Yo La Tengo is here with their 12th full length album that was released today, September 8th, 2009. They are so cool they can call it “Popular Songs”, because they know it is going to be just that popular. All kidding aside, the album might not have the conventional popular songs format, but what it does have pretty damn good.
After 2006’s “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass”, the band released equally ornery “Fuckbook”, which they recently released as Condo Fucks on March 24, 2009. The band’s alter egos still consists of Ira Kaplan (guitars, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). Kaplan is affectionately listed as ‘Kid Condo’ for that album, but is noted generally as Ira Kaplan for the Yo La Tengo albums. These three have been the brain-trust that is Yo La Tengo since 1992, even though the band initially formed as early as 1984, by Husband/Wife (Ira/Georgia) before adding McNew, all three out of Hoboken, New Jersey.
What is amazing, besides the longevity, is the fact that on this their 12th studio LP, Yo La Tengo is able to produce an album that is nearly flawless. The first track, Here to Fall is deceiving from the rest of the album as it starts off sounding like something out of the pages of Pink Floyd or the Grateful Dead’s Space and was chosen as the first video.
From there the album really gets it’s swerve on with the very likable, popish-indie rock sounding type song Avalon or Someone Very Similar that has made Yo La Tengo so famous with the in-crowd of critics and music magazines.
By song three, By Two’s :: Yo La Tengo :: Popular Songs we are sent drifting back over and under our own synapses, using Georgia’s female vocals in a subtle way reminiscent of Nowhere Near off of my favorite Yo La Tengo album “Painful” from 2000. From there they kick it up about 100% to a rocking, smooth track called Nothing to Hide. The lyrics as much as the musical prowess is a big reason why so many people love Yo La Tengo in all their various incarnations. They usually have a deeper meaning and it takes more than a single listen to go “OK this one is about xxxx.”
The video seen above (and available for download below) or heard here, named Periodically Double or Triple :: Yo La Tengo :: Popular Songs, is possibly my favorite track (#5) on the album. It has the noticeable organ that looks more like a 1950’s radio when you see it in person and is a key element to the Yo La Tengo sound. The organ heard on this song gives it that swanky vibe like something out of Pulp Fiction that makes you feel just by listening to it, that you too are cool as f!>k.
The rest of the album continue this retro in the metro jazz, funk, pop, indie rock, psychadellic collage that ends up being 72 and a half minutes of a really good way to spend a few bucks. You have tracks such as If it’s True :: Yo La Tengo :: Popular Songs with the Aretha Franklin sounding opening lick that befits a band celebrating 25 years of being together. For an indie rock band that is like 150 dog years.
The last three songs on the album are almost like an entirely different side, as if they could have made it disc 2 and that would have been fine. The songs run anywhere from 9 and a half minutes on More Stars Than Are in Heaven to a smidgen under 16 minutes on the final song, And the Glitter is Gone.
Bands like Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Belle and Sebastion and others in the Matador Records bullpen is a testament to the label and their own quality and hard work, because these kinds of bands generally don’t have a shelf life that long. When you limit yourself from playing large, stadium sized venues and stick to a low key promotion and small dive clubs to perform most bands either transition to full on pop-music labels or they just go away because it is hard work and the pay is not always a given.
At the end of the day anyway you slice it I for one am thankful bands like Yo La Tengo exist and stay in the music game, pushing past what I am sure has been hard years recording and touring to the aforementioned juke joints as they ramp up for another tour (dates seen below). Also be sure to check out their website and myspace page for streaming music and updates.
September
15 – Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground
16 – Boston, Mass. @ Wilbur Theater
17 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
18 – Durham, N.C. @ Carolina Theater
19 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
21 – Asheville, N.C. @ Orange Peel
25 – New York, N.Y. @ Roseland Ballroom *
October
2 – Montreal, Quebec @ Le National
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Opera House
5 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom
6 – Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre
7 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Ave
9 – Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown
10 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden
11 – Aspen, Colo. @ Belly Up
12 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Urban Lounge
14 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Marquee
15 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Avalon
16 – San Diego, Calif. @ Soma
17 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Rio Theater
18 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Treasure Island Festival
20 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
21 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox SoDo
November
5 – Dublin, Ireland @ Tripod
6 – Glasgow, Scotland @ ABC
7 – Manchester, England @ Academy 2
8 – London, England @ The Roundhouse
10 – Bielefeld, Germany @ Forum
11 – Lueven, Belgium @ Het Depot
12 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
14 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Gray Hall
15 – Oslo, Norway @ Cosmopolite
17 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Kagelbanan
18 – Lund, Sweden @ Mejeriet
19 – Hamburg, German – Markthalle
20 – Den Hague, Netherlands @ Crossing Border Festival
22 – Dusseldor, Germany @ Zakk
23 – Berlin, Germany @ Postbahnof
25 – Katowice, Poland @ Hipnoza Club
26 – Vienna, Austria @ Arena
30 – Paris, France @ Bataclan
* with Black Lips
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