Beware indie fans: Yo La Tengo are going mainstream.
At least that's the intention. Maybe.
Let me elaborate. Yo La Tengo have been making delightfully diverse music since the early 1980s. From the punk roots of Ride The Tiger, to the country twang of Fakebook, the hardcore edge of May I Sing With Me, to the eclectic releases of Electr-o-Pura and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Yo La Tengo have ventured all across the musical map, remaining forerunners in the indie genre. Not that indie rock is much of a spotlight.
The cover of Yo La Tengo's latest release, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, shows nightfall on a suburban neighborhood. In the bottom right hand corner of the cover, a man stands with a bright light shining on him from above.
My first impression when I saw this image was that the man was simply standing under a spotlight. I didn't pay much mind to the fact that there would be no spotlight in the middle of the street, and didn't immediately put together other clues within the artwork (i.e., the same man mowing crop circles in a field) to catch on.
I know you've all gotten it by now, the light is coming from an alien ship. He's being abducted. I'm just slow.
At least that is the joke anyhow, the fake crop circles suggest that the whole thing is a sham and that, indeed the man is putting the spotlight upon himself.
Independent-label monster (if that's not too much of an oxymoron), Matador Records, as well as Yo La Tengo, is probably trying (with varying degrees of success) to put the band under a spotlight as well. We'll get to the reasons within And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out in a minute, but to further support my argument I'll point out that this album is being re-pressed as a 2xCD limited release. The second disc in the set is somewhat of a "greatest hits" collection of seven previous Yo La Tengo songs: "From A Motel 6," "Tom Courtenay," "Autumn Sweater," "Little Honda," "Sugarcube," "Big Day Coming," and "Blue Line Swinger."
This second disc is intended as an introduction to Yo La Tengo's previous efforts, as it contains not only some of their best work, but represents a wide variety of style. Unless the intended demographic for And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out is different from what it has been, this Yo La Tengo crash course shouldn't be necessary.
Not that And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out is a big marketing tool. It wasn't made for commercial success. It just happens to successfully wear two hats at the same time.
Yo La Tengo haven't strayed from their amazing progression. They left off in 1997 with the superior release I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. This album helped make Yo La Tengo even more of an indie-house name. It played with a plethora of styles and succeeded across the board in every case. From the crunching guitar of "Sugarcube" to the bossanova lullaby "Center Of Gravity," Yo La Tengo proved that their musical genius lies not only in execution, but in variety.
They don't sound all too different on And Then Nothing. . .. Take any number of the quieter songs on I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One; "Shadows," "Damage," etc., and you will hear similarities throughout the new album, most recognizable on "Tears Are In Your Eyes." And Then Nothing. . . is basically a tangent off I Can Hear the Heart. . . minus feedback. That's right, Ira Kaplan turned off the distortion on this one.
In the process, he and Georgia leave James somewhat in the background as they leave us with one of the most refreshing, simple, beautiful examinations of love that we have on record. This is possibly the rarest of rock-and-roll celebrations. Though love is probably rock's most common theme, the happy marriage is rarely discussed.
It is amazing how sweet And Then Nothing. . . gets without getting sappy. Yo La Tengo have never been too lyrically complex, but the tenderness in their voices always forgive that. When Ira sings "We try and we try/Even if it lasts an hour/With all our might/Try and make it ours/Because we're on our way to fall in love," his whisper speaks louder than any guitar on I Can Hear The Heart's "Spec Bebop."
"The Last Days of Disco" accounts a first awkward dance where nothing matters but one another. He sings "And the song said 'lets be happy'/It made me happy/It never made me happy before" enough to make you lonely.
Though it is true that And Then Nothing. . . is a quieter album than Yo La Tengo's previous efforts, that doesn't mean the songs are ballads. The instrumentation on this album is as innovative as anything they've done, and the styles are still variant, just softer. "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" (nods to Troy MacClure) uses organ over Georgia's pitter-patter reminiscent of "Center of Gravity," while the electric, inaccessible drone (complete with digital twiddles and random piano chords) on their first single, "Saturday," creates a dreamy atmosphere that "Moby Octopad" hinted at. The modern doo-wop of "You Can Have It All" (which contains an orchestral solo) is a standout track, proving that Yo La Tengo haven't missed a beat.
Longtime Yo La Tengo fans will find refuge in "Cherry Chapstick," the only "loud jam" on the album. Ira couldn't keep the guitar down for 77 minutes without at least one "Sugarcube."
Where I Can Hear The Heart. . . succeeded in assuring Yo La Tengo their place as multi-genre auteurs, they make their best possible move on And Then Nothing. . ..
Another grandiose display like Yo La Tengo's last album would come off as uninnovative and dry. Yo La Tengo succeed by narrowing the focus to a hushed beauty and blossoming from the inside out.
The microcosm of And Then Nothing. . . is found at the end. The final track, "Night Falls on Hoboken," is almost 18 minutes of atmospheric pleasure, never reaching a climax, and never fading into the background. Like the rest of the album suggests, maybe "Night Falls on Hoboken" is what marriage should be: a long-lasting, never-tiring, consistent beauty.
In the process of toning down their sporadic nature, Yo La Tengo are toying with a marketing scheme. As indie music becomes more trendy, they may be finding a demographic in the middle-aged hipsters who so embraced Buena Vista Social Club. Not that they are catering to them, but with the suspicious 2xCD set, they may be conspiring with Matador to make a few extra bucks.
Who am I kidding? Yo La Tengo aren't going mainstream. So a few yuppies might pick up Yo La Tengo at the Virgin Megastore, but I'm not about to hear "Saturday" on VH-1. Sure, And Then Nothing. . . topped the college charts, but it debuted at 138 on the Billboard chart. That's due to the fan base they've already established.
Yo La Tengo are not changing to suit anyone but themselves. This intricate analysis of love is their most beautiful album yet. If they pick up some new fans in the process, more power to them.
