Relaxed but not lazy. Love songs that aren't teenybop pop. These are summary descriptions of the latest from Yo La Tengo, whose ambitious albums are built upon memorable melodies. Though their work often wears its Velvet Underground inspiration on its sleeve, YLT has shown it can handle shoe-gazing rock, bossa nova, acoustic pop, mood music, sampling and odd covers with equal aplomb. Chemistry enables YLT to be prolific.
Taste ensures engaging songs and consistent records.
And Then Nothing is perhaps their most confident, and certainly their most restrained, recording. Another quiet Yo La Tengo triumph. Neenah native James Andersen mixes recent club hits on the tribal and trance sides of house music in the fierce manner of a weekend jam in New York. Interesting as it is to the feet, the lyrical content offers a peek into current clubbing mentality. Andersen takes dancer and listener on a trip bustling with percussive intensity and moral tension.