Yo La Tengo, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador) 9+
Guitarist Ira Kaplan and drummer Georgia Hubley are a living testament to the fact that you don't have to have romantic strife and drama to create great music. Not that their marrige doesn't have struggle. "The Crying Of Lot G" features their most personal lyrics yet, assuming the marital conflict was their own. "The Last Days Of Disco" and "Our Way To Fall" seem to revisit their romantic past with Kaplan recalling, "I remember my face turned red/I remember staring at my feet." These two shy rock geeks would never have dreamed to expose themselves like this ten, or even five years ago. It seems that they now have the confidence to risk embarrassment because they know they're bad-asses now, that they have the musical and songwriting chops to stand on. Through patience and restraint, Yo La Tengo has made the rare achievement of reaching the peak of their powers fifteen years into their career. While their early albums had some great moments, no one would dare say they were better back in their Feelies/dBs jangle-pop days. This album revisits the acoustic intimacy of their 1990 covers-heavy Fakebook, combined with the guitar drones of 1992' May I Sing With Me. But this time, the longer space-outs are reigned tightly within the songs and used sparingly. The difference is that Kaplan seems to have come to terms with the fact that he will never be a guitar god. Their early-90s shows were riddled with excruciatingly long guitar-feedback solos. Since 1993's Painful, they have found their niche as a rock band with quirky songs about love and pop culture, filtered through a soft-focus lens of brush-drums, warm farfisa organs, vibes and gently fuzzed-out guitar. Their vocals are more up-close and cozy than ever, with heavenly "bop-bop-bop" choruses on "You Can Have It All" and harmonies on their first single, "Saturday." After showing how beautifully they could harmonize way back on Painful's "The Whole Of The Law," I'm surprised they haven't done it more often. There is only one rocker on this quiet album, the star-bursting power-pop of "Cherry Chapstick" that also leaves one wanting more. The cover of George McRae's 70s disco staple "You Can Have It All" ups the energy level a bit, but the album is definitely of a more singularly mellow mood. Play it next to their 1997 masterpiece I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One and you'll have a perfect summary of strengths of indie-rock's most valuable band.
