event Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo’s more than 25-year run is an open parenthesis in a world that can’t decide between feedback-cracked dissonance and classy chill-outs. Whichever sound is considered more cutting-edge or stylish at the moment, the Hoboken, N.J. trio comfortably outpaces most bands at both, not to mention plenty of sonic territory in between. With Yo La Tengo having now rounded the quarter-century mark (including more than two decades in its current lineup), it would be reasonable to expect the band to start slowing down a bit. The new Fade suggests the trio wouldn’t disagree: Defined by its dreamy ruminations on aging, the record is both a clear-eyed assessment of how far the band has come and a perspective on what’s ahead. In taking stock of the past, the album seamlessly blends relaxed orchestration and spirited noisemaking within digestible pop structures, resulting in the group’s best collection since 1997’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One.

Updated 01/20/2013