gentlementle's Full Review: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out by Yo La...
Vibrant but subdued soundscapes, complete with atmosphere-inducing vocals and guitars. Quirky lyrics and subjects. Reserved intensity. I guess these are the things that come to mind when I think of Yo La Tengo's newest cd And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.
I was always curious about Yo La Tengo because they seemed like the ultimate, American indie-pop band. And because they touted the fact that they were from Hoboken. So after the cd came out this February and it surfaced in the "New Releases" rack at my college radio station, I decided "Why not" and previewed it.
And then I was literally struck by how transcendingly beautiful this cd was.
I don't really know much about Yo La Tengo (only having listened to a friend's copy of I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One once) but hearing this cd wanted to know more about....to actually physically consume all of their songs. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out was what I had been searching for for a long time: the perfect combination of understated mood pop with breathy vocals to boot.
I fell instantly in love with Georgia Hubley's husky, Laetitia Sadier-esque (of Stereolab fame) voice. Especially on the song "Tears Are in Your Eyes." Both Hubley's and Kaplan's voice intertwine to create beautiful harmonies in this confessional/conversational song. Gives me goosebumps even thinking about it. The same with "Last Days of Disco" and "The Crying of Lot G". They've certainly mastered the key to whispery, moody pop on this cd.
It's not without its upbeat poppy moments as well. The humorously titled "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" as well as the syncopated "bums" on "You Can Have It All" sees Yo La Tengo playing around with commerically viable songs, which are still true to their signature style. Not to mention catchy.
I was a bit disappointed with the penultimate track "Tired Hippo". It seemed a bit too long (approximately 10 or so minutes) for its good. I guess I'm not that big of a fan of Yo La Tengo's instrumental stuff compared to the lushness of their vocals.
Final word: lyrical and outstanding. Especially if you need to chill out after a hard, long, grueling, subway-infested day at work...
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