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Rating: With the fear of being labeled as a staunch follower of Scaruffi, which I am not, I recall how the national Pierone branded Ira Kaplan as "a computer programmed to replicate the style of those few bands that no one has ever questioned". Perhaps a slightly ruthless definition, but undoubtedly effective. Kaplan has always possessed a remarkable talent for playing rock, a rare ability to eclectically draw from every manifestation of popular music, without however falling into mere encyclopedic citation.
Yo La Tengo would not lose their peculiar "cultured but honest" style even if they played the same piece for another fifty years.
The point, however, is that they certainly wouldn't seem too fresh and original anymore. Take the previous "I'm not afraid of you and I will beat your ass". What can you say about it? Personally, nothing, except that it seems like the younger sibling of "I can hear the heart beating as one", and younger siblings always suffer a bit in comparison to their older ones. However, stylistically, I find it impossible not to name it beautiful, despite sporadic episodes.
Unsuccessful episodes also appear on the brand new "Popular Songs". The new effort by Yo La Tengo possesses all the characteristic features our friends have accustomed us to, between stylistic novelties and pieces of an already established (and slightly overused) nature such as the visionary pop of "Avalon Or Someone Very Similar"; the ballad "When It's Dark"" quite conventional by their standards; the inevitable 10/15-minute lysergic block "And The Glitter Is Gone", which at some point seems to need to be present by contract. But here are the new little gems: the initial "Here To Fall"", with its liquid psychedelia, rough bass dictating the flight's pace (watch the related video) and orchestrations surrounding it (perhaps their most original piece in recent times); the funky "Periodically Double Or Triple"" with the stuttering organ chasing Ira's voice; "By Two's"", with its dark metropolitan atmospheres that personally reminded me of the best Portishead; "More Stars Than There Are In Heaven"" and its over 9 minutes of "old school" shoegaze.
Bossa nova references also find space in "I'm On My Way" and the long, ancestral, roach-like "The Fireside", with hypnotic bass à la Seam.
That said, you can cultivate the belief that, at worst, "Popular Songs" will be "just" pleasant.
Tracklist and Videos
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