Yo La Tengo‘s rescheduled Dublin gig takes place on Thursday 5th December and will be a special two-part ‘quiet / loud’ show.
The show will apparently be comprised of two hour-long sets; the first set at 8:30pm will be acoustic, and the second at 9:40pm, after a short interval will be… not so acoustic.
Fade is the most direct, personal and cohesive album of Yo La Tengo‘s career. Recorded with John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, it recalls the sonic innovation and lush cohesion of career high points like 1997‘s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and 2000’s …And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Fade is a tapestry of fine melody and elegant noise, rhythmic shadow play and shy-eyed orchestral beauty, songfulness and experimentation.
But Fade attains a lyrical universality and hard-won sense of grandeur that’s rare even for this band. It weaves themes of aging, personal tragedy and emotional bonds into a fully-realized whole that recalls career-defining statements like Blood on the Tracks, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight or Al Green’s Call Me.
“Nothing ever stays the same / Nothing’s explained”, the band sing in unison on the reflective opening track ‘Ohm’. “We try not to lose our hearts / Not to lose our minds”, it’s a straightforward sentiment for a band that prefers private intimation to forceful expression, making the song’s resistance to resignation feel that much more earned.
This is the first time Yo La Tengo has collaborated with producer John McEntire, best known for his work in post-rock band Tortoise as well as his work with such artists as Bright Eyes, Stereolab and Teenage Fanclub. He has helped the band hone a set of songs as multifaceted as they are seamless – flowing from the low-key shimmy of ‘Well You Better’, to the muted motorik kick of ‘Stupid Things’, to the cozy distortion of ‘Paddle Forward’ and right through to the cagey groove, horns and strings of the gorgeous album closer, ‘Before We Run’, in which Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan sing “Take me to your distant lonely place / Take me out beyond mistrust.”
Fade’s emotional core sits at its very centre with two songs, one sung by Kaplan and one by Hubley. The tender, raw, Kaplan-sung ballad ‘I’ll Be Around’ pivots around a circular guitar figure set against James McNew’s calm, pulsating bass line. The song’s simplicity and starkness stand like a beacon against the emptiness. The following track, ‘Cornelia and Jane’, features Hubley gently singing, “I hear them whispering, they analyse, but nobody knows what’s lost in your eyes / Sending the message that doesn’t get to you, how can we care for you?” supported by whispering cushions of horns and delicate vocal harmonies. The effect is both heartbreaking and reassuring.
POD presents
YO LA TENGO
Vicar Street, Dublin 8.
8:30pm, Thursday 5th December
Tickets €22.50 standing / €25.50 seated (inc. booking fee) available from Ticketmaster and usual outlets. Original tickets still valid.
