CONCERT PREVIEW: Yo La Tengo @ 9:30 Club, 3/19

By Kendall Larade

Yo La Tengo has established itself as a beloved institution of indie rock. The New Jersey-based band has been releasing music since the mid-1980s. Singer and guitarist Ira Kaplan and drummer and vocalist Georgia Hubley formed the band as a couple in 1984, choosing the name Yo La Tengo, Spanish for “I have it.” The same year, Kaplan and Hubley placed an advertisement seeking other musicians who shared their appreciation for bands such as the Soft Boys, Mission of Burma and Arthur Lee’s Love. Guitarist Dave Schramm and bassist Mike Lewis, of Brooklyn garage rock band the A-Bones, joined the group to record their debut full-length album, Ride The Tiger. Former Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley produced the project. Shortly after its release in 1986, Schramm and Lewis left the group. Dave Schramm then returned to the band in 1990 for Fakebook, an acoustic folk-pop exploration of Kaplan’s record collection and Yo La Tengo reference points. The album includes covers of the Kinks, Cat Stevens, Gene Clark and Daniel Johnston. After the release of That Is Yo La Tengo, James McNew began playing bass with Kaplan and Hubley, forming the trio that comprises the band today. 

In 1993, Yo La Tengo began their partnership with Matador Records. Arguably their best album, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, was released under the label in 1997. The album blends the group’s eclectic set of folk, shoegaze and punk rock influences. I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One expanded the boundaries of American garage rock, incorporating electronic music and long instrumental noise jams. Each track echoes an air of inscrutable intimacy, reflective of Kaplan and Hubley’s relationship. The album’s title similarly describes a group of musicians working closely in sync. The indie-mixtape classic, “Autumn Sweater,” along with the noise-pop singalong “Sugarcube” are certified crowd-pleasers and became, respectively, hallmarks of what indie rock was and what it could do.

This Stupid World is Yo La Tengo’s latest release. At the base of nearly every track is the trio playing all at once. There’s an immediacy to the music as if the time between the first take and the final product has been condensed, producing a live feel. Lyrically, the album grapples with the persistence of time and our impulse to intervene. Each song captures the darkness many of us feel, but also the compulsion to keep going. The title itself signifies a “will to fight despite the grim odds.” Every song on This Stupid World is a journey. Fans can look forward to experiencing Yo La Tengo as they headline the 9:30 Club on Sunday, March 19. Purchase your tickets here

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