Review: Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

By Alex V. Cook | Also by this reporter

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Yo La Tengo

I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

(Matador Records)

Hoboken’s finest return from their three-year hiatus with a glorious new release. Over the years the band has dabbled with electronica and “fake jazz” as they call it, but this new release has the band playing to the strengths that harkens back to 1995 when Electr-o-Pura saved the day. It opens with a 10-plus minute feedback-drenched “Pass the Hatchet, I think I’m Goodkind” and closes with the similarly long narcotic “The Story of Yo La Tengo,” but the rest is stuffed like a New York deli sandwich with bittersweet catchy indie pop. Lots of piano on this record, lots of falsetto soul from Ira Kapan, best demonstrated on the Bacharach-tinged “Mr. Tough” and “Sometimes I Don’t Get You.” The real treats here are the hazy “The Race is On Again,” the retro psychedelic “I Should Have Known Better” and the slap- happy garage stomp “Watch Out For Me Ronnie.” Yo La Tengo is one of those bands that can pull off so many styles so effortlessly; this album is like the mix tape with the best flow ever. It is a brilliant return to form for this always-exciting band. >>More

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