mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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summer sun
Summer Sun Released: 2003 Rating: 8/10 Track listing: 1. Beach Party Tonight / 2. Little Eyes/ 3. Nothing But You And Me/ 4. Season of The Shark/ 5. Today Is The Day/ 6. Tiny Birds/ 7. How To Make A Baby Elephant Float/ 8. Georgia Vs. Yo La Tengo/ 9. Don’t Have To Be So Sad/ 10. Winter A-Go-Go/ 11. Moonrock Mambo/ 12. Let’s Be Still/ 13. Take Care Yo La Tengo delivers a rather monotonous album (but with confidence and integrity, indeed), at first it seems as if it’s built on atmosphere alone. Don’t worry, though. There are melodies, but they are resting and relying on the floating and loose background. I’m not sure, but I think that “acoustic-based electronica” is the best way to describe it. The atmosphere is always created by real instruments, which creates a warm and smooth feeling. Something that wouldn’t have been possible with synthesizers, but probably would have taken less time. The album’s opening track, “Beach Party Tonight”, sets the attitude of the album. It’s lacks all kinds of melodies and is entirely based on mood. The rest of the songs have melodies, and even pretty ones, but the message of “Beach Party Tonight” is that the songs deserves time to develop. The band won’t make the arrangements seem rushed, but carefully thought about. “Tiny Birds” is a perfect example of that. The first minute and a half is used only to get the listener in the right mood. After that, nice guitar melodies slowly rolls in and suddenly you find yourself listening to the most beautiful song. What more can be said? Clear Velvet Underground influences is heard all over the album, and “Nothing But You And Me” in particular sounds like a Lou Reed track. The main thing is, that Yo La Tengo is getting away with it. The manage to sound original, but at the same time appear with great respect for the elders. Personal favorites are “Season of The Shark”, “Today Is The Day”, “How To Make A Baby Elephant Float” and the closing “Take Care”. They take some VU, mix it up with a bit of jazz and the a big dose of classic folk music (think ‘Dylan’) and creates an album perfect for lonely and rainy nights. Or just a perfect album to relax to with your someone special in your arms.
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