video: Yo La Tengo 'Take Away Show'

"Because We're On Our Way"

The first Yo La Tengo record I ever bought was Fakebook. In retrospect, I probably meant to get I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, but I figured, ya know, that their records would sound pretty similar. Boy was I wrong. A really mellow, acoustic covers album is what I had purchased, when all I really wanted was the surreal pop fuzz of "Sugar Cube" and the droning rhythmic bass of "Moby Octopad." While it wasn't what I thought I wanted, it turned out to be one of the greatest purchases ever, exposing me to the stripped down Yo La and proving them to be refined, sophisticated, pop masters. Of course, their cover of the Troggs "Girl Like You," featured in Part 1 of this Take Away Show, doesn't appear on Fakebook, rather its garage rock sister Fuckbook, however, it would fit perfectly alongside "The Summer," "Yellow Sarong" and "Here Comes My Baby." Part 1 of Vincent Moon's Take Away Show with YLT also features And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out fav "Our Way to Fall," one of the most romantic in the Yo La catalog. Part 2, consisting of a stripped down version of "Sugar Cube" and Popular Songs single "Periodically Double or Triple" is also worth a gander.

Yo La Tengo Part 2: "Sugar Cube" & "Periodically Double or Triple."

bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park

"Dreaming, Dreaming"
With the thermometer hitting upwards of 85 in Greenpoint the past two weekends, it's safe to say that Summer is almost here. It's also safe to say that you can find me in the park, chilling with friends, soaking up sun and drinking Margarita's in styrofoam cups from the Turkey's Nest. My advice with this mix; burn a copy to CD, then transfer that CD to Maxell XL-II, pop it into your Radio Raheem-esque boom box, pick up a blanket and go lay out in your neighborhood park. Bring booze. Smokes. Buy an ice cream. (or Italian ice.) Stop being so pale.

Bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park
Julie Doiron- The Life of Dreams
Atlas Sound- Springtime Instrumental
Suda Chuenbarn- Jong Wai Korn
Lola Arias & Ulises Conti - Te Voy A Vencer Por Knock-Out
High Places- The Tree With Lights In It
Savath et Savalas- La Llama
Amadou et Mariam - Je Te Kiffe
One Blood- Be Thankful For What You Got
Jackie Paris- Make Me Smile
The Coasters- Down In Mexico
Annette Denvil- Oh So Nice
Animal Collective- No More Running
Yo La Tengo- Dreaming
Ducktails- Backyard

Download Bobkast #26: Another Day in the Park

(PC: right click+save; MAC: Mac Users: hold down control+click the above link and select "Download Linked File")

old: Yo La Tengo

"We Could Slip Away"

Yo La Tengo's Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs 1985-2003 isn't just a clever use of alliteration, rather a comprehensive collection of highlights, gems and rarities that begs the question, "Why aren't Yo La Tengo the most popular band in the world?"

While perennial fan favs like "Tom Courtenay" and "Autumn Sweater" appear on the greatest hits collection, reinterpretations of both indie staples also appear on the Outtakes and Rarities disc, which plays out like a wet dream for the Electr-O-Pura, Painful, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and ...And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out faithful. My Bloody Valentine leader Kevin Shields lends the woozy "Autumn Sweater" an even more hypnotic element, which, in typical Shields fashion, took forever and a day to complete. Oh, and in case you were wondering if Yo La could reinterpret their own tunes, well, they can, as exemplified by the acoustic version of "Tom Courtenay", which features Georgia's subtle, sublime and absolutely enchanting vocal. Simply put, the cutting room floor for Yo La Tengo tends to be miles above most bands most accomplished works, a profound testament to their oeuvre.

Yo La Tengo- Tom Courtenay (Acoustic version)
Yo La Tengo- Autumn Sweater (Kevin Shields remix)

Bobkast #22: Listen, The Snow Is Falling

"I Need Another World...This Ones Nearly Gone"
(Photo by automaticbobby)
It's funny how a little bit of snow can bring a city to a stop. Aimless and carefree, it floats amongst smoke stacks and skyscrapers, lulling the avenues to a quiet hush. Quickly, it builds, hypnotizing wide-eyed onlookers as it dusts dirty streets with crystalline sparkles that shine under street lights like diamonds in a summer sky. Quiet. It swirls, whirls and falls. You stick your tongue out and taste its frozen delight. "Ahh, nurishment." And all of the sudden, the world is anew.

Bobkast #22: Listen...The Snow Is Falling
Galaxie 500- Listen, the Snow is Falling
Yo La Tengo- Nowhere Near
Alela Diane- White As Diamonds (Daytrotter)
Bjork- All is Full of Love
Grouper- Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
Koushik- Morning Comes
Apollo Sunshine- Happiness
Japancakes- Blown A Wish
Julianna Barwick- You Were Waiting
Mum- I Can't Feel My Hand Anymore, It's Alright, Sleep Tight
Mogwai- Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
Antony & the Johnsons- Another World

Download Bobkast #22: Listen...The Snow Is Falling (PC: right click+ save as; Mac: command (apple)+ click)

we saw: Science in Fiction

"Sound of Science"

Jean Painleve's underwater science films are some of the most surreal, utterly trippy visuals I have ever seen. Definitely not some rhythmic algorithm ala Windows Visualizations, Painleve used microscopes and manipulated lenses to capture the idiosyncrasies of life in the deep blue sea for the better part of the 20th century. Whether it be observing the insemination of an Octopus, roaming Seahorses or zooming in on "Liquid Crystals", Painleve was no doubt way head of his time in both his artistic vision and his vision of Science. Throw in an absolutely trance-inducing score by Yo La Tengo and you've got a force to be reckon with. Unfortunately, Science in Fiction, shown at MonkeyTown, is not available for purchase in the US(!?). If you've got friends studying abroad or hanging out in ex-pat land, tell them to do something productive and pick up a copy of Painleve's Science in Fiction for you. They'll thank you later.

{Ed Note: You can in fact purchase the DVD in the US, from the Yo La Tengo store, however, it will only play in Region 2 or All Region DVD players.}

Yo La Tengo- The Love Life of the Octopus

Jean Painleve "Liquid Crystals" from Science in Fiction

Bobkast #16:...And You In Your Autumn Sweater

"Yes, Yes, Yes It's My Autumn Almanac"
*a magical forest near kilkenny city, republic of ireland.
(Photo by Edward Dullard)

September 21 marks the Autumnal Equinox, which means this is your last chance in 2008 to successfully balance an egg on end. It also means the rolling Green Mountains of Vermont will erupt in technicolor magic, wool sweaters will return from moth ball covered chests in the corner of basements and pumpkin seeds will be salted and subsequently roasted. But the best part of fall is the way whiskey warms your belly on aimless jaunts through leaf plastered forests, bundled in flannel and wool (herringbone). Oh yeah, and you in your autumn sweater.

Bobkast #16: ...And You In Your Autumn Sweater

1. Mark Mothersbaugh- Kite Flying Society
2. Camera Obscura- Let's Get Out of This Country
3. The Kinks- Autumn Almanac
4. Jim James- Gideon (Live @ Newport Folk Fest)
5. Fleet Foxes- Mykonos
6. Magnetic Fields- Abigail, Belle of Kilronin
7. Blitzen Trapper- Furr
8. Ra Ra Riot- Winter '05
9. Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue
10. Oxford Collapse- Featherbeds
11. Okkervil River- Lost Coastlines
12. Pavement- Folk Jam
13. Sufjan Stevens- Tahquamenon Falls
14. Micah P. Hinson- Yard of Blonde Girls
15. Yo La Tengo- Autumn Sweater

Bobkast #16: ...And You In Your Autumn Sweater [PC: right click+save as; Mac: option+click]

We saw: Titus Andronic, Yo La Tengo...Last Pool Party

"And The Summer Comes Undone"
(Photo by Forklift)
(Photo by Fakebook)

(Photo by Dese'Rae L. Stage)

Yesterday couldn't have been a better Pool Party. Not only was the weather absolutely impeccable but NJ All Stars (veterans) Yo La Tengo and (rookies) Titus Andronicus brought the sonic heat. Titus was on second, after the horrible Ebony Bones, and tore threw a set of distortion driven, reverb drenched songs that felt more like a call to arms than a rock concert. No surprise considering The Airing Of Grievances is delivered with a sense of urgency that feels more like a desperate plea for life than cry for help. The songs are immediate, biting, caustic and catchy. I really haven't mentioned them on here, although I probably should be considering I own all of their recorded material on vinyl and have spent a good portion of 2K8 freaking out on subways whilst listening to The Airing of Grievances. Head over to Troubleman Unlimited to grab their limited edition vinyl LP before its sold out forever.


(Photo by BitNoots)



(Photo by StevMacs)

If Titus Andronicus didn't blow out your ear drums, then Yo La Tengo were determined to. The NJ vets played an extremely feedback driven set (even for them) that was full of sonic excursions powerful enough to send waves of electricity down your spine. Ira was on. James held down some of the grooviest bass lines I've ever heard (Period.) Georgia coo'd and looked sweet with a guitar. Like Wilco at the Pool a week ago, Yo La rock like serious veterans, a well oiled machine of a band who know each other inside and out, so that seemingly free-form sonic freakouts don't sound as much like experiments in improvisation, but highly constructed fits of noize capable of existing inside the song structure. If the pairing of Yo La and Titus wasn't good enough, the two joined each other on NJ punk pioneers The Misfits "Where Eagles Dare", a great way to end one of the best shows of the summer. Farewell Pool, maybe we'll visit you when you're filled with water. Or, maybe not.

(Photo by AmyeDav)


Yo La Tengo "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Good Kind"

muxtape: Stormy Night in Brooklyn

"While You Wait For The Others"
Bored on a stormy night in Brooklyn, watching the sky light up and waiting to hear the new Grizzly Bear song on Letterman (which was sweeeet). Yep, that about sums it up. Here's the soundtrack to the evening.

Muxtape
Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All
Girls - Hellhole Ratrace
Galaxie 500 - Tell Me
Magnetic Fields - Abigail, Belle Of Kilronan
Sunset Rubdown - Us Ones In Between
The Rosebuds - Get Up Get Out - Justin Vernon of Bon Iver remix
(((Eagle Winged Palace))) - Hands of Doom
Blood on the Wall - Lightning Song
Atlas Sound - Marietta

Listen to the new
Muxtape

under rated: Yo La Tengo Fakebook

"How will we reach you?"

The first Yo La Tengo song I ever fell for was the feedback driven, distortion drenched pop gem "Sugar Cube." It was everything a young teenager in New Jersey looking for something dreamy in the late-90's could want. Mmmmm fuzz. So, needless to say, when I purchased Fakebook through Columbia House (remember mail order CD clubs!?) and wasn't greeted with the wall of feedback and sunny ba-ba harmonies I was expecting, I was a little disappointed. Mind you I was roughly thirteen and was really stoked on "Sugarcube" and "Autumn Sweater" and "Stockholm Syndrome," all three of which are still staples in my collection.

While Fakebook is sort of the red headed step child of the Yo La Tengo catalog, it's none-the-less an indicator of their incredible range, putting the fuzz and noise on the backburner and showcasing the bands pure pop talents. At the time I'm not sure how much I appreciated this, however, the songs have always stayed with me. Not a season goes by that I don't get "Griselda" or their cover of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" in my head. And their versions of "Yellow Sarong" and "Here Comes My Baby" are definitive versions I've included on hundreds of mix tapes for girls I used to know.

Yo La Tengo- Yellow Sarong
Yo La Tengo- Here Comes My Baby

"The Summer" from Yo La Tengo's Fakebook

viddyo: Chavez

"Just take this with you"

The other day Spinner listed their list of the top 25 band logos of all time. A controversial list if ever, and so the mucks at Idolator had to chime in with an appendix(+5). Well, they both fucked up, because they left this classic band logo off the charts and I'm not gonna let it go unnoticed.For those unfamiliar, this is the logo of mid-90's reverb loving indie rockers Chavez. You know, Matt Sweeney's old band. They were pretty much the coolest, most jaded group of New York indie rockers this side of VU and the groups 1996 record (and last studio release)Ride the Fader is a ninties indie-alt rock classic on par Crooked Rain... and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. In fact, if you like Pavement and Yo La Tengo, you'll probably love Chavez. (That mid-90's Matador roster was so fucking bad ass.) Be sure to check out the classic video for "Unreal is Here", which plays as a faux-retrospective to the career Chavez could have had if the public wasn't so busy lapping up Brian McKnight records and inflating Teddy Riley's ego. Rock on Matt Sweeney, just stay away from Billy Corgan and anything rhyming with Swan.

nu musick: epo-555

"Our Destination Lies Beneath the Pillow"

Fans of indie pop are surely familiar with the rising scenes in Sweden, Norway and Finland. While Scandanavia is a sure fire hot bed for all things indie, it should be no surprise that their neighbors to the south, the Danes, have quite an affinity for well honed melodies, night time synths and a general indie aesthetic. Copenhagen's epo-555 are the epitome of slow burning mood-tronica. Melting the jangly distorted jams of Yo La Tengo with Sigur Ros-esque tapes loops and the sexy femme fatale darkness of Goldfrapp, epo-555 is pure insomniac bliss. At moments they remind me of fellow Dane's Mew, other times Hot Chip. With that said, be the first on your block to tell all your friends about the dark psych pop coming out of Copenhagen.

epo-555- Grisslapan
epo-555- Harry Mambourg


"Hyperschlieb"

last night: Yo La Tengo & Friends

"First Gear, It's All Rright"


We knew going to see Yo La Tengo during their semi-annual Hanukkah run at Maxwell's would be fun, but not even the most optimistic person in the world would've predicted what a blast last night was. Pre-show I read that Monday nights special guest opener was going to be The New Pornographers. "Shut up!" And when we entered Maxwell's cozy interior it was written in bold on the door. "w/ The New Pornographers." So we had that going for us. Which was nice. Needless to say the Porno's (minus Dan Bejar and Neko Case) were tight, rocking out "My Rights Versus Yours", "Twin Cinemas" and other gems from their fine catalog. While AC Newman kept the power pop alive, I couldn't help but get lost starring at keyboardist and singer Kathryn Calder. The young ivory tickler, who sings many of Neko's parts, was dead on and boy is she a sight for sore eyes. Which reminds me that I really need to pick up her band the Immaculate Machine's latest record ASAP.

While Todd Barry was in the house again, Monday night's mid-show comedy act was Peanut Butter, who came on and did the most bizarre set of beleaguered torture humor I've ever heard. Some of it was unbearable. However, his Mandy Patinkin jokes were pure bliss.

As if that wasn't enough, we still had an entire set of Yo La Tengo to go. Needless to say they crushed it, getting droney and doing the fuzzy Yo La jam-shit and then breaking down into effervescent pop gems like "Mr. Tough" and "Beanbag Chair", both from 2006's wonderful I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. I forgot to mention how stunning Georgia sounded on "I Feel Like Going Home", which is surely my second favorite Georgia song behind "My Little Corner of the World." To finish off the night the band brought on Roy A. Loney, singer of the legendary cult band the Flaming Groovies.

From 12/9/07 at Maxwell's. Night 6 of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah with Yo La Tengo

"Try to Squeeze a Drop of Blood from a Sugarcube"

Hanukkah starts today and there's no better way to celebrate the eight crazy nights than by spending them with Jersey's finest Yo La Tengo at Maxwells in Hoboken. In what's become a somewhat yearly event Ira, Georgia and James will ring in every night with a different set of music, a different opener and gladly give to a different charity. Unfortunately, if you don't already have tickets you're probably going to have to spend each night with Aunt Ethel and her Matza balls. We'll be at night 7, next Monday December 10th. In recognition of Yo La's metaphoric gelt, check out there video for "Sugarcube", which features members of Mr. Show, including David Cross, and is probably the best music video ever. And yes, we know we say that alot.

I'm Not There Soundtrack

Details about the soundtrack to the forthcoming, Dylan-approved bio pic, I'm Not There (you know, the one starring 7 different Dylans, one being Cate Blanchett), were released yesterday and my only reaction is "Holy Shit." The soundtrack reads as a whose who of indie rock covering the Bard himself. I hate to take it at face value but this could end up being one of the greatest film soundtracks ever. It sure looks that way on paper. Jeff Tweedy covers "Simple Twist of Fate" ('Nuff Said). Hearing Jim James high lonesome voice on The Basement Tape gem "Goin' to Acapulco" is also sure to be a highlight.Tracklist for the 2-disc set below, as well as a choice Cat Power cover of "Knocking on Heavens Door" and Tweedy playing "John Wesley Harding." The Cat Power recording is from the "Speaking for Trees" DVD, which features Chan Marshall "performing solo outdoors in the countryside amidst the ambient sounds of nature." Also catch a sneak peak into a scene where Cate Blanchett's Dylan meets David Cross' Ginsberg. Big moment.

Cat Power- Knocking on Heavens Door
Jeff Tweedy- John Wesley Harding



I'm Not There Soundtrack

"All Along The Watchtower" - Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers
"As I Went Out One Morning" - Mira Billotte
"Ballad Of A Thin Man" - Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers
"Billy" - Los Lobos
"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" - The Hold Steady
"Can't Leave Her Behind" - Stephen Malkmus & Lee Ranaldo
"Cold Irons Bound" - Tom Verlaine & The Million Dollar Bashers
"Dark Eyes" - Iron & Wine & Calexico
"Fourth Time Around" - Yo La Tengo
"Goin' To Acapulco" - Jim James & Calexico
"Highway 61 Revisited" - Karen O & The Million Dollar Bashers
"I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Yo La Tengo
"I'm Not There" - Bob Dylan
"I'm Not There" - Sonic Youth
"Just Like A Woman" - Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" - Ramblin' Jack Elliot
"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" - Antony & The Johnsons
"The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll" - Mason Jennings
"Maggie's Farm" - Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers
"Mama You've Been On My Mind" - Jack Johnson
"The Man In The Long Black Coat" - Mark Lanegan
"Moonshiner" - Bob Forrest
"One More Cup Of Coffee" - Roger McGuinn & Calexico
"Pressing On" - John Doe
"Ring Them Bells" - Sufjan Stevens
"Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)" - Willie Nelson & Calexico
"Simple Twist Of Fate" - Jeff Tweedy
"Stuck Inside Of Mobile With Memphis Blues Again" - Cat Power
"The Times They Are A Changin'" - Mason Jennings
"Tombstone Blues" - Richie Havens
"When The Ship Comes In" - Marcus Carl Franklin
"Wicked Messenger" - The Black Keys
"You Ain't Goin 'Nowhere" - Glen Hansard & Markta Irglov