Yo La Tengo – Fade

It must be a relief to indie obscurists and what few record shop assistants remain that Hoboken trio Yo La Tengo have remained so prolific and consistent over their near thirty year history. Fade is Ira Kaplan and co’s first record since 2009’s Popular Songs, but closer in feel to And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. And it’s just possible that it’s their best album since that 2000 benchmark; unlike many of the acts they share an audience with, nothing here is over-complicated. 

Well You Better is pure doo wop, while Paddle Forward could comfortably take on Dinosaur Jr in the fuzzed up alt pop stakes. Pick of the bunch has to be Cornelia and Jane where drummer Georgia Hubley coos over icy guitar and gentle brass. Even three decades on, Yo La Tengo make the production of quality rock’n’roll seem utterly effortless. Fade indeed; now there's a misnomer.