Yo La Tengo are one of those bands that I've always thought I should be a fan of, but never quite got to grips with. They've been going 25 years too, so there's been plenty of opportunities. For anyone who feels the same, 'Popular Songs' may be the album that does the trick...it worked for me at least.
The cover art showing a mangled cassette is actually oddly appropriate because the number of twists and turns and changes of direction that this record takes make it sound like some kind of US indie mix tape. Opener 'Here To Fall' sounds like something from Flaming Lips' 'The Soft Bulletin', insistent and hypnotic with the foreboding hook line "I know you're worried/ I'm worried too'. It sounds orchestral and grand, a really great start. The mood lightens with a couple of dreamy, vaguely psychadelic tracks before a superior slice of Garage rock arrives with 'Nothing To Hide'.
This is how things go. Styles vary wildly from track to track; 'Periodically Double and Triple' is stylish and soulful, while 'If It's True' is a dreamy duet, all sunshine and smiles.
Just when you think the record has settled down on a steady indie pop sound for a few tracks (never less than catchy and slick by the way), they end the album with three extended mainly instrumental workouts. The best of these 'More Stars Than There are in Heaven' unravels slowly and gently over a masterful nine minutes.
There is a lot of music here and much of it is very good. This is a hard record to pin down but has certainly made me eager to explore Yo La Tengo's extensive back catalogue.
8.0
['Popular Songs' is out now on Matador]
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