"I want to fall out of time," sings Ira Kaplan in 'Fallout.' "Reach back, unwind." The fight against time will always be a losing one, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying. On This Stupid World, Yo La Tengo take that battle on the chin both thematically and in the album's production, proving there's still plenty of life left in the band's fourth decade.
Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew recorded, produced and mixed their sixteenth album all by themselves, with the trio playing simultaneously across more or less the entirety of This Stupid World's nine tracks and 49 minutes. The result is a far livelier and live-sounding album than one would expect from a group this deep into their career.
Despite its glib title, death is on the mind. Death of loved ones, death of oneself or the death of optimism in the face of time's infinite tide, among other forms. On the previously released single, 'Aselestine' — about the impending demise of a close friend — Hubley cuts to the quick with quiet devastation: "I can't sell your books / Though you asked me to." Like any story worth telling, it's these little details that elevate the track above your average existential anxieties.
The delivery method for these morbid messages includes mid-tempo ballads, scuzzy indie rock and beguiling electronica. 'Brain Capers' requires singling out for its mesmeric mixture of the trio's voices into ever-changing layers. Even with this eclectic mix, the album never feels like a loose collection of disparate songs, anchored by three friends and confident enough to never settle.
In the face of time's challenges, the album does not argue for helplessness or nihilism. There will always be another tragedy or another regret, and by the same token, there will always be another day to do better. The deck will likely always be against us, but it's better to play than to cut your losses and run. The title track argues for exactly that, in a mantra that becomes a skeleton key for the entire record – "This stupid world / It's killing me / This stupid world / Is all we have."
(Matador Records)Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew recorded, produced and mixed their sixteenth album all by themselves, with the trio playing simultaneously across more or less the entirety of This Stupid World's nine tracks and 49 minutes. The result is a far livelier and live-sounding album than one would expect from a group this deep into their career.
Despite its glib title, death is on the mind. Death of loved ones, death of oneself or the death of optimism in the face of time's infinite tide, among other forms. On the previously released single, 'Aselestine' — about the impending demise of a close friend — Hubley cuts to the quick with quiet devastation: "I can't sell your books / Though you asked me to." Like any story worth telling, it's these little details that elevate the track above your average existential anxieties.
The delivery method for these morbid messages includes mid-tempo ballads, scuzzy indie rock and beguiling electronica. 'Brain Capers' requires singling out for its mesmeric mixture of the trio's voices into ever-changing layers. Even with this eclectic mix, the album never feels like a loose collection of disparate songs, anchored by three friends and confident enough to never settle.
In the face of time's challenges, the album does not argue for helplessness or nihilism. There will always be another tragedy or another regret, and by the same token, there will always be another day to do better. The deck will likely always be against us, but it's better to play than to cut your losses and run. The title track argues for exactly that, in a mantra that becomes a skeleton key for the entire record – "This stupid world / It's killing me / This stupid world / Is all we have."
