Oops, they did it again! After »Fakebook« and »Fuckbook« (the latter having been published under the alias Condo Fuck instead of Yo La Tengo), »Stuff Like That There« is the third record by the band from Hoboken, New Jersey, that mostly consists of cover versions and re-interpretation of their own songs (not to be confused with their actual cover record »Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics«). After all, the class-A-indie-veterans have been making music for more than 30 (!) years now – and most importantly, their concept still works well. The line-up is still the same as it was on »Fakebook« (the only addition being guitarist Dave Schramm), and it’s still trying to refine the acoustic, unobtrusive sound-sketch from the 1990 record. Besides The Cure’s »Friday I’m in Love« and Hank Williams’ »I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry«, the other covers are mostly unknown or even dubious (Great Plains, Special Pillow, Antietam), but they are covering the whole gamut from 1940’s country to 1960’s beat, to new wave of the eighties and 90’s indie. Not only the borrowed tracks, but also their own ones (and even more so) sound like the typical tame Yo-La-Tengo-melodies. In particular the tracks performed soulfully by Georgia Hubly hit the mark. All in all, »Stuff Like That There« is something like an interim step on the way to the next record – but it’s a fan teaser that’s worth a listen.
Cousin Kula
Vitamin D
Rhythm Section International