Oh Yes Yo La Tengo are back!
Popular Songs is another absolute stunner of an album that, as most Yo La Tengo albums are is full of many surprises.
Take the opener 'Here To Fall,' starting off as a proper psychedelic hark back to earlier material and then breaking off and ending with a string section for the outtro.
Popular Songs, which is anywhere from their 12th to 19th album (depending on what you are counting) shows how a band as talented as this trio can evolve and still write music that affects people in different ways, albeit the spacey pop of 'Avalon Or Someone Very Similar' or the two minute garage rock genius of 'Nothing To Hide' to the heart wrenchingly emotional nine minute epic 'More Stars Than There Are In Heaven' (by the way what an awesome name for a song) you just get the feeling that this is why a band like Yo La Tengo have been around for so long, their music evokes so many different emotions from just one album and that to me is the sign of a really special band.
This is typical of Yo La Tengo, releasing an album that can incorporate all the things their legions of fans have grown to love about them but still produce something that is challenging and different. In fact 'Popular Songs' not only retains the qualities of such classics as 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out' and 'I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass' but pushes the boundaries further in what they can achieve musically. To me this is one of their best albums and songs such as the brilliant final fifteen minute rock out 'And The Glitter Is Gone' and 'More Stars Than There Are In Heaven' are already contenders for some of my favourite Yo La Tengo songs.
They will be in the UK in November, I'll see you there.
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