Yoo Doo Right
A Murmur, Boundless to the East
MOTHLAND
A year ago, Montreal’s post-everything krautrockers Yoo Doo Right released their debut full-length, Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose, an album that shaped a new visceral edge to the experimental post-rock and heavy-psych scenes. Now they’re already following it up with A Murmur, Boundless to the East, an equally towering release fit for nebulous contemplation and feelings of foreboding astral projection. Through their expert constructions of obelisk earworms, Yoo Doo Right still has an otherworldly effect on the human brain.
When listening to their drawn-out jams like “Dérive,” images of past and present lives permeate deep within. As the minor-keyed guitar line repeats, a hefty bass guides the track into an obscure dimension while the drums—with little accents on the hi-hat here and there—give the track a jazzy feel. Later, frenzied guitar trills take over as walls of synth latch on, encompassing and persuading the music toward a sonic conclusion that never comes. Instead, we hear seven thunderous and Vantablack bass and guitar drops and we’re back in. This is the beauty of Yoo Doo Right’s sound—a disregard for predictability that leaves you craving more.
At six minutes, “The Failure of Stiff, Tired Friends” is probably the most radio-friendly track on Murmur. That’s not to say it’s not overflowing with the spice of YDR’s penchant for enchanting melodies. At times you feel as if you’re floating or looking into the terrifying-yet-calming vastness of space. The Spaghetti-Western guitar line is also dusty and majestic. Altogether, the track is the closest you can get to tripping without the use of hallucinogens.
There’s a political edge to Yoo Doo Right’s music, somewhat vaguely vocalized through Justin Cober’s duplicating lyrics, which you can take as calls to action for a better world or just another ingredient to the rhythmic madness. The lyrics on opener “Say Less, Do More” can be contextualized to many societal events we’ve come to accept or ignore. Whatever your perception on politics, the fact is that YDR are making the best of their situation; a band trapped under the thick curtain of capitalism. It’s why their music always has the thematic soundscape of elusion, why the near-17-minute closer “Feet Together, Face Up, on the Front Lawn” feels alternatingly like a burdensome march toward victory and a dirge toward crippling defeat.
Yoo Doo Right is a rare breed of band that can unite music lovers across genre, but also use their voice and platform to touch on the past and future neglect that plagues our world. Simply put, it’s impossible to not feel something when listening to their music.
