The Backstreet Boys and Korn have captivated mainstream music fans during the last decade. But a number of American bands, such as Mercury Rev and Low, flying under the radar, have been creating beautiful and amazing music that sadly goes unnoticed. After listening to Yo La Tengo’s latest album, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador), you can add them to that esteemed list of unnoticed bands.
Anyone who thinks rock is just for kids should check out this album. The music is rock ‘n’ roll for grown-ups. That is not to say it is boring. The album goes beyond the trivial lyrical story of boy meets girl, boy kisses girl and boy loses girl. Instead, a greater concentration is on the subtleties and nuances involved in every relationship – a subject the band knows well. Two of the three members have been married to each other for 10 years.
Subtleties and nuances are what And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out is all about. The opening track Everyday is sure to send shudders down your spine. A pounding drum beats out a steady rhythm while vocals are mumbled slowly over shifting sounds.
The album does lighten up some from this chilling opener. Our Way to Fall is a sweet and melancholy song that reminds you of watching it rain on an autumn day. It has a jazzy feel that keeps it from getting too maudlin. Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House is an upbeat pop number that sounds reminiscent of Stereolab with its 1960s pop drums and synthesizers.
Many comparisons have been made between Yo La Tengo and the avant-garde legend Velvet Underground. And the comparisons are well-deserved. Besides having a very avant-garde flavor, the female singer for Yo La Tengo sounds very much like Nico, the singer on Velvet Underground’s first album. Yo La Tengo’s singer has a monotone voice that shifts softly and subtly depending on the mood of the song. It’s a very rich and hypnotic voice that draws you into the worlds the band creates.
Pretty much every song on the album has something going for it – a nice change of pace when so many albums today are a couple of good songs surrounded by filler. The album gets an excited jolt of energy in Cherry Chapstick. Gone are the soft hypnotic tones and rhythms for a guitar assault that again sounds like Velvet Underground. During these songs, Yo La Tengo resembles Mercury Rev. Yo La Tengo’s male singer, with his Hoboken, New Jersey-inflected voice, sounds a lot like Rev’s Jonathan Donahue.
The album ends much like it begins. The 17-plus minute epic Night Falls on Hoboken is a rich and warm song that sounds like night descending on a small town. It gently and gracefully brings the amazing album to a close.
If you are looking for the same old, same old, pass this album by. However, if songs that sound like the time in a day when the sun is going down and the sky turns purple, blue and red make you curious, And Then Nothing Turns Itself Inside-Out definitely is worth your time.
