Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Yo La Tengo is one of those frighteningly consistent bands that seem to do no wrong. It’d be easy to take them for granted, especially after nearly twenty-five years. Well, we’d be amiss to do so. “Popular Songs” is probably their best offering in a decade and one of the best albums you’ll hear all year. The title is apt, as the band hops from genre to genre, recalling eras past. “All Your Secrets” wouldn’t sound entirely out of place on The Velvet Underground’s self-titled and “If It’s True” makes for a better Motown homage than anything on Stereolab’s “Chemical Cords,” even aping The Four Tops’ hit “I Can’t Help Myself” for its intro.

Despite this, the album remains coherent, providing listeners a sunny, laid-back collection of tunes. Special mention must be made of “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven,” a hazy, almost hypnotic love song that remains utterly captivating for all of its nine and a half minutes. It’s transcendent. And like the band’s best work, it makes greatness sound totally effortless.

Key Tracks: “Nothing To Hide,” “If It’s True,” “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven”

-Jason Staskus

WHY? Eskimo Snow

For Eskimo Snow to live up to the standard set by last year’s Alopecia and 2005’s Elephant Eyelash would have been some kind of miracle. Those albums disintegrated genre lines and totally defied any sort of classification. The band’s fourth long-player is just as hard to fathom, but in a different way. The hard left turn from the intriguing, musically fresh trio that created Alopecia to the bland, uninspired indie-rock band that has recorded Eskimo Snow is downright baffling, and obviously, this record suffers because of it. Vocalist Yoni Wolf still brings his A-game lyrically, but delivery-wise, he just fails to be as interesting as he was on WHY?’s previous records. Spinning the band’s earlier discs and then turning to this wreck is like going from prime rib to dog food.

-Ian Baker