Monday, 5/5/97 Soundbites
Yo La Tengo "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One" (Matador)
Though Matador tends to stick to its local fare (bands of the
Chapel Hill, N.C., scene) or typical, bratty college rock bands,
they went out on a limb with Yo La Tengo. Their latest offering is
an unusual mixture of everything from instrumental funk and
enigmatic guitar interludes to melodic folk and punk, though the
mellow vibe reigns. The more straightforward songs’ apparent
normalcy is undermined by a bizarre lyrical focus – such as the
recurrent "I’ll try to squeeze a drop of blood from a sugar cube"
from "Sugar cube," the loudest track on the album. Much of the
album quietly explores different soundscapes, adding layer upon
layer of bass, percussion, eerie keyboard effects and vocals. Songs
like "Damage" and "Shadows" have the quiet introspection and
ethereal mystery of His Name Is Alive, whose albums are equally
diverse and difficult to categorize. Laid back, conversational
vocals take the back seat to understated drums and the continuous
hum of an organ in many songs, like the flawless "Autumn Sweater."
Yo La Tengo is most successful and original with songs of that ilk;
the more rowdy tunes that separate them tend to slide into the
dangerous category of "could be a Weezer cover." Not that there’s
anything wrong with Weezer, but when 90 percent of rock released
today can be hucked into that category, it’s nice to cling to the
songs that can’t. The instrumental "Green Arrow" recalls the most
sparse and beautiful James songs from "Laid" or "Wah Wah" – sampled
crickets add to the mood of meandering alone at night and pondering
the universe, then saying, "screw it," and staring blankly at the
stars. "One P.M. Again" and "The Lie and How We Told It" have a
similar feel, but warm it up with harmonies that recall Daniel
Lanois’ work on "Sling Blade" (an excellent soundtrack) or Luna’s
spacey guitars. The rest of the album follows in this vein, and is
a perfect soundtrack for hot summer nights on your roof with a
friend or two – the kind you can spend four hours with and not have
to speak. The one mystery on the album is "Center of Gravity," a
bossa nova tune that fits the mood of the surrounding songs, but
could also fit as background fluff to a ’50s martini commercial.
Thankfully, there are no "singles" on this record. Nothing
glaringly commercial jars you out of the peaceful mood the album
sets up. Of course, this means Yo La Tengo will be poor and largely
unheard, at least for the next two years. But if this record is any
indication, they’re not too upset about it. Kristin Fiore A- "In It
For the Money" Supergrass (Capitol) The ’60s live on with
Supergrass, the young British trio you’ve probably never heard of
but who have won the hearts of many in their native England. Lead
by the playful, charismatic Gaz Coombes, Supergrass take on a look
and character that reminds us of the Monkees and a sound that is
reminiscent of such classic U.K. rock bands as the Stooges, the
Kinks, the Small Faces and even a bit of the Who. But unlike their
smash debut, "I Should Coco," Supergrass are more mature, more
range defying, even a bit more passionate. And it’s a welcome
change. Half of the album is shameless ’60s rehash. "Tonight" is
Harley barroom rock with a pop twist to it. "G-Song" takes us back
to the mod scene from 30 years ago. "Late in the Day" perfectly
captures the subtle psychedelic spirit of the Beatles. And "You Can
See Me" brings out the more punk-like styles Supergrass
incorporated on their last album. Yet "In It For the Money" has
some standouts that make you forget all notions of nostalgia rock.
The album’s best track and first single, "Cheapskate," is a charged
gem with an uplifting chorus, sounding a lot like their current
British contemporaries. "Going Out," a feel-good hit single in the
U.K., carries over a bit of the frivolity of their old stuff,
adding organs usually used by the likes of Blur and Kula Shaker.
"Sun Hits the Sky" hits you with its rocking emotion not typical of
Supergrass. "It’s Not Me" captures some of the atmosphere and
melancholy that dream-pop bands like Ride have perfected ("Losing
the drift of all the things I had to say"). Not exactly going out
of their way to be studio pioneers, Supergrass have developed a
broader sound but haven’t lost their ever-popular simple,
summer-day sound. Most of those happy British pop bands, like the
Blutetones and Cast, begin to bore you halfway through the album.
Supergrass give you diverse feelings and textures throughout their
album, but they stay consistent enough to give the songs a cohesive
personality (except maybe for the bouncing insanity of "Sometimes I
Make You Sad," the last track on the album). And even though their
sound has certainly been done before, there are fresh, ’90s
qualities to it (like synthesizers and distortion) which do set it
apart a bit from the generation before them. In the end, "In It For
the Money" is a reflective and more adventurous outing for
Supergrass, whose evolution takes them out of their parents’
garages and into the great wide open. Mike Prevatt B+ Soundbites
runs Mondays and Wednesdays. YO LA TENGO "I Can Hear the
Heart…"