Album Review: Yo La Tengo - Fade

23 January 2013 | 1:23 pm | Chris James

Mostly it’s an enjoyable trip, but one that bears indelible signs of the band’s aging.

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“Sometimes the bad guys are right on top,” runs the opening line to Yo La Tengo's 13th album. While that might be true, the position the New Jersey trio find themselves in today is very much ensconced in the indie throne room. Having barely put a foot wrong since 1993's Painful, YLT have stockpiled a wealth of critical kudos, and without making megabucks they've retained their lovable modesty. They're one of the most open bands you'll see to perform fan requests live, almost entering a realm beyond criticism...

...Almost. Fade is by no means a bad album; there's just another six or seven other Yo La Tengo albums you should consider purchasing first. It opens with Ohm, an ambling chugger that's elevated by Ira Kaplan's reliably excellent fretwork. Two Trains is typical of the album overall; understated, almost nonchalant vocals, indistinct guitar fuzz and a beat that's barely there. Bar the occasional, positively minded trend-breaker – such as Paddle Forward – the energy levels persist at a low ebb, much like their mellow 2003 Summer Sun shoegazing LP, only without the elegiac sensation of watching a fading sun. There's some of the expected variety; strings crop up occasionally, while Well You Better flaunts some organ tootling that might've escaped from the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack. The quietest moments are often the most effective, as I'll Be Around and Cornelia And Jane allow Kaplan to showcase his finger-pickin' skills and Georgia Hubley her soft vocals.

Mostly it's an enjoyable trip, but one that bears indelible signs of the band's aging.