Yo La Tengo have finally reached the upper echelon of society: yuppies! Amidst our flaring economy, the cash-obsessed, egocentric 'elite' have more cash to blow than ever before, and you know what that means: they're hip! Especially in major American cities, these wealthy professionals are flocking to upscale outlets such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and other places with lots of fancy faux-oak shelving to purchase their copies of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.
But if there's anything we've learned about these socially, culturally, economically, and apparently now, musically conscious individuals is that they'll only flock to something for one of three reasons: 1) the hype is overwhelming; 2) it's the biggest, most expensive, highest-quality item of its kind; 3) Eric, the office trendsetter, recommended it. My question is, where does Yo La Tengo fit into this picture? A conspiracy theorist might conclude that some high-ranking Matador executive slipped a few copies of Inside-Out into the offices of large mortgage companies, advertising firms, and stockbrokers. Sadly, it's probably much simpler than that.
For years, Yo La Tengo have cranked out incredibly diverse albums with songs ranging from gentle western twang, to noise-fueled indie anthems, to lengthy, distortion-soaked instrumental epics. But here, Yo La Tengo have eliminated the noise they built their name on. 'Upbeat' is no longer an accurate descriptor for the trio's music. Rather, this is an album filled with songs in the vein of I Can Hear the Heart's "Shadows", Electr-O-Pura's "The Hour Grows Late", and the droning seven-minute version of "Big Day Coming" off Painful. And nothing else.
So it makes sense when you consider the music-buying trends of the upper class. In the early 90s, they were all over Enigma, the Eagles, Billy Joel and Steely Dan. While bland VH-1 genericism still rules over the majority of rich, white folks, they have been catching on of late-- The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin, Beck's Mutations, and Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs have all become big sellers in their demographic. Of course, this doesn't mean the underground can't enjoy it, too. Oh, sure, we're used to a slightly different Yo La Tengo-- one that once burned through rockers like "From a Motel 6," "False Alarm," and "Sugarcube," and kept it loud even during the quiet tracks.
Among Inside-Out's sea of gentle lullabies, it's easy to long for the stunning diversity this band is known for. However, it's clear they were shooting for something different this time around. The album's cover depicts quiet dusk in a common outer suburb. Electrical wires stretch over a standard one-story home. The backyard is crowded with pine trees. To the far right, a man stands at the end of the driveway, a spot of light beaming down around him from the darkening sky above. It's a traditional image of alien abduction that encapsulates the peaceful ringing of the record's gently picked electric guitars and serene vocals. The cover speaks to the band's intentions behind the music: a dreamlike state, lulling, serene, tranquil.
Despite Inside-Out's tendency to fade to background music during the first couple of listens, the album features few songs in need of omission. Only the album's later material seems less inspired. "Madeline," at times, recalls the melody of the album's only driving, uptempo rock track, "Cherry Chapstick." The rhythmic instrumental "Tired Hippo," while an excellent fit on this record, could have been better served as a b-side. And of course, everyone's biggest gripe, the 17 minute-long closing track, "Night Falls on Hoboken," is pretty lacking when compared with their past epics.
Regardless, the first three-quarters of Inside-Out contains some of Yo La Tengo's best work to date. As a whole, however, it may be one of their less ear-catching records. If recorded by an aspiring young band, Inside-Out would be deemed the next big thing by all music press. However, people are used to Ira Kaplan's masterful electric assaults and the broad range of sounds that generally appear in spades on Yo La Tengo's LPs. Still, this record is among the best I've heard so far this year, and will likely remain that way.
