Customer Reviews

Popular Songs

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow, its hard to believe that Yo La Tengo have made yet another really good album. For Yo La Tengo fans, this is an essential purchase. Like "I'm Not Afraid of You....," this album contains a wide range of styles, from droning guitar workouts (the fifteen minute "And the Glitter is Gone") to Motown lite("If its True"), and, of course, the more mellow songs with hushed vocals. And after 20 years, they are still experimenting. Opener, "Here to Fall" sounds like nothing else in their catalog, some sort of space age soul-prog - and it actually works. Its really amazing that YLT have stayed so good for so long.

While people go on and on about the brilliance and creativity of bands like the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, somewhat quietly, keep pumping out incredible music. Unlike Flaming Lips, however, Yo La Tengo deliver their music humbly, and without pretentious arrogance about what influences them. They don't talk, they just rock.

This new record is clearly inspired by 60's soul music with the groovy bass-lines and slightly cheesy orchestral maneuvers. What makes these guys so great, though, is their ability to effortlessly change gears from soul, to funk, to rock, to noise, to ballads, to whatever strikes their fancy. The cover is rather appropriate as the sounds remind you of an awesome mix tape someone with a great record collection just made.

As always, they start the record out with a bunch of three minute rock, pop, and funk jams before going a bit classic-progressive on us with a few extended workouts that last more than 10 minutes. By the time the album is over you're already replaying it. This album has a handful of incredibly catchy tunes as is the staple of most of the Yo La Tengo catalog.

If you're already a fan of Yo La Tengo you're going to be thrilled with this release. If you are uninitiated to the sounds of this great band, take the plunge. You will not be disappointed in the least!

I've been listening to YLT since 1995. Most of their albums fall into one of two categories: cohesive or eclectic.

Their great "cohesive" albums are Painful and Electr-o-pura. Fakebook and May I Sing With Me also deserve high honors. Many would add And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out to this category--for me, it's just medium strength--the first half is great while the second half loses focus. Summer Sun is the somewhat weaker entry in their cohesive collection.

Their great "eclectic" album is undoubtedly I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One while I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your [...] is too scatter shot. Their collection of b-sides and outtakes, Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo, gets more love from me than I Am Not Afraid of You...

Which leads us to Popular Songs, which is a little from column A, a little from column B. Tracks 2-9 is a nice little cohesive run that any YLT fan would enjoy. The album is book-ended by more experimental tracks--"Here to Fall" features a string arrangement while the final three are variations on drone and noise. "More Stars Than There Are In Heaven" doesn't quite sound like anything they've done before. "The Fireside" fits in the "Green Arrow" and "Night Falls on Hoboken" genre. "And the Glitter is Gone" is familiar waves of Ira's guitar noise.

Popular Songs is probably their best album since And Then Nothing...While most of the bands strengths are represented here, the neat division between cohesive and eclectic can make it a lopsided listening experience.

This is a nice starter album for Yo La Tengo listeners. It's a nice follow up to earlier albums.

What a ride, such a admixture of unique sound approaches. If you want something that facinates and stimulates minor thrills in your soul, this collection is something extraordinary especially for a non-fan- "If it's True" brings it all together.

I confess that I feel "ashamed" at the moment of writing this review, because I cannot believe that this band has been around for 25 years, and it is now -actually since last April, when I bouhgt "I Am Not Afraid of You & I Will Beat Your Ass", and was literally stunned by it- that I have discovered them. Therefore, I am a latecomer. I was very much impressed by their instrumental dexterity as well as their creative power making songs that rock and jam at the same time, fueled by intelligent improvisations and good textural and atmospheric makeup. Definitely a very original American band, rooted at best in the tradition forged by groups like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Deads and the Allman Brothers Band. Why calling "popular" to these songs? The only reason I can fathom is that they offer it to the "Alternative People", that part of the population that while not intending to be or feel "elitist", open their hearts to good creative expressions in any art, music, painting, literature, cinema, etc. They definitely will be from now on a priority in my listening agenda. I hope that other latecomers do the same.

Item came lovingly protected. Very speedy delivery, amazing album, great Christmas gift. Arrived way before I thought it would. Completely satisfied. Five stars.

Yo La Tengo pulls out the socks drawer, takes your favorite warm fuzzy slip-on's, and puts on all the warmth you need this autumn to treck down to the coffee shop. Tune and and bliss out to some of the mellowist, fuzziest vibes in their collection yet. Never conventional Yo La Tengo takes their songs on many unexpected turns, even defying the title, these songs belong not on the top 40 stations, but on every late summer indie playlist.

If you're reading this, you probably already know what the deal is. Thanks to YLT for the great music.

This is, by far, the best new LP I've heard by ANYONE in a while. Of course I'm biased, since I'm nuts about YLT, but who cares? It's even better than 'I Am Not Afraid of You...'. And it absolutely KILLS the recent new one from Sonic Youth.

I was blissing out to the last two cuts on the album ("The Fireside" and "And the Glitter is Gone", which together account for 27 minutes of playing time) and I may have even seen the face of God. Funny thing is, he looked a lot like Willie Nelson...