Longevity is not a word associated with most indie rock bands. No matter how loyal a fan-base or how well received a band's music is, the relatively low album sales, grueling tour schedule and lack of a mainstream reputation often ends with great bands eventually breaking up due to unsatisfactory profits generated from their music (Beta Band, Grandaddy) or signing to a major label (Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips).
That an indie rock band can be ambitious and creative enough to continue to evolve upwards of 15 years into their career is not only rare, it's practically unheard of. But such is the case with indie music's oldest and most loveable nerds, Yo La Tengo.
For over 15 years, the incredibly charming three-piece from Hoboken, NJ has experimented with a number of genres and influences almost too plentiful to keep track of, all while maintaining their defiant independence and presence outside of mainstream rock.
The brilliant "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out" (2000) brought a more refined and mature sound to the band, but yellow flags popped up after the band's two subsequent, rather forgettable albums did little to build upon this advance. Fans and critics agreed that their stifled growth culminated in the subdued, somber and overly produced dream-pop captured on 2003's "Summer Sun," deeming it one of the worst albums of the band's remarkably consistent career.
Not surprisingly, rumors arose that the band was beginning to both lose steam and become markedly less relevant within the music world. The release of a three-disc compilation entitled "Prisoners of Love" (2005) did nothing but fuel these fears.
Generally, long-running bands will only release a career-spanning compilation if they feel that they are running out of ideas or are about to break up, as was the case when Matador Records (Yo La's label) released a compilation for indie veterans Guided By Voices two years earlier, only to see the group abruptly disband a few months afterward.
However, it only takes a matter of seconds after playing the band's new, hilariously titled full-length, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass," to realize that the band is back in full force.
While their previous three albums sounded so restrained and safe, "I Am Not Afraid of You..." starts out in the most unconventional way possible: a 10 minute noise-jam titled, "Pass the Hatchet, I think I'm Goodkind," containing two minimal verses over the nastiest, toe-tapping bassline heard on record this year. While a lesser band could have lost the listener altogether with such an audacious opening track, it is captivating all the way through.
As "Pass the Hatchet" abruptly ends just after the 10 minute-mark, the listener is treated with the piano-driven indie-pop ballad, "Beanbag Chair," a song that, while impeccably catchy and charming, could not be any different in nature from the track that precedes it. The juxtaposition of these two songs not only captures the band's incomparably eclectic nature, but is a perfect preview of how phenomenally all-over-the-place "I Am Not Afraid of You..." is.
In this one little album, there's gorgeous chamber-pop ("Black Flowers"), adorably poppy neo-soul ("Mr. Tough"), and heartbreaking ballads ("I Feel Like Going Home"), as well as the droning dream-pop that the band perfected over their past three albums ("The Race is On Again").
The album ends the same way that it started, immersing the listener in a zen-like state as the band lets it all hang out with the fiercely consuming 10 minute epic, "The Story of Yo La Tengo." Never has a band worn so many of its influences on its sleeve and still managed to sound so different from the rest of the pack.
Statements are already being made comparing this album to the Beatles' "White Album" (1968), not only because of how multifarious it is, but because of how it manages to keep such a firm grip on the listener while jumping all over the place.
The fact that such a lofty comparison can even be considered showcases the unrelenting quality of this album. It is both the crowning achievement of one of the generation's greatest bands and the best rock album of this year.
