Today's Music That Also Sounds Like A Threat is from Yo La Tengo, titled I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. This album is the most recent release from Yo La Tengo, prolific and critically adored indie rock band, and also the most ridiculously named. Apparently the album title comes from basketball player Tim Thomas, who uttered the words "Everyone in this organization is afraid of you, but I’m not, and I will beat your ass" to then-teammate Stephon Marbury a few years ago.
Anyhow, this album has a lot to like: colorful packaging, a varied collection of interesting songs, a wicked title. The album starts with the retro-bebop styled "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind", a pleasant enough tune that goes on for almost 11 minutes. I don't know if this album as a whole appeals to me as much as I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, but it's pretty damn good. Heart seems to rock a little harder; while Not Afraid doesn't get stale at any point, it also stays away from the distortion and the shoegaze elements that Heart incorporated so well. Not Afraid has more of a wistful, dreamy sound, but the songs are still very listenable. Sometimes I wish it had a little more of an edge or pushed the tempo just a bit, but neither of these things are completely lacking.
To be fair, "Watch Out For Me Ronnie" and "Beanbag Chair" do have a little drive to them. This album, though, really has its head in the clouds. Just listen to "Daphnia" and "Sometimes I Don't Get You" and try to tell me otherwise. "Black Flowers" is possibly my favorite song on this album; "Mr Tough" isn't bad, either. The album really ends well, with "The Story of Yo La Tango", all 12+ minutes of it. This is an excellent album, one that even indie rock snobs should be able to enjoy; as long as your music doesn't need choreographed dancing or you don't hold your hand in the metal sign all day, you should give this album a shot.
In Other News:
I really have to try sleeping at night. Cripes.
Showing posts with label Yo La Tengo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yo La Tengo. Show all posts
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Today's Music That Jason Recommends A Lot And Then Some is I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, by Yo La Tengo. I thought long and hard about how to classify this album, how to describe it in concise terms, and I just couldn't do it. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I've been trying to write this entry for a few days and it will probably be fairly disjointed by the time it actually is completed. Mostly, though, it has to do with how interesting this album is.
This is a Yo La Tengo album, bearing many of its hallmarks (instruments playing against time signatures, some upbeat rock songs and some quieter using vocals as more of an effect than a lead). It's quirky, and while that word is usually reserved for things that are consciously trying for quirky, this has more to do with Yo La Tengo's subtle sense of humor and playing against type. Sometimes there is fuzzy, distorted guitar, sometimes it's mostly bass and piano, sometimes both. This album does a really great job of changing tempo and mood between songs. Some other YLT albums are good but comfortably softer than this one; this album is louder and more intrusive than a fair amount of their other work, and I, for one, think it really does the band justice. I wouldn't call it 'hard rock' by any means though; that isn't a good or bad thing, it just is what it is.
If there is a criticism of this album, it's maybe that the vocals aren't dynamic enough. They certainly have range, but it seems as though they don't always match the intensity and tempo of the songs, and sometimes just keep up when I think they should be leading. However, this isn't enough to detract from a diverse, intriguing soundscape.
As for individual tracks, well, there are several standouts. "Moby Octopad" is pretty great, "We're an American Band" and "Little Honda" are everything that cover songs should be. "Sugarcube" is a nice, upbeat, clever rock song. "Deeper into Movies" is maybe the best track on the whole album, "Autumn Sweater" is a nice change of pace. "Green Arrow" is a real change of pace, and kind of a pleasant surprise; "Return to Hot Chicken" is a marvelous album opener. I could probably give you an opinion on every song on this album, and that alone should tell you something. (Also, if you hadn't noticed, the song titles are pretty great, too.)
So, to summarize, this album is basically the cat's meow. It's not great workout music, and not something you could just fall asleep to, but if you like clever, engaging music that rocks just a little, this is worth your time. I think I found this album at a time when I was less impressionable than I was in the awakening of my musical awareness, so I can't say it affected me as much as some others, but I have always thought highly of it.
In Other News:
Saturday where are you?
This is a Yo La Tengo album, bearing many of its hallmarks (instruments playing against time signatures, some upbeat rock songs and some quieter using vocals as more of an effect than a lead). It's quirky, and while that word is usually reserved for things that are consciously trying for quirky, this has more to do with Yo La Tengo's subtle sense of humor and playing against type. Sometimes there is fuzzy, distorted guitar, sometimes it's mostly bass and piano, sometimes both. This album does a really great job of changing tempo and mood between songs. Some other YLT albums are good but comfortably softer than this one; this album is louder and more intrusive than a fair amount of their other work, and I, for one, think it really does the band justice. I wouldn't call it 'hard rock' by any means though; that isn't a good or bad thing, it just is what it is.
If there is a criticism of this album, it's maybe that the vocals aren't dynamic enough. They certainly have range, but it seems as though they don't always match the intensity and tempo of the songs, and sometimes just keep up when I think they should be leading. However, this isn't enough to detract from a diverse, intriguing soundscape.
As for individual tracks, well, there are several standouts. "Moby Octopad" is pretty great, "We're an American Band" and "Little Honda" are everything that cover songs should be. "Sugarcube" is a nice, upbeat, clever rock song. "Deeper into Movies" is maybe the best track on the whole album, "Autumn Sweater" is a nice change of pace. "Green Arrow" is a real change of pace, and kind of a pleasant surprise; "Return to Hot Chicken" is a marvelous album opener. I could probably give you an opinion on every song on this album, and that alone should tell you something. (Also, if you hadn't noticed, the song titles are pretty great, too.)
So, to summarize, this album is basically the cat's meow. It's not great workout music, and not something you could just fall asleep to, but if you like clever, engaging music that rocks just a little, this is worth your time. I think I found this album at a time when I was less impressionable than I was in the awakening of my musical awareness, so I can't say it affected me as much as some others, but I have always thought highly of it.
In Other News:
Saturday where are you?
Friday, December 7, 2007
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Today's Music That Jason Can't Believe He Neglected This Long is Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. In addition to having sometimes ridiculously long song titles, Yo La Tengo's other hallmark has been making interesting and generally damn good albums for a long time. And Then... is no exception. I don't know how I didn't discuss a Yo La Tengo album before now.
I wouldn't say this is my favorite Yo La Tengo album; no, that would probably have to be either I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, or I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. This is still a fine album, something I like to listen to in the mornings when I'm too tired and grouchy to deal with anything as abrasive as, say, The Black Keys or Rage Against The Machine. No, this album is maybe a little too gentle if anything, but still interesting, and funny at times (see "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House). The songs are laid back, sometimes dark, but never too much so. This is an album with latent appeal, something for dedicated fans of the band or people who understand the appeal of more minimalism in their music. If you ever hear any tracks from this album on the radio, I'll be quite surprised, more so if it's not "Cherry Chapstick". In short, this album has a lot of things going for it, even if it doesn't feel the need to get in your face to tell you.
In other news:
Winter is here. Boo.
It's also Friday, and not too soon.
I wouldn't say this is my favorite Yo La Tengo album; no, that would probably have to be either I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, or I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. This is still a fine album, something I like to listen to in the mornings when I'm too tired and grouchy to deal with anything as abrasive as, say, The Black Keys or Rage Against The Machine. No, this album is maybe a little too gentle if anything, but still interesting, and funny at times (see "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House). The songs are laid back, sometimes dark, but never too much so. This is an album with latent appeal, something for dedicated fans of the band or people who understand the appeal of more minimalism in their music. If you ever hear any tracks from this album on the radio, I'll be quite surprised, more so if it's not "Cherry Chapstick". In short, this album has a lot of things going for it, even if it doesn't feel the need to get in your face to tell you.
In other news:
Winter is here. Boo.
It's also Friday, and not too soon.
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