Album: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Artist: Yo La Tengo
Born: Hoboken, New Jersey
Released: February 2000
Genre: Dream Pop
The turn of the century was a great time for alternative American bands, in the wake of dream pop pioneers Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. This record's expansive musical textures and stunning melodies definitely puts it in that same tradition, but Yo La Tengo started out as a noisier, more frenetic act. The band has always had a profound love of psychedelia, covering songs from Forever Changes and Village Green Preservation Society on their first LP, Ride The Tiger (1986), but it wasn't until the mid-90s that the group really hit its stride and perfected its own unique sound, blending shoegaze, punk and folk. From the release of May I Sing With Me (1992) onwards, bass player James McNew joined founding members and husband-wife duo, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, and this trio has remained until the present day (including 2013 release, Fade). Nowadays, Yo La Tengo are treated like indie rock royalty, and have an especially loyal following among music critics who appreciate their deep knowledge of pop music's past, which is often expressed in the band's imaginative cover versions. Kaplan started his musical education at CBGB during the punk era, so he certainly has a longevity that few share. Though I love Electr-O-Pura (1995) and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997), neither has the same grip on my imagination as this record. You Can Have It All is a great example of the group's charms, slowing down a little-known George McCrae song and adding organ, strings and horns to create a catchy, beautiful samba sound, which is enhanced by a dreamy vocal performance from Hubley.
Everyday opens the record and creates a dark, sinister mood, which is reflected in the lyrics that reveal a gnawing sense of despair ("The days and nights fly by / looking to embrace the nothing, of the everyday"). Our Way To Fall is an early highlight on the record, and marks a quick shift in mood, as Kaplan reminisces about falling in love, against a backdrop of jazz drums and rousing organ chords. The odd drum machine beats and discordant piano jolts of Saturday make for a disorientating feel, along with the dour, Nico-style vocals. Let's Save Tony Orlando's House is another highlight, reminiscent of Saint Etienne's breezy indie pop, and was written to delight pop culture geeks with its references to The Simpsons. Other favourites of mine are The Crying of Lot G (this time the reference is to literary recluse and genius, Thomas Pynchon), which is a brilliantly downbeat dissection of an argument between lovers ("The way that I feel, when you laugh, is like laughing / the way that I feel, when you cry, is so bad"), and Cherry Chapstick. The latter sounds like a homage to shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine, and is an odd choice in the middle of a stately and mellow record, but I think it works great as a way of jolting the listener out of the narcotic, dreamy state that the first eight tracks can create. Closing track, Night Falls On Hoboken, shares the same lullaby feel of many songs on the album, but the band's love of psychedelia also shines through, as Kaplan murmurs above the minimal percussion (the length of the outro is a little excessive though). Yo La Tengo are one of those bands that have improved with age.
The turn of the century was a great time for alternative American bands, in the wake of dream pop pioneers Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. This record's expansive musical textures and stunning melodies definitely puts it in that same tradition, but Yo La Tengo started out as a noisier, more frenetic act. The band has always had a profound love of psychedelia, covering songs from Forever Changes and Village Green Preservation Society on their first LP, Ride The Tiger (1986), but it wasn't until the mid-90s that the group really hit its stride and perfected its own unique sound, blending shoegaze, punk and folk. From the release of May I Sing With Me (1992) onwards, bass player James McNew joined founding members and husband-wife duo, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, and this trio has remained until the present day (including 2013 release, Fade). Nowadays, Yo La Tengo are treated like indie rock royalty, and have an especially loyal following among music critics who appreciate their deep knowledge of pop music's past, which is often expressed in the band's imaginative cover versions. Kaplan started his musical education at CBGB during the punk era, so he certainly has a longevity that few share. Though I love Electr-O-Pura (1995) and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997), neither has the same grip on my imagination as this record. You Can Have It All is a great example of the group's charms, slowing down a little-known George McCrae song and adding organ, strings and horns to create a catchy, beautiful samba sound, which is enhanced by a dreamy vocal performance from Hubley.
Everyday opens the record and creates a dark, sinister mood, which is reflected in the lyrics that reveal a gnawing sense of despair ("The days and nights fly by / looking to embrace the nothing, of the everyday"). Our Way To Fall is an early highlight on the record, and marks a quick shift in mood, as Kaplan reminisces about falling in love, against a backdrop of jazz drums and rousing organ chords. The odd drum machine beats and discordant piano jolts of Saturday make for a disorientating feel, along with the dour, Nico-style vocals. Let's Save Tony Orlando's House is another highlight, reminiscent of Saint Etienne's breezy indie pop, and was written to delight pop culture geeks with its references to The Simpsons. Other favourites of mine are The Crying of Lot G (this time the reference is to literary recluse and genius, Thomas Pynchon), which is a brilliantly downbeat dissection of an argument between lovers ("The way that I feel, when you laugh, is like laughing / the way that I feel, when you cry, is so bad"), and Cherry Chapstick. The latter sounds like a homage to shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine, and is an odd choice in the middle of a stately and mellow record, but I think it works great as a way of jolting the listener out of the narcotic, dreamy state that the first eight tracks can create. Closing track, Night Falls On Hoboken, shares the same lullaby feel of many songs on the album, but the band's love of psychedelia also shines through, as Kaplan murmurs above the minimal percussion (the length of the outro is a little excessive though). Yo La Tengo are one of those bands that have improved with age.
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