Yo La Tengo
- President Yo La Tengo [Twin/Tone, 1989] A-
- Fakebook [Restless/Bar/None, 1990]
- May I Sing With Me [Alias, 1992] ***
- Painful [Matador, 1993] A-
- Electr-O-Pura [Matador, 1995] A
- Tom Courtenay [Matador, 1995]
- Camp Yo La Tengo [Matador, 1995]
- Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo [Matador, 1996]
- I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One [Matador, 1997] A
- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out [Matador, 2000] B+
- Nuclear War [Matador EP, 2002] **
- Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo [Egon EP, 2002] *
- The Sounds of the Sounds of Science [Egon, 2002]
- Summer Sun [Matador, 2003] A
- Today Is the Day [Matador, 2003] *
- Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs 1985-2003 [Matador, 2005]
- I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass [Matador, 2006] A-
- Popular Songs [Matador, 2009] **
Consumer Guide Reviews:
President Yo La Tengo [Twin/Tone, 1989]Exceptionally well-connected on a very social scene, Ira Kaplan seemed even less likely than his fellow semipros to record music worth telling the world about, especially after his breathy debut thumbed its larynx at vocal projection and the well-illustrated New Wave Hot Dogs proved typically forgettable in its lilt-and-yell competence. Yet except maybe for Thelonious Monster, no Amerindie band all year has come off stronger openers than "Barnaby, Hardly Working" (mysterioso guitar hook) and "Drug Test" ("I wish I was high"). Nor can I recall a "Sister Ray" hommage as felt as the live 10-minute "Evil That Men Do." They rock out, they wax poetic, they cover Dylan, they do their bit for the boho weal. A-
Fakebook [Restless/Bar/None, 1990]
"Speeding Motorcycle"; "The Summer"; "Emulsified"
May I Sing With Me [Alias, 1992]
hey Mr. and Mrs. Tambourine Man, play that feedback for me ("Some Kinda Fatigue," "Upside-Down") ***
Painful [Matador, 1993]
Correcting for off-and-on songwriting by declining to write full-fledged ones, they turn into Hoboken's answer to My Bloody Valentine on this expansive collection of riffs to jam on. The difference is that even at their most aleatory, which in a close contest is probably the Hammond B-3 workout "Sudden Organ," they're always friendly. This is not the forbidding experimentation of an aspiring vanguard. This is the fooling around of folks who like to go out on Saturday night and make some noise--and then go home humming it. A-
Electr-O-Pura [Matador, 1995]
Altern-A-Pura would be more like it. Brimful of punk, fuzz, feedback, noise, and the lovingly amped squelches of fingers sliding off strings, their seventh album is a subcultural tour de force, luxuriating so sybaritically in guitar sound that I'm reluctant to mention that the tunes are pretty good. That's why it's the best record they've ever made, though. Singing's breathy as usual, with Ira yelling when the time is right. As for the lyrics, you know--murmured, gnomic, pop culture references, that kind of thing. A
Tom Courtenay [Matador, 1995]
Camp Yo La Tengo [Matador, 1995]
"Can't Seem to Make You Mine"
Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo [Matador, 1996]
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One [Matador, 1997]
No one has made more of bohemian easy-listening--cocktail samba, trance-skronk, good old-fashioned slow ones than Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, boho dream couple and cultural miniaturists. From the misshapen piano figure that trumps "Moby Octopad"'s Peter Townshend guitar swell to "Deeper Into Movies"' raveup workout, from Georgia's simulated Astrud Gilberto cover to James McNew's simulated Neil Young ballad, this is a band that has figured out what makes its faves tick and its tickers beat as one. The very peak is "Autumn Sweater," which with its "We could slip away" refrain comes on like (gulp!) a cheating song, only to reveal itself as Ira's diffident, lovestruck tribute to Georgia's companionable support. Modest rather than narrow, their joy and sadness are no less sweet or intense for the larger life they know nothing of. A
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out [Matador, 2000]
The main problem with this background tour de force is that you understand not just how good it is but how pretty it is only when you listen up. The whispered guitar and pattering drum patterns, the unattainable sounds, the details of a modest love for the ages--all mean what they mean in part because they're so quiet. Yet if you don't get it, all I can advise is: Play Loud. B+
Nuclear War [Matador EP, 2002]
four versions of the same scary-funny protest song, (any) one of which we need ("Version 2," "Version 1") **
Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo [Egon EP, 2002]
Three Xmas songs you don't know is miracle enow ("Santa Claus Goes Modern," "Rock N Roll Santa"). *
The Sounds of the Sounds of Science [Egon, 2002]
Summer Sun [Matador, 2003]
See: Beating as One. A
Today Is the Day [Matador, 2003]
Remix, cover, instrumental, great Summer Sun reject, ordinary Summer Sun reject, judicious Summer Sun reject ("Styles of the Times," "Needle of Death"). *
Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs 1985-2003 [Matador, 2005]
See: Recyclables.
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass [Matador, 2006]
What's most remarkable about this stylistic portmanteau is that every song is an original even though you assume several are among their shoulda-been-a-hit-but-wtf-is-it? covers--more than several, but you know they wouldn't do that. Equally remarkable is that the lyrics you can make out are impossible to keep your mind on. Georgia and Ira sound more happily married than ever. They want to enact this state in all its instant gratification and infinite variety. But they're not inclined to reveal many details. I respect their privacy. But I remain curious. A-
Popular Songs [Matador, 2009]
Georgia and Ira's 20th-anniversary history lesson ("And the Glitter Is Gone," "Periodically Double or Triple"). **
See Also
- Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One [1997]
- Beating as One: Yo La Tengo [2003-04-15]
- Recyclables: Yo La Tengo, Neil Young [2006-01-24]