"Popular Songs" Has Something For Everyone
Yo La Tengo doesn’t reinvent the wheel for their 12th release, but really, why would they need to?
Yo La Tengo
Popular Songs
Released on Sep 08, 2009
Prolific is a strong word to use when describing a band. However, when you’re reviewing a band’s 12th studio album, it seems rather appropriate. The staying power of Yo La Tengo is obviously linked to their talent and, since they’ve been around for so long, they’ve become the canonical indie band. Whether they’re sticking to an atmospheric sound, jamming noisily, or covering any number of artists, Yo La Tengo seems to have done it all.
That’s why, perhaps it’s not all that surprising that Popular Songs isn’t revolutionary, nor does it serve as a signal of a turning point for their sound. They’ve had plenty of those moments in the past, and this album seems to be a collection of songs that allow them to showcase different styles that they’ve dabbled in over the years. Since they're able to transfer between those styles with ease, Popular Songs becomes a comfortable, great (even if it’s not mind-blowing) album to listen to.
The band should be commended on their inclusion of nearly all of the major sounds that have defined their career. Wait just a moment…perhaps that’s why it’s called Popular Songs! The first few tracks have the ambient feel that many of their early albums did, while “Nothing to Hide” and “Periodically Triple or Double” have the more ‘60s-influenced, catchy sound. They haven’t lost their “jam” sensibilities either—the epic ending track “And The Glitter is Gone” is a nearly 16-minute salute to guitar solos.
I’m a big fan of their catchy sounds, and “Periodically Triple or Double” offers a sophisticated take on that. It sounds like it’d be equally at home on a soundtrack for a James Bond movie. I blame it on the fantastic retro keyboard beat. It’s difficult to listen to this song without wanting to reach for a martini and dance around your living room.
While catchy sounds help to recommend the album, their greatest strength lies in the effortless nature of their music. Even if they are playing an overwrought piece with layer after layer of sound, like “Here to Fall,” they never sound like they’re trying to make it work. It’s like they just got together, decided to play what sounded good to them, and hit “record.”
That sort of ease lends an alluring hypnotic quality to tracks like “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven”—sidenote: best song title in awhile, no? At approximately 10 minutes, this song is almost annoyingly simple. There are slightly more developed lyrics at the start, but they eventually devolve into repetitions of “we’ll walk hand in hand.” The accompanying music doesn’t lend a typical sentimental feel to the track, but it really ends up being quite dreamy. I listened to this while sitting in traffic the other day, and I was so placated by it that I didn’t even honk at a car that cut me off.
At times, I would critique the album for being a bit too suited for the “background noise” classification. Tracks like “I’m On My Way,” “All Your Secrets,” and “The Fireside” are pretty unremarkable. “All Your Secrets” has a slight waiting room quality to it—albeit one filled with hipsters. “The Fireside” doesn’t do anything. For being 11 minutes long, it somehow manages to avoid any possible interest with climaxes or anything else of that nature.
Disregarding the songs that are a little too easy to listen to though, Popular Songs proves that members of Yo La Tengo haven’t outstayed their welcome on the music scene just yet.
High Point
Their breezy, pop-infused sound. It’s apparent on only a couple of the tracks, but I could listen to “Nothing to Hide” all day long.
Low Point
“The Fireside.” Why such a long track with so little musical interest?
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Sep 10, 2009 @ 6:00 am
