Yo La Tengo
Summer Sun
Matador Records
2003
Watch out! Those happy-go-lucky kids from Hoboken, New Jersey are at it again.
Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew of Yo La Tengo are giving you
a volatile spread on tunes on the bands newest project Summer Sun.
This album follows in the darker, moodier roots of “And Then Nothing
Turned Itself Inside-out” and seeks to marry Yo La Tengos' love of quirky
pop tunes, with their fascination for the scattered, atmospheric chaos of
jazz-influenced improvisation. Gone from this album is the heavy “chug-a-lug”
fuzz of guitars that were a Yo La Tengo trademark on earlier albums Electro-O-Pura,
and I Can Hear the Hear Beating as One.
Have no fear though, they still have an edge.
Always the merry pranksters, Ira and Georgia toss their stylistic beach ball
back and forth between songs, leaving the listener smiling through the tears,
and laughing at the heartache. An example is the track “Season of the
Shark”- an upbeat, cliché of a pop song that sets you up for
an emotional slide, as the sultrier track “Today is the Day” takes
over. The lighter songs on Summer Sun overlay a bitter undercurrent, while
the darker tracks project an unwavering optimism. It is as if someone is calling
you to tell you that you are dying, but that you just won a million dollars.
Confused? No matter, Ira and Georgia will see you through. Summer Sun is a beautiful album, an honest album, and one that you’ll play over
and over again.
“This sounds a bit like goodbye
in a way it is I guess
as I leave your side
we’ve taken the air
take care please
take care
take care please
take care…”
-John Southern