Lewd, Loud and Downright Weird – ‘Clown School’ perform at ‘Laughing Gas’ at Gaslight 29/11/18

The comedy scene in Derby looks all set to receive a welcome injection of talent in 2019, as a local group of fledgling comedians calling themselves “Clown School” announced their arrival with an evening of sidesplitting gags and some totally off the wall performances. ‘Laughing Gas’ at Gaslight on Friar Gate was the setting, and an evening of free comedy hosted by the wacky and wonderful duo of Lyra May and Alex Leam promised to be a real treat for lovers of laughter.

One of the stand out performances came from Hannah Millard, who spent her set tragically explaining how being self employed isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be – especially when it comes to finding passive aggressive post-it notes to yourself around the house and organising an office Christmas party for one every year!

Then there was Brent Waltham, who spent the entire evening in full makeup, blonde wig, a poorly fitted pink dress and knee high leather boots. Many in the venue weren’t entirely sure what to make of this burly, bearded crossdresser – that is until he took the mic and delivered a perfectly shambolic set which left the audience guessing as to whether it was actually part of the show or an impromptu public meltdown. 

Whether it be the dark and clever tales of Chris Pilkington, the sheer filth of Danielle Vale, anecdotal, observational, topical or prop-ical, there really was something suited to everyone’s comedic tastes on offer here. Clown School’s unique brand of niche geek comedy already showcases a vast array of comic styles and characters, which only promises to blossom even more in the coming year. Indeed, speaking with Hannah afterwards, I learned of their intention to create a space for aspiring female comedians to better hone their craft and feel more comfortable developing their acts in what remains yet a profession that can sometimes still shackle them in terms of having the creative freedom of expression on par with their male counterparts.

Clown School are next performing 15th January at The Orange Tree so it’s well worth going along and checking it out.

Spiritualized – And Nothing Hurt

Fans of Spiritualized have never had to wait this long for an album before. Its been 6 long years since “Sweet Heart, Sweet Light” came out, and there weren’t too many that would have counted it amongst their most cherished releases like “Laser Guided Missiles” and “Ladies and Gentlemen…We Are Floating in Space”. Thankfully Spritualized, or more specifically Jason Pierce, returns AND returns to form. Return may not even be the most appropriate word here; “And Nothing Hurt” feels more like a rebirth, or even a reboot, with Pierce boldly going where he’s never gone before, and yet managing to bring us along for a journey that – by some perfect miracle – still feels familiar enough.

The studio has long served as a vessel for the Spiritualized sound. Pierce in the captain’s chair, an ever-changing crew at various stations awaiting his command, infinity and beyond displayed on the monitor and the coordinates set for the distant shores of deep space. And upon hearing this new album the listener may be forgiven for thinking they were dealing with more of the same. Only this time Pierce is manning a one man craft, has jettisoned off on this journey alone, and has been floating in space with only a laptop for the past couple of years. Interesting image but actually not so far-fetched from reality. This time Pierce has opted for a DIY job in his east London home and, with no great prior knowledge of digital recording, has spent the time relearning his craft essentially from scratch and undergoing a lengthy, laborious and at times infuriating process.

The swirling lullaby-esque opener “A Perfect Miracle”, held together by its backbone of an ever-endearing ukelele – which you can almost picture spawning the surrealistic wall of sound that follows – is an early indication that all the painstaking trials and tribulations undertaken by Pierce have in fact yielded great reward. The Wings-esque “I’m Your Man” is another early highlight, with its rugged guitar part accompaniments, and climactic and colourful choruses. Then there’s the playful and charming “Let’s Dance” which plays out like a figurine of a couple twirling around beneath the stars until its time for the music box to be closed, or “On The Sunshine”; a raucous, Dylan’s-gone-electric affair, where imaginary musicians seem to keep materialising around Pierce, banging all the pots, pans, colanders and chopping boards they can find in mother nature’s kitchen. “The Morning After”, another upbeat number, comes chugging along the tracks until its Revolution 9-esque clamorous cacophony of a conclusion comes crashing down. The song is neither a marathon or a sprint, but rather a sprinted marathon, which finds Pierce in full swing and at the peak of his new production powers. Finally the beautiful “Sail on Through” provides a blissful and effortlessly beautiful finale to an album, giving a lasting impression that the whole journey has been plain sailing when, in fact, it was anything but.

Vital Idles – Left Hand

Glasgow DIY/indie underground four-piece Vital Idles debut on new label Upset The Rhythm with ‘Left Hand’, their follow up to a couple of self-released demos and a single full length 7” release. Utilising the expertise of fellow Glaswegian engineer Andy Monaghan and Edwin Stevens (aka Irma Vep), the group, spearheaded by their eerie yet endearing vocalist, Jessica Higgins, look to emerge from a somewhat esoteric musical cocoon and spread their newly acquired bigger-budget wings.

The first thing that stands out about Vital Idles is indeed singer Higgins, who has an almost Morrissey-esque feel to her vocal style and lyrics, and offers us up her own muddled musings on life, sometimes sounding like she’s talking to herself, sometimes to anyone who’ll listen, and sometimes to no one at all. There’s plenty of whimsical wisdom and world-weary wit to be found here, and these contradictions and freshly formed cliches give the album its greatest charm; her outlook on life feeling something like steering through heavy traffic and just about managing to avoid hitting anything. The rest of the band’s sometimes fragile sometimes feverish backing proves the perfect canvass for Higgins’s paintbrush-flicking delivery, resulting in a very rough around the edges self portrait of a group who have been firmly planted in the trenches of their sound and are now ready to weather a run over the top.

After the riotous rollicking of opener “A Premise”, the band are quick to showcase a certain degree of variety to this sound with the differing numbers that are “Solid States” and “Chains”. The former has a kind of cloak-and-dagger feel to its main riff and proceeds at a cautious but calculating pace, whereas with “Chains” the intrigue lies in the upbeat almost vanilla guitar riff that accompanies Higgins’s shoulder-shrugging lyrics, and will deceive you into missing the deeper meanings that are hidden in plain sight. Other highlights include arguably the album’s only foray into epic/anthemic territory, the immersive and bleak “Cave Raised”, and the feel good/not so good vibes of “Like Life”.

A thoroughly valiant effort from a band that enjoys life on the outskirts of musical conformity. This latest offering at times seems to tease a merging with the metropolis, but ultimately Higgins and co opt to retain their mystique by mingling in the moonlight and shadows.

Gabriella Cohen – Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love

Following on from the 2017 release of her highly acclaimed debut album “Full Closure and No Details”, Gabriella Cohen swiftly offers us up its sequel in the form of “Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love” – and the melancholy mistress of Melbourne can fully expect to be receiving similar plaudits for this effort as well.

Now if her debut was all the more impressive for being recorded in a mere ten days, the story that accompanies the creation of this album is the journey it would embark upon prior to its completion. Having recorded the majority in the rural countryside setting of a farm in Victoria, Australia, Cohen found herself heeding the call of the road, and took the project with her on a tour that would see the finishing touches applied everywhere from a canal boat in England, to the coasts of Portugal and the mountains of Southern Italy. Adding sprinklings of these surroundings to her work is done as effortlessly as a chef discovering new ingredients as they travel the world and masterfully incorporate them into already established signature dishes.

“Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love” kicks off with “Music Machine” and lead single “Baby”, which set both an upbeat, but at the same time laid back, tone, before Cohen starts to introduce us to the more whimsical and introspective side of her song writing evident in tracks like “I Feel So Lonely” and “Miserable Baby”. The album never really returns to the out-and-out single material of the opening two tracks but neither does it suffer for it, and listeners will feel as if they are falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of emotion that is Cohen’s soul. Further album highlights are “Mercy”, with its excellent Doors-esque finale, and the superbly named “Neil Young Goes Crazy” which, rest assured, is everything it promises to be and more.

Brimming with all the sounds of summer, whether it be taking a stroll down Venice Beach, Los Angeles in the baking hot sun, or pulling out the acoustic for a sing-song in the shade outside a cafe in Mexico, this is a record which promises you Autumn will never come. Frequently accompanied by a dreamy doo-wopping choir and always by nebulous and narcotic rip-roaring guitars, Cohen’s vocals are as lazy, hazy, and sexy as ever, and the vibrant variety of colours on her musical palette intermingle pleasantly on the triumphant canvas that is “Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love”.

The Love-Birds – In the Lover’s Corner

Having spent their time since 2016 establishing themselves as one of San Francisco’s premier guitar bands, anthemic jangle-pop four-piece The Love-Birds follow up their 2017 four track 7-inch EP “Filled With Hate” with a full length debut album in the form of “In The Lover’s Corner”. The album also represents the band’s first offering on Trouble in Mind since their affiliation with local label Empty Cellar Records, who put out their EP, but despite being mastered by Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, the album stays true to its roots with album artwork by Shayde Sartin (Fresh & Onlys, Sonny and the Sunsets) and a two part recording completed by Glenn Donaldson (Art Museums, Skygreen Leopards) and Kelley Stoltz.

“In The Lover’s Corner” gently lures you in with opening track “Again”, which combines some pleasant acoustic strumming with a first dose of delicious jingling from lead guitarist Eli Wald, who provides the album with a kind of burly Byrds-esque sound that quickly becomes its signature. The next two tracks “Hit My Head” and “Angela” respectively serve as the group’s first two single offerings on the record, and introduce us to a far more lick-driven, fuzzy, power-pop sound. The album goes on to offer a variety of different moods for its listeners to zone into, whether it be the catchy pop-fection of “December (Get To You)”, the anthemic majesty of “Weak Riff”, or the rapid and raucous rocker that is “River Jordan”, there is almost certainly something that will tickle your ear drum here. Closing number “Failure and Disgrace” manages to sound something like the entire record condensed into a single track, providing a fitting farewell to – though far from an accurate description of – this engaging and triumphant debut.

There’s plenty of nods to their main influences here (Teenage Fanclub, Pavement) but this doesn’t stop The Love-Birds succeeding in carving out an identity of their own; one of tuneful, melodic meanderings woven by a combination of memorable guitar licks and jingles, super-cool vocals, and a steady and reliable rhythm section that’s always ready to take the sound where it needs to go. This is a band to fall in love with, to hum and sing along to, and definitely one to expect great things of now that “In The Lover’s Corner” has arrived and the The Love-Birds have well and truly landed.

Sound City 2017 – 10th Birthday Celebration; Preview

With each passing year since its inception in 2008, Liverpool Sound City has only grown in stature – and this time around looks to celebrate its 10^th birthday with a move to Clarence Dock and the most star-studded line up yet seen in its now illustrious history. As well as showcasing some of the best emerging talent locally and from across the country, the festival continues to prove itself capable of drawing more ‘heavyweight’ acts to its stage. The likes of The Flaming Lips, Belle and Sebastian, Alt-J, Paloma Faith, and Calvin Harris are just some of the names that have helped to build that reputation. So without further ado lets take a look at what the ‘first music festival of the year’ has in store for us this year…

The Human League – Thursday 25^th May

Synth pop legends The Human League are considered to be one of the most innovative and influential pop acts ever to emerge from British soil. Bona fide hits such as “Don’t You Want Me” and “Keep Feeling (Fascination)” promise to unite an adoring crowd in full voice, but it is undoubtedly “Together In Electric Dreams” which will best describe the atmosphere on what is sure to be an unforgettable opening night.

John Cale & Guests Present The Velvet Underground & Nico – Friday 26^th May

Following a 2016 concert in Paris, John Cale personally selected Liverpool for its rich musical heritage, making it the only city outside of fellow founder member Lou Reed’s home town of New York deemed worthy of hosting one of these once in a lifetime performances of the legendary group’s iconic debut played in its entirety. Quite simply unmissable.

Ali Horn – Saturday 27^th May

Having played the festival on a number of occasions already as a member of various other bands, this time Ali Horn has a chance to shine the spotlight on his solo project. You are hereby invited on a journey of pure mind-expanding guitar pop and mesmerising vocals all heavily drenched in psychedelia, with melodies that will linger on inside your head for so long after you might not even realise he’s actually stopped playing.

Queen Zee & The Sasstones – Saturday 27^th May

Drawing a line in the sand between themselves and Liverpool’s endless obsession with lad rock bands, Queen Zee & The Sasstones offer up a destruction derby of punk, pop, psychedelia and rebellion all piled into one big glorious collision. The musical establishment on Merseyside might want to knock on these noisy neighbours and ask them to tone it down a bit, but catch them at Sound City and you’ll see that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Peaches – Saturday 27^th May

The boys wanna be her, the girls wanna be her – and if you want to see a performance like no other you’ll make sure you go and see her. Fearlessly disregarding gender and sexual paradigms since the turn of the millennium and even further beyond, Peaches is at Sound City to tear it up, rip it up and kick it up, and at the very least she can help you dance the pain away – anything after that is up to you.

Metronomy – Saturday 27^th May

Joseph Mount drives his vehicle of colourful and adventurous electronic pop to Clarence Dock for Saturday night’s headline slot, with a veritable melting pot of influences that include David Bowie, The Zombies and Sly and the Family Stone. Metronomy’s treasure chest of infectious and carefully synthesised gems is certain to bring the first day of the festival main to an incredible and memorable conclusion.

Cleo T – Sunday 28^th May

Conjuring up a dramatic concoction of avant garde and swirling art pop, Cleo T succeeds in her ambition to make the world shine a little brighter, evoking more than a little Kate Bush with some breathy, theatrical and aesthetically pleasing vocal nuances. There’s time enough to dream and dance, with raindrops of romance falling all around at this one.

Wild Fruit Art Collective – Sunday 28^th May

Referring to themselves as a ‘ragtag gang of musicians distributing gloom’, Wild Fruit Art Collective do themselves something between an accurate description and a total disservice. Their music is certainly brooding, but it’s also brimming with mystique and experimentation, and grieving guitars that occasionally resort to chaos to appease entrancing vocal chants. You’ll get lost in it for a while if you come.

The Barberettes – Sunday 28^th May

With a mix of both covers and original songs, this South Korean trio will effortlessly transport you back to the 50s and 60s, providing a delicious blend of harmonising girl groups and barbershop music. Adding their own 21^st century twist to the mix, to be spellbound by their sassy shapes, colourful couture and some seriously dazzling doo-wop.

The Kooks – Sunday 28^th May

Having previously played the festival in both 2011 and 2014, Brighton’s indie darlings are back in town once again, and will be looking to close out Sound City 2017 in similarly triumphant fashion to those previous outings. Expect them to have the crowd in the palms of their hands for the whole set, hanging on every last lyric, and dancing the 10^th anniversary to a fitting conclusion.

Xiu Xiu Plays The Music Of Twin Peaks at The Kazimier; Review

Upon entering The Kazimier on the night of 6/10/15, it was apparent the place wasn’t all that it usually seemed this time around. Each corner of the venue glowed with bright red spotlights and, as we awaited the arrival of the band, we all stared at the familiar, yet haunting, shot of a certain staircase from a certain home in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, in which the ceiling fan relentlessly spins, generating an atmosphere of tension and unease amidst all the anticipation. Fans of the show would recognise this as the home and stairwell of Laura Palmer, whose death not only served as the catalyst for the events of the show, but would continue to affect and alter the lives of each of the other major characters there after. And through the exceptionally beautiful renditions and interpretations of Xiu Xiu, the dramatic effects of her death – and the plight of the townspeople of Twin Peaks – was brought into reality like I never imagined possible, and enabled fans of the show in the crowd to feel a part of that world like never before – certainly from an emotional standpoint.

The band began their set in the spirit of how the show began with the wonderful, yet tragic, “Laura Palmer’s Theme”, a piece of music so beautiful it can literally move you to tears – something it often did in the series to whichever character happened to be on screen at the time of its playing. The silence that permeated the audience for this interpretation, that with every note so perfectly captured the heartbreak and sadness of its intended themes, was something I’d never been a part of before in my gig attending life. It was moving, and it was a moment that everyone shared in that perfect silence, allowing themselves to be caught up in the mesmeric performance of such a brilliant piece of music. Either that or everyone was literally frozen with fear at thought of BOB coming down that staircase at any given moment.

We were then treated to a number from David Lynch (creator of the show) and Angelo Badalamenti’s (the show’s composer) musical stalwart Julee Cruise, who occasionally appeared in the series and film herself at crucial moments singing various numbers at The Roadhouse Bar. Xiu Xiu chose “Into The Night” for their main ode to Cruise’s involvement with the show and, wonderful as it was, and apart from “Falling” itself at the end of the set, I would happily have seen versions of “The Nightingale”, “Questions In A World Of Blue” and “Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart” in there as well if there was enough time. It was necessary to include memorable tracks like “The Bookhouse Boys”, the theme of Twin Peaks’ very own defence against the dark arts secret society, and “Audrey’s Theme”, which I think everyone would agree is just far too dreamy to have been left out. One of my favourite musical sequences in Twin Peaks, from the movie “Fire Walk With Me”, was brought to life with their performance of “The Pink Room”, a track driven by seedy, druggy guitars which in the film serves as a backdrop for showing us the true darker side of Laura Palmer.

As the set drew to a close the crowd were still in a veritable trance when the theme of Twin Peaks itself was finally delivered to them; suitably in its more perfect form as Julee Cruise’s “Falling”. The blue light that I can recall beaming out from the stage for that song reminded me of the same that shines on the beautiful laughing face of Laura Palmer in the final shots of “Fire Walk With Me”. This along with the wonderfully moving lyrics of the song, only added to the already beautiful moment I was experiencing watching from that staircase. At times it felt like you were really there, but none more so than during this truly climactic and epic finale. I wish I could have done it all again the following night, and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever see it again. Maybe one day I’ll be out somewhere one night and hear some of those familiar motifs – and I’ll whisper to myself: “It is happening again.”

Nicolas Godin – Contrepoint

Let’s pretend for a minute that I don’t know anything about Johann Sebastian Bach, 18^th Century German composer and musician from the Baroque period. That I don’t know about how he enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and that he specialised in the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad – particularly from Italy and France. That I’m not aware of famous compositions like the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and over three hundred cantatas – of which around two hundred have survived. And that his music has long been revered for its technical command, artistic beauty and intellectual depth. Let’s pretend I know NOTHING about all of that.

Now let’s get real. Indeed, as with anyone who has at least some level of musical knowledge, I am well aware of the name Bach and its importance within the classical genre, but that is about the extent of my knowledge – until my visit to Wikipedia prior to writing this which somewhat “inspired” my opening paragraph. I am, however, far more familiar with the work of one Nicolas Godin, as one half of French electronic duo Air with Jean-Benoit Dunckel, and co-creator of classic albums like Moon Safari and Talkie Walkie. For the first time in a musical career which now spans twenty years, Godin has decided to release a solo record, Contrepoint, which (surprise surprise) is heavily influenced by Bach, and therefore promises to be an intriguing, and potentially challenging listen, for a somewhat classically uneducated muso such as myself.

The opening track “Orca” serves as an introduction to Godin’s Bach celebration offering an array of vastly different electronic melodies with almost perplexing complexity which, masterful as it sounds, threatened to leave me out in the cold. Thankfully second track “Widerstehe doch der Sunde” (just resist sin), one of Bach’s church cantatas, is brought to life very much in the spirit of Air and made me feel at ease – particularly once the dreamy angelic female vocals and humming came in after a couple of minutes. Combining his own musical style with that of Bach – bellowing church choir vocals and all – works exceptionally well on this track, and makes for a gloriously relaxing and engrossing listening experience. The track “Clara” is another example of how successful Godin’s experiment has been, with the compelling crooning of Brazilian singer Marcelo Camelo creating another escapist musical daydream for the listener to embark on.

Other tracks on the album are pure experimental voyages, which move away from the essence of Air’s music, such as the 7 minute “Bach Off” towards the end of the album, but are a fascinating listen nonetheless as by this stage you’re well along for the ride and fully immersed in the soundscapes Godin has created. There’s just enough here to keep an Air fan interested, and even more for those who delight in the experimental. And if you’re a big fan of Bach himself then I’m certain Contrepoint will prove to be a fascinating listen, written as it is by another of the Baroque maestro’s most humble and devoted aficionados.

Tame Impala Live At Liverpool Olympia 9/9/15; Review

The Olympia is a real treasure of a venue these days, and holds something of a legendary status amongst past generations of gig goers in Liverpool. Waiting to go inside feels like you’re queuing up in the past, and your friends all appear to be in black and white, but whilst it’s true that nearly every great gig/nightclub venue this city has had eventually succumbed to a demise – even if many of them have since reopened in some capacity – the Olympia continues to stand firm. Well…sort of…if you don’t count the adjoining Grafton Rooms, another of the city’s legendary venues, the front of which collapsed in early 2013 resulting in its closure. For now at least the Olympia stands firm.

There was something fitting about seeing Tame Impala there as well – and not least because it was apparently their first ever gig in this fair city. Having seen them only once before at Glastonbury a few years back, where their middle of the day Other Stage slot was, in my opinion, quite unable to bring their music to life in the way that I’ve always imagined it could be; the small, intimate, and retro environment of the Olympia promised to be able to do that. And on the whole it did, with the only issue now being that the band, now in the midst of touring their third album, Currents, have reached a new musical plateau which, although they are still a real treat to behold in a smaller venue, made it feel at times like the music was trying to escape the confines of the space it was being contained in.

Purists may say that small venues are always the best gigs, but for me, sometimes, either through an increase in popularity or the expansion of their actual sound, bands are just ready to be playing bigger gigs. Not to say Tame Impala haven’t been doing already of course, but it is that sort of setting which seems the more ideal way in which to see them at this moment in time. In terms of their popularity, a first UK number one album rather speaks for itself, but in terms of their music the band truly arrived with their previous album Lonerism, which I would still argue is superior to Currents, and it was no surprise to see these two records make up the majority of the set.

There was no better way to kick off proceedings than with the slightly teasing intro they played before eventually tearing into the infectious “Let It Happen” – possibly the band’s best individual song to date – which immediately had the crowd in a frenzy for what was close to the next ten minutes of its duration. Kevin Parker has created a sound that I’ve probably described as perfect somewhere along the way, because it is one of those sounds that a) is definitely for me and b) is how I imagine a lot of bands really wish they sounded. The magical and mesmerising intros of songs like “Mind Mischief” and “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?”, meet their match in urgency with the likes of “Elephant” and “The Moment”, the latter two of which demanding to be heard rather than floating by as dreamy streams of consciousness like the former.

The funky “The Less I Know The Better” was another highlight of the set and, along with the track that showcases Parker at his most obvious John Lennon-impersonating best, “Cause I’m A Man” (if he’d have put a comma then “Woman” at the end when naming it then the game would well and truly be given away). It’s never bothered me that he sounds like John, or The Beatles as a whole, because at the end of the day that’s the reason I got into them in the first place and, despite being pretty much identical in sentiment and sound to the Lennon classic, “Woman”, “Cause I’m A Man” has quickly become one of their most beloved tracks and was given pride of place near the end of the set as things drew to a close.

So remember when I said I thought “Let It Happen” was their best song? Well the other contender is the sprawling masterpiece that is “Apocalypse Dreams”. Now although I thought it was performed brilliantly by the band, and I was waving my hands around in the air for its epic close out, this is the sort of thing I was talking about when I said about their music wanting to escape the confines of the venue. I’ve always held the assertion that this song should be the one blowing my mind (along with everyone else’s) when hearing it live and it just didn’t, quite, do that. No hairs on the back of my neck, no pulling my face down in disbelief of it melting, and no hands on the top of my head occasionally saying “Fucking Hell” to one or other of my friends as the song plays out. When I undoubtedly go and see them in Manchester next year, I’ll be hoping to experience one or all of these sensations whilst listening to “Apocalypse Dreams”. Or maybe I’ll be saying to people afterwards when it was just alright: “Yeah I saw them in this little old venue in Liverpool last year and it was loads better.” In reality though Tame Impala put on a great gig at the Olympia, and will undoubtedly match or top it the next time they return to play in this country because, unlike fan favourite “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” which was happily included in the encore, it feels like the only way Parker and his band will be going is onwards – and upwards!

Originally published for Liverpool Noise 15/9/15

Yo La Tengo – Stuff Like That There

To mark the 25^th anniversary of their 1990 classic covers album, Fakebook, Yo La Tengo have re-familiarised themselves with their penchant for adopting other people’s songs on their latest offering “Stuff Like That There”. Whilst their original attempt at this sort of thing attained significant plaudits a quarter of a century ago, it is a big ask for the indie rockers to churn something out that holds the same degree of importance to their identity as a band, or indeed, as with any covers record, anything more than an exercise in sheer self-indulgence. In the first instance, and perhaps unavoidably, the record doesn’t break any new ground for the band, but it is clear that, being the serial-cover artists that they are, Yo La Tengo pour a great deal of themselves into other people’s music (or pour themselves all over other people’s) with such a verve that this record could never truly be considered a failed attempt. After all, no one can fail at being themselves, can they?

From the first track, “My Heart’s Not In It”, a cover of a Darlene McCrea hit, it is safe to say that you’re now fully acquainted with the sound of this album, for its steady brushed snare drums, and pleasant acoustic guitar strumming and tender, sweet vocals, and also because its a formula that permeates every track that follows. On the one hand, if this sort of sound is your thing, then you’re going to thoroughly enjoy this record but, if it isn’t, things might begin to get a bit samey fairly on. Looking at it from another perspective however, and what is one of the achievements of the record, is that they manage to assimilate these individual originals into something new and whole – and something wholly their own. If you’d never heard of Yo La Tengo, and you’d never heard the original songs before, you could be forgiven for thinking these were their songs and this was the way they’d always sounded.

But it’s likely you will have heard some, or possibly all, of them before, and as such will measure them against their sires. Whilst its all works better on tracks like the album opener and Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’, it is less successful on something like ‘Friday I’m In Love’. Lacking the energy and musical colour of The Cure classic, all that is really achieved by listening to it is the urge to hear the original and possibly even go and embark on another phase with their music. But that’s what Yo La Tengo have obviously done, so in a way they’re just sharing some of their favourite music with you and actively encouraging you to go and listen to it as well.