Arts & Entertainment, The Muse

Care to Tengo?

Yo La Tengo are back with Popular Songs, another well-rounded set of tracks and the follow up to their’ 2006 album, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass.

The new album, set to be released Sept. 8, features some of the band’s most straightforward and experimental songwriting to date ‘-‘- ranging from the catchy noise-pop of ‘Nothing to Hide’ to the meditative hum of ‘By Two’s.’

From the percussion-less slow burn of ‘The Fireside’ to the thundering and epic sixteen-minute freak-out of ‘And the Glitter is Gone’–since no Yo La Tengo album is complete without a 10-plus minute groove–the album recalls the band’s 2000 record And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

Softer, folkier love tunes such as ‘If It’s True’ and ‘When It’s Dark’ feature Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley’s divine, playful harmonies; and the layered, lush, nearly-ten-minute ‘More Stars Than There Are in Heaven’ finds the band’s melodies and guitar work creating a dense and enveloping feel for the track’s entire duration. The band also injects a vein of funk into the first two singles, ‘Here to Fall’ and ‘Periodically Double or Triple,’ in which Kaplan proves himself as devoted to that genre as the noise-pop that got the band their start.

Yo La Tengo have sundry ideas going into this album, but each is executed perfectly. If there’s anything old school Yo La Tengo fans can expect from this new album, it’s consistency, as each song references a completely different part of their career but sounds as urgent and compelling as their first dabbling in a new style.

This album also shows the band venturing into string arrangements, which gives the record a ’60s tinge that flirts readily with their pop songwriting ability and experimentation. Even if Yo La Tengo have found their formula, it’s permanently a winning one, as they inject energy and innovation into every style they choose.

Yo La Tengo are playing at the Wilbur Theatre on Sept. 16, supported by Japanese psychedelic band Yura Yura Teikoku, and are sure to bring Kaplan’s signature skronk and sweet ballads sung by all three band members. Songs range from the entire catalog, so there’s something for everyone, but the band is always sure to put on a stellar show.

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