"Nothing
ever stays the same. Nothing’s explained," sings Ira Kaplan on "Ohm", the
first track from Yo La Tengo's 13th studio album Fade. Incredibly, 26
years have passed since Yo La Tengo released their debut album Ride The
Tiger. Who would have thought that Yo La Tengo would outlive many popular
artists from the 1980s. We've already looked at the opening track
"Ohm" and for that matter the closing track "Before We Run", this time we have the entire album to gaze upon. It wasn't too long
ago that the opening and closing track to Fade surfaced, but let me
refresh your memory.
Yo La
Tengo are a three piece from Hoboken, New Jersey. It's no secret that they came
out of the underground scene in the 80s through the alternative rock scene in
the 90s right through to today’s simplistic and melodic rock scene. They have
cult status, a repertoire of singles and a strong back catalogue, so what
exactly are Yo La Tengo doing releasing another album? Popular Songs
came out four years ago and wasn't received as well as other albums released by
Yo La Tengo. This has to be said, I was very excited about listening to Fade.
I've heard many Yo La Tengo albums and the few tracks that surfaced were better
than many of the singles Yo La Tengo have released over the years. So without
further ado, Fade.
Right
off the bat Yo La Tengo impress with album opener "Ohm". It's not
their most technical or left-field of tracks, but it’s fun, catchy, loud and
rare. Percussion starts it off, followed by a light synthesizer, to which a
guitar enters (and never really goes away.) Ira Kaplan delivers the vocal in
his usual way. It's been layered, but doesn’t sound heavily effected like some
alternative rock bands. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how you start an album.
It really is a phenomenal track, and one of Yo La Tengo's best to date. The
guitars add, the vocals pick up and the percussion stays as the faint guitar
solo can be heard. At 6:49 it's the longest track on Fade, however it's
the best. Much better than its follow-up, "Is That Enough". Where the
title is repeated throughout the track in a repetitive manner. I've often found
myself listening through "Ohm", then returning to "Ohm"
because of how mediocre "Is That Enough" sounds compared to
"Ohm". Kaplan delivers a well-rounded vocal, and the strings are
fantastic, it's just a little basic and flat. The guitar is heavily distorted
and the percussion is very lounge like.
"Well
You Better" is one of the better tracks on Fade. There's a noticeable
organ line in the background and a synthesizer line focussed on the right side.
The bass is incredibly catchy, with reggae styled guitar chords. Of course it's
not reggae, it's as much krautrock as it is jazz. Defining a Yo la Tengo track
in one genre is quite pretentious, which is why the alternative label suits the
New Jersey trio. The gritty garage rock sounds come through on the following
track "Paddle Forward". It has a lovely guitar progression and
distortion on said guitar; it's just not one of the flattering tracks on the
album. Unlike previous albums, Fade doesn't have the feel of a completed
album. It's hard to pin down the fault, but tracks with very little characteristics
on the back half such as "I'll Be Around" and "Cornelia And
Jane". Both are decent tracks in their own right, I’m just not feeling the
emotion or point of them as Yo La Tengo tracks. The first half is definitely
the better side, with "Stupid Things" topping off the half. This
track has all the progressions and variances as the opener "Ohm".
It's a long-winded guitar jam on top of a standard krautrock-esque drum rhythm.
Fade has a mediocre middle section, but
thankfully the final trio of tracks salvages an album which could pretty much
be summed up in two tracks, and I think you know which ones they are. Unlike its
predecessors, "Two Trains" takes on that traditional slow, melodic
and relaxing style we see so often on the back half of albums. It's a beautiful
track with standout guitar work and percussion. "The Point of It" is
the penultimate track and another relaxing track. It serves as the cool down
session to an album of pretty mediocre rock music. The light acoustic guitar is
welcomed, after many distorted tracks which are never loud or in your face,
just present. Distortion needs to be used accordingly and I don't think Yo La
Tengo have utilised it enough on Fade. When viewing the album as a unit,
the few tracks that stand out are the louder, distorted tracks that are both
catchy and not instantly forgettable. Because that's what we have on our hands
here, a forgettable album with some outstanding tracks.
Yo La
Tengo struck gold with album closer "Before We Run". It opens with
what seems to be the sound of a plugged in amp with distortion added to it.
Then the catchy drumming enters and a vocal by Georgia Hubley whose presence
seems to be somewhat less existent compared to previous Yo La Tengo albums. The
brass enters before the 90 second mark and the strings enter shortly after.
Hubley's vocal picks up and the track becomes one great big alternative
symphony. There's a catchy acoustic guitar which is driven on the right side
and a brief section where the married couple perform a duet. The amp sound
comes back as the strings and brass leave for what seems to be an intermission.
Just past the half way mark comes the reformed strings, sounding like something
Sigur Ros would benefit from. The additional percussion and brass add textures
to a track filled with layers upon layers of instruments. There's just enough
room for a reverberated guitar to enter and leave when required. The final
minute includes the fading of instruments, something I’m not usually a fan of,
but given the circumstances of bras and string inclusions, it works.
"Ohm"
and "Before We Run" are easily the standout tracks on both initial
and later listens. Unfortunately for you and I, these are the tracks that surfaced
before the release. Now listening to Fade in full, it's not too
surprising that these two tracks were pre-released. I wouldn't be too quick to
slam the horrible and pretentious word filler over Fade, but it does have a
weak and mediocre middle section. The tracks that surround both "Ohm"
and "Before We Run" are decent, but they're nothing special and hardly
memorable when put alongside such brilliant tracks. I wouldn’t recommend
purchasing Yo La Tengo's Fade, fans would be better off buying/listening
to the pre-release tracks and seeing them live if they want the full
experience. Just to note, other than the two tracks I speak of so kindly,
nothing on Fade would be an improvement or at least a joy to hear live,
especially with a back catalogue as grand as Yo La Tengo's.
~Eddie
6.4
