Yo La Tengo

And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

Matador

Released: Monday 21 February 2000

Since starting out with a brand of folky garage-rock that owed as much to love (of bands like NRBQ and the Flamin' Groovies) as it did aptitude, Yo La Tengo have come a long way. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out completes the transformation that the band began on Electr-o-Pura and continued with I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One; the Hoboken, New Jersey trio is now more of an experimental, dreamy rock band with an interest in sounds and an aptitude for textures. Moving away from Ira Kaplan's guitar, the band now often coalesces around wistful keyboards ("Our Way to Fall", "The Crying of Lot G") and gently loping loops ("Let's Save Tony Orlando's House", "You Can Have It All"); things do pick up now and again, and there is--as always--one genuine guitar freak-out. Over time, the husband-and-wife team of Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, together with James McNew, have gradually stopped imitating and paying homage to their forebears; here, they're meandering off in their own direction, taking their sweet time about it. For YLT, the journey is more important than the destination--and it's a beautiful day for a walk. --Randy Silver

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