6. YO LA TENGO - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Matador, 2000
Yo La Tengo have never really been all that exciting - sure, there was a certain scrappy indie rock intensity that colored their early material, although in some cases the songcraft suffered; it stands to reason, then, that a toned-down, mellowed-out version of the band might induce narcolepsy in even those most wired of speed freaks. But who'd'a thunk it'd be so gosh dang captivating? "Everyday" opens this painfully-long-winded-titled rekkid (a Sun Ra reference - NERDS!) with a stoned detachment, keyboards droning behind a shuffling beat and Mrs. Georgia Hubley's best bored-out-of-her-mind, junkie-zombie vocals. None of this sounds exciting, and it ain't, but whaddaya know: it's gorgeous! And a little spooky. And although it's not the dissonant jangle of "Sugarcube," the next track, "Our Way to Fall," is an equally affecting love song (minus the passive aggression), and a damn right pretty one at that. I reckon you might say Yo La Tengo officially Got Old on this record. Course this isn't to say it's all sad sappy slow songs - "Cherry Chapstick" is a rocker that brings to mind the YLT of yore, complete with Thurston-style guitar massacring and a six-minute run-time that never slows its roll. They've done more rock'n'roll-flavored stuff since (and good stuff at that!), but nothing this pure; nothing this complete. Every piece of this album's proverbial puzzle falls right into place.
STREAM: Yo La Tengo - "Our Way to Fall"
