complete Fleet Foxes rip-off. It’s a well-constructed track, but the likelihood that it’ll be dismissed as near-plagiarism is pretty high.
Yukon Blonde is a talented group of guys with a ton of potential. Let’s just hope that they find some new ideas. If that happens, this band could quickly scale the charts, and will have other bands stealing their sound.
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