Customer Reviews

I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

How much do I love this record, well let me count the ways:

1. I love it because it moves me with its beauty and magnificence. Each song here is wonderful. Each has its own mood, its own vibe, and each goes in a slightly different direction than all the others. For example, Moby Octopad, a song about being "locked in a kiss" with the one you love and thus the ability you both have to kind of shut the world out, has a sustained sort of bass driven funk groove. The sound is blissfull, which perfectly fits the song's subject matter; the song that follows, Sugarcube, is also a love song, in the sense that it is about pledging one's all to one's loved one, about being what they want you to be, and it is delivered with such power as a melodic guitar song, yet with a great warmth to it. Some songs here are soft and subtle; others, like Spec Bebop is a high energy instrumental jam. And some, like Autumn Sweater (a Yo La Tengo classic), Deeper Into Movies, and The Lie and How We Told It are simply blissfully gorgeous. Ultimately, though, each song comes together with each other song here and blend together forming an intact and complete whole.

2. I love it because it holds true to its ideals. Yo La Tengo have never sold out, nor have they ever come close to doing so. They simply seek to create, each time anew. Here they have, and in a multitude of ways. In fact, if you get a chance to view the very funny video to the song Sugarcube, one which mocks, a la Spinal Tap the music industry's rock cliches, you can see that this is a band that is all about music over image, substance over superficiality; in fact, while I have been a fan of this group since their first recording, it was, ironically this video, and one played on MTV of all places (on 120 Minutes) that reminded me of how worthwhile this band is and got me back to listening to them on a regular basis

3. I love it because it encompasses a history of indie rock as well as of mainstream rock's more critically acclaimed moments, as for instance in their garage punked out version of the Beach Boy's Little Honda. Songs like Damage and the alt.countrified One PM Again are simply rich in musical and lyrical signifiers; you can hear in these and other songs and their arrangements a wide variety of influences, from the Velvet Underground to various "No Wave" bands of the early 80s to bands like Ride, Lush, Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, and many many others, but without being derivative in any way. You can also hear Kinks and Beatle and even Bert Bacharach influences, though these are subtle. In short, what you get here is great music played by musicians with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock history.

4. I love it because it comes from Yo La Tengo. I've now seen them live around 8 or 9 times, and have enjoyed each performance. I have nothing but respect and admiration for them and everything they stand for.

5. I love it because it should be loved. It's too good not to.

"I Can Hear the Heart" is by far the best Yo La Tengo release yet, and also their most eclectic. The band certainly know how to play the field, and regardless of what they try, it always comes up Yo La Tengo. Witness the track "Deeper Into Movies." The melody and chords are 100% pure Yo La Tengo, yet the execution is 100% pure My Bloody Valentine, and the group knows it. Yet it really works, on its own terms. Other styles covered are straight-ahead ballads ("Shadows"), spacey disco ("Spec Bebop"), pure rave-up rock and roll ("Little Honda," great cover), and Neil Young folksy-ness ("Stockholm Syndrome"). Although the description makes it sound like this would be a pretty incoherent collection, the best qualities of Yo La Tengo (good singing/harmonies, great guitar playing) give unity to all the varied tracks. There's a song for everyone on this album. At times nostalgic, other times looking far into the future, this is an album for the ages that will be looked back upon as a classic.

I bought this album because of Spin magazine's rave review a few years back. I popped it in the car CD player and was amazed; I almost swerved off the road. The first tune, "Return to Hot Chicken" is an instrumental that makes me want to drift into the sky. "Autumn Sweater" is the kind of song I want to be writing when I'm old. I actually don't like "Little Honda" that much, but "Sugarcube", "Moby Octopad", and "Center of Gravity" more than make up for it. After "Little Honda", the disc gets real mellow, with an instrumental featuring crickets and a few short, whispered folky tunes. But the highlight of the disc for me is the 4th song, "Damage". Ira sounds so fragile in the verses, and when he and Georgia are harmonizing "ooh-wooh-ooh" in the chorus, my skin melts everytime. A Warning, however: don't buy this record expecting noisy early-Sonic Youth style songs; there is plenty of noise, but mellow noise. The album, on the whole, is pretty mellow. But the music is so beautiful, I can't imagine living without it.

From the opening notes of the first song, Yo La Tengo lures you into their state of mind - love and beauty and excitement and wonder and reflection. This album has it all, from the reverb drenched, peaceful yet moody Return to Hot Chicken, to Moby Octopad, a well crafted yo la rocker with suprise piano, to the fuzzy distortion blissful pop rocker with hyped up drums and cymbal crashes up the wazzoo Sugarcube, to the dark and haunting yet beautifully reflective Damage, and through the ever-building rave up wash of sonic ecstasy that is Deeper into movies, this CD is simply incomparable. Folk tunes, lounge music, sonic-youth inspired feedback washes, catchy yet intelligent love songs with kickin' beats, fuzzed out beach boys covers with distorted one-note guitar solos, and cricket riddled background ambience are seamlessly tied together with amazing craftsmanship and dedication and love. Amazing love songs are sung between married members of the band, and it's clear that these 3 (only 3!) people love what they do. The 13 minute "monster", and the "reward" that follows and the folky My Little Corner of the World are just an example of how much diversity these folks have got. I discovered this album in college with a little help from my buddy Logan, and have NEVER tired of it. Granted I'm not the best CD handler in the world, but i've bought four copies of this album for myself. Birthday gifts for people whose musical tastes i'm unsure of? This album right here. I've met only one person that let me play it for them who didn't absolutely fall in love with this album, and my brother is a big fan of creed and puddle of staind mudvayne limp bizkorn sound alikes with no originality. I mean, to each his own, but everyone should hear this album in it's entirety at least once. And if you don't like it, you can send it to me. Definately the Yo La album to start out with. A little long, perhaps? This cd is like a book you can't put down. The definitive road trip album. Very few people actually sit down and listen to an album like people used to, huddled around the radio to catch every bit of the story, but that's how i recomend your first visit to Yo La's realm of music.

Alright, for that kind of bold statement, I've better have something to back it up with, right? Well here goes. I have over 5000 CDs in my collection, and I've listened to all of them and I circulate them regularly. My music changes along with my mood, but this album has it all. Loud, Melotic power songs, as well as whispered ballads, and instrumentals that will change your life. I cannot see myself never NOT having this CD either in my car or with me in one way or another. Every Mix CD I've ever made for anybody has had at least one song from this album on it. It's quite possibley one of the most beautiful peices of music ever recorded.

Pop Kulcher Review: Originally hailed as the second coming of the Velvet Underground, YLT has established itself as one of the most original bands of the '90's, not to mention the best live band around. The tunes (like the Velvets) range from hypnotic melodies (with drummer Georgia Hubley's soothing vocals) to scorching guitar & feedback workouts (with hubby Ira Kaplan kicking serious a**) -- often within the same song. While this 16-song cd is overlong, I look at it as an unbelievable 9-song album with a bunch of bonus cuts tacked on at the end. From the melodic beauty of "Autumn Sweater" to the bubblegum power-pop of "Sugarcube" to the blistering sonic overload of "Deeper Into Movies," this is the best album yet from the most consistently engaging band of the decade.

A couple of years ago NME referred to Yo La Tengo as 'the best band you've never heard of' as part of a glowing review of one of their live shows. On reading the review I went out to buy this CD and was astounded by the depth and range of this band. Covering diverse musical styles can often result in unfocused albums or pointless diversions into pastiche (see Ween). Yo La Tengo somehow managed to display an absolute mastery of guitar music (with all the potential that implies) without becoming entrenched in the tedious 'guitar-bass-drums' format or the 'verse-chorus-verse' song structure. It's all a big, emotional organic whole, beating like the heart of the title.

There's so much to this record and I'm beginning to sound pretentious already. Buy now.

...quite possibly. The range Yo La Tengo shows on this album is simply breathtaking. From the warm Autumn Sweater to the Lou Reed sound on One PM, you'll check to make sure this is the same band. It is, and they are one of the best bands, period. Yo La Tengo can go from hushed to groovin to urgent in three songs. Favorite moment: the broken up effect on the distorted guitar in We're an American Band

I hate the term "desert island favorite." So I'll just say, if you're locked in your room, depressed as heck, only the really good stuff is worth listening to.

On that note, this album was part of my personal desert island. My favorite song (like there should be a "hit") is "Deeper Into Movies". This CD has an indescribable feel; which is usually a prerequisite for my All Time List [which includes Pavement's Wowie Zowie, Al Green's Call Me; and also Still In Love With You; Toots and the Maytals (anything late 60's to early 70's), and REM Reckoning; amongst others]. What do these have in common? Nothing.

But these all sound good in a locked room.

This is a concept album, I guess. But the concept is vague and oblique. But it's got IT; that special something that separates the pile on my desk from the pile in the closet.

So thanks, folks, for making my life just a little bit easier.

I purchased this recording a year ago and it remains a "staple" in my music rotation. Very unique, fluid, and well done. Reminiscent of Velvet Underground, but more up-to-date and very listenable. I love this recording and recommend it as an addition to any music lovers collection.