yo la tengo

i found "...nothing..." to be lacking killer pop songs like, say, "sugarcube". the new one is sort of a balance between the soft atmospheric stuff and the pop stuff - quite jazzy in places, too. the lyrics are a problem: it's like when your friend is banging on and on about how great his girlfriend is, and how perfect their relationship is. it's sweet and you're happy for them, but you still want to tell them to shut the fuck up!

"season of the shark" is one of the year's best songs, though...

That said, "Summer Sun" is a bit disappointing. I wanted to love it but like someone above said it isn't sticking. It's either too much of the same or just not as good song-wise. I'll still continue to listen to it though, hoping it's an acquired taste, as they're a band aging gracefully.

It's not up for discussion. It's basic Spanish.

Yo = "I" or "me." La in this phrase is a direct object meaning "it," feminine. Tengo is a verb mening "have" or "possess." End of story.

Ah, so their name isn't the only link eh? And also James, if they don't use 'yo la tengo' to decide who's going to catch a skied ball, when DO they use it?

Summer Sun is aight. Not a must-have. Still, I don't think they've EVER made a bad album. Honest!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-4W_xhHT8

THIS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG

I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU AND I WILL BEAT YORU ASS

revisiting i can hear... and it's still as beautiful (crackly, glowy) as i remember it. they really struck gold in the '90s.

i vividly remember seeing them on that tour -- i was standing at the back of the 9:30 club in dc, leaning against the wooden wall that separated us from the sound dudes, and not just hearing but *feeling* 'deeper into movies' <3

Yeah, I have a friend-compiled best of through 2000 and it's just strength to strength. I wasn't into their wankfest live shows, though, but when they nailed a groove they were unassailable.

I started to lose interest in YLT live around "Heart" - saw some great shows, saw some eh shows, though nothing as good as seeing Ira sitting in with Eleventh Dream Day in '93 - but then I saw them do an awesome show with Susie Ibarra sitting in, supporting "And Then Nothing ..." Since then I've been pretty indifferent to the band live, though I did see them as the Condo Fucks last year, opening for EDD.

(Want to say one of the "Heart" shows I saw ended with a cover of Grand Funk's "We're an American Band." When the band came back for an encore, they picked right up with the song at the chorus and played it for another five minutes.)

they do have an original called 'we're an american band' -- guess they'd really mess with ppl by doing both

Unfortunately I never got to see then live until after Summer Sun (which was and is still probably their worst album), but I've always thought they slayed on stage. The run from Painful through And Then Nothing... is pretty much perfect and can't be fucked with. I thought Beat Your Ass was a step back in the right direction and Popular Songs was good but suffered from horrible sequencing.

I lost interest in them soon after the excellent Summer Sun. The soundtrack stuff was still good but from Beat Your Ass on they sounded uninspired to me. Too much repetition, too few ideas. What I heard of the Condo Fucks (what a moronic name) just underlined that they basically seem to be on autopilot. Maybe they will astound me again but my hope is very slight.

dunno, i'm pretty much willing to go anywhere with this band. i remember being disappointed in summer sun when it came out, but whenever i play it now, it sounds pretty classic. last few recs have been all over the place stylistically in a sometimes good/sometimes bad way, but I've never actively disliked any of them.

i do think their live show has suffered a bit from trying to do to many things in the space of a single night, but there have still three or four moments of total bliss at any given show. when i first saw them in 95 on the electrapura tour they were on fire, just blasting off on every song.

loved that condo fucks record, totally fun.

What I heard of the Condo Fucks (what a moronic name) just underlined that they basically seem to be on autopilot.

How is a retro side project that is completely distinct from their main catalog the band on "autopilot"? Weird complaint.

the Condo Fucks (what a moronic name)

let me tell you about Hoboken

when i first saw them in 95 on the electrapura tour they were on fire, just blasting off on every song.

I first saw them in 1994, and watching "Sudden Organ" rise out of the sprawling, gargantuan heap of smoldering feedback wreckage that was the "Out The Window" breakdown is an experience I will always treasure.

xp haw, i've always thought it was a hilarious name, even before it became a "real" band. that whole insert with I Can Hear The Heart is classic.

Yeah, I thought it was a great take on hardcore punk. Can totally picture the angry young punk muttering, "can't stand those condo fucks over on that side of town".

(Want to say one of the "Heart" shows I saw ended with a cover of Grand Funk's "We're an American Band." When the band came back for an encore, they picked right up with the song at the chorus and played it for another five minutes.)

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 02:15 (14 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^ this is great btw

How is a retro side project that is completely distinct from their main catalog the band on "autopilot"?
In a way Yo La Tengo is a retro band. Not only did they make Fakebook, to me they always sounded like a kind of perfect mixture of Velvet Underground, The Feelies, the Modern Lovers with a grain of the melodies of The Kinks. They have distilled the best of independent and pop music and made it their own. That side project may be fun for them, just rockin' out and going for feedback and the likes but for me as a listener it is unsatisfactory. I have followed them for a long time, saw them first on the Electro-pura tour where they were on fire as tylerw already pointed out. Tuneful drone monsters like Blue Line Swinger totally ruled my world. But what I have heard recently sounded stale and dispensable.

fair enough -- i found it entertaining, if not some sorta masterpiece.
it is too bad they won't do another record a la Fakebook -- whenever Dave Schramm shows up to play with them at one of those hannukah shows (like here: http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=8510) it's wonderful. dude is kind of a magical guitar player.

I think my problem with the Ass Beating record is that it should have been called Cookbook; it sounds to me like a band rehashing the things that made them quasi-famous and much loved, the first formulaic record of their career (Summer Sun isn't formulaic, just a bad misstep). A greatest hits without the hits, so to speak.

Tyler - I would love another Fakebook too. It would be interesting to see what they'd choose now and how they'd come out.

I think my problem with the Ass Beating record is that it should have been called Cookbook; it sounds to me like a band rehashing the things that made them quasi-famous and much loved, the first formulaic record of their career (Summer Sun isn't formulaic, just a bad misstep). A greatest hits without the hits, so to speak.

I agree with this assessment of Beat Your Ass...; while there are some good songs, most don't resonate with me very strongly. Songwriting feels a bit watered down.

Summer Sun, though, was a slow-burner for me. Full of great songs. "Little Eyes" might even by my favorite YLT song...if that was a thing I could equivocally state.

idk I'm listening to "Pass the Hatchet" right now on Spotify, and it's totally bombing my ears with l<3ve

the epics that open and close that record are classics. some spottiness in between, but a couple great ones -- "the race is on again" "room got heavy" "the weakest part"...

I'll concede the opener is a corker, but should have been called "Pass The Hatchet So I can Free Myself From All The Flotsam Of This Album"

hahaha

hee hee

Matos piece on new yLT book

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2012/06/6007231/jesse-jarnow-wrote-book-yo-la-tengo-and-metro-areas-early-80s-indie-

sorry... this should work:

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2012/06/6007231/jesse-jarnow-wrote-book-yo-la-tengo-and-metro-areas-early-80s-indie-?music-bucket-headline

really enjoyed this book. don't know if anyone who isn't already a serious YLT fan would be interested in it, but what kind of monster isn't a serious YLT fan, after all?

expanded edition of Fade, also 3 December shows in Brooklyn (after Hanukkah) now on sale

http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/2013/09/18/yo-la-tengo-deluxe-fade-2xcd-new-7-and-3-brooklyn-dates-in-december/

added 4th date after 3 sold out

http://i.imgur.com/3KkbVb4.png

Recognized them at the bar via the Casio sample on “you can have it all”

Cool, rocking cover of "Season of the Shark" by a Japanese band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdHRakxxg2E

Correction: a South Korean band

Oh thanks, I'd heard a clip of that track and it sounded great but it wasn't listenable on bandcamp (at the time)

The 1990 live album that just hit spotify is lovely. Lots of funny radio chatter and great versions from the Fakebook era, including Daniel Johnston phoning in at the end to sing Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Strange - listened to this 3 days ago and it now appears to be gone... https://open.spotify.com/album/6O3zY2X7FUH77zKx6H0h1H?si=BIqLy5wTSMej6IUe5rwuNQ Boooo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhICyf1kUUw

h/t Raymond

https://yolatengo.bandcamp.com/album/the-bunker-sessions

Thanks sleeve

Love this version of “Stockholm Syndrome,” with the wigged out fuzz guitar solo