To mark the 25th anniversary of their 1990 classic covers album, Fakebook, Yo La Tengo have re-familiarised themselves with their penchant for adopting other people's songs on their latest offering “Stuff Like That There”.
Whilst their original attempt at this sort of thing attained significant plaudits a quarter of a century ago, it is a big ask for the indie rockers to churn something out that holds the same degree of importance to their identity as a band, or indeed, as with any covers record, anything more than an exercise in sheer self-indulgence.
In the first instance, and perhaps unavoidably, the record doesn't break any new ground for the band, but it is clear that, being the serial-cover artists that they are, Yo La Tengo pour a great deal of themselves into other people's music (or pour themselves all over other people's) with such a verve that this record could never truly be considered a failed attempt. After all, no one can fail at being themselves, can they?
From the first track, “My Heart's Not In It”, a cover of a Darlene McCrea hit, it is safe to say that you're now fully acquainted with the sound of this album, for its steady brushed snare drums, and pleasant acoustic guitar strumming and tender, sweet vocals, and also because its a formula that permeates every track that follows. On the one hand, if this sort of sound is your thing, then you're going to thoroughly enjoy this record but, if it isn't, things might begin to get a bit samey fairly on.
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Looking at it from another perspective however, and what is one of the achievements of the record, is that they manage to assimilate these individual originals into something new and whole - and something wholly their own. If you'd never heard of Yo La Tengo, and you'd never heard the original songs before, you could be forgiven for thinking these were their songs and this was the way they'd always sounded.
But it's likely you will have heard some, or possibly all, of them before, and as such will measure them against their sires. Whilst its all works better on tracks like the album opener and Hank Williams' 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', it is less successful on something like 'Friday I'm In Love'. Lacking the energy and musical colour of The Cure classic, all that is really achieved by listening to it is the urge to hear the original and possibly even go and embark on another phase with their music. But that's what Yo La Tengo have obviously done, so in a way they're just sharing some of their favourite music with you and actively encouraging you to go and listen to it as well.
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