The album title is kind of a joke, after all Yo la Tengo are never going to be a popular band. But at the same time they are a much loved and critically acclaimed band, so in some ways it could be seen as an honest statement.
The album is their 13th in 23 years and continues in the same vein as their last few releases. Hushed vocals, soothing harmonies and 60s influenced instrumentation. opening track ‘Here To Fall’ shows some elements of their earlier drone rock stylings, before stripping them away and replacing them with organ sounds and 70s string stabs.
There is little of the fuzz guitar pop that was so common on their early albums (they got most of that out of their system with their Condo Fucks side project) but there is one concession to this side with the glorious ‘Nothing To Hide’. This is swiftly followed by album standout ‘Periodically Double or Triple’, a song with a funky groove that belies the indie rock geek reputation of the band. The album swings along beautifully for the first nine songs, each one a brilliantly produced pop gem.
The second half of the album is what might divide the listeners, and it is only three songs long, ranging from 9 to 16 minutes in length. They have a definitive Yo La Tengo sound, but one that jars a little with the pop feel of the first half of the album.
For me it is an experiment that comes off pretty well.
Coming at the end of the album they don’t break the flow and they are a pretty glorious noise. The noisiest and longest of them ‘And the Glitter Is Gone’ is also probably the best of the bunch and would be a great closer to one of their live sets.
The album has some similarities to Wilco (The Album) in that it feels like a band compiling a selection based on songs from albums throughout their career. But, like Wilco, they get away with it because they are such an accomplished and interesting band. And how many bands are there that sound this good after 23 years?
8/10
by Dorian Rogers, Sept 2009
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