Kaplan’s wailing guitar is barely held together. Opener “Sinatra Drive Breakdown” is a thudding and sparse apocalyptic song, grounded by a droning and repetitive bassline. The record is book-ended by two shining examples of those drawn-out, jammy, pulsing long songs that feel so unique to their sound.
With just nine songs, they deliver a lean set of low-key but throbbingly spaced out meditations, just the sort they have always been able to effortlessly nail. There are few grand stylistic gestures, or surprise departures, from their many past sounds to be found on “This Stupid World.” This record captures the trio at their most focused and immediate. With this album, however, they seem to want to represent something more clearly: the futility of life. Yo La Tengo’s records have often alluded to some greater message, whether it be personal, universal or even pop-cultural. It’s hard not to interpret this methodology as the band taking a stand against the inescapable isolation that we all experienced during quarantine, and this sentiment serves the songs on “This Stupid World” beautifully. Somewhere along the line, the decision was made that these new songs ought to be recorded as they were conceived: live and all together.
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Entirely self-produced by band members Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, much of the material on this album came from a series of rehearsals that took place throughout the pandemic. While they have always excelled at capturing the frenetic sound of their live shows when recording, this latest record has a particularly malleable quality to it. Just as likely to cover a Grateful Dead song as they are to burst into Sun Ra or the theme song from Hanna Barbera’s “The Banana Splits,” the secret ingredient to their longevity has always been their freewheeling, unpretentious versatility. Yo La Tengo has taken elements of the best bands of the last 70 years - including the ones they themselves inspired - and mixed it all with a pastiche of oddball Americana and an affinity for artists like Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground. Their latest album, “This Stupid World,” feels like one of their most progressive and direct to date.
Pre-order I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico.Few bands remain as description-defying as Yo La Tengo, the three members of which are now closing in on their 40th year together. Fittingly – and sadly – it is the last album he worked on. In particular, he very much viewed himself as a primary curator of Reed’s legacy, and the care and love he felt for his friend’s work is evident in every note on I’ll Be Your Mirror. Willner was a master of the tribute album, with each project he worked on extending the magnitude of the artist or work under consideration. I’ll Be Your Mirror was overseen and executive produced by Hal Willner, Lou Reed’s dear friend, and producer who passed away last year. Limited autographed items including vinyl and vinyl test pressings signed by Kurt Vile and other featured artists will be available for purchase as well. The record’s debut track, a version of “Run Run Run” by Kurt Vile & The Violators, is also out now. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett, King Princess, and more. The tribute album, executive produced by the late Hal Willner, was originally envisioned in 2017 and will feature Berninger, Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Michael Stipe, Angel Olsen, St. The National’s Matt Berninger shared his rendition of “I’m Waiting For The Man” exclusively on Consequence on July 30. I just felt like I could get inside the world of this song,” Barnett says. When I listen to ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ and read the lyrics, I realize it’s a perfect song. “I love them… (The Velvet Underground & Nico). Barnett’s signature sardonic delivery allows for a thrilling re-imagining of VU’s iconic original.
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