Thursday, November 03, 2022

Falling for 'Fallout'

On a dank, dismal November day, what better tonic to lift the spirits than news of a new Yo La Tengo album? This Stupid World isn't out until February, but they've treated us to a taster in the form of 'Fallout', a classic YLT fuzzbomb. Maybe working on the reissue of 1995's Electr-O-Pura was an influence?

Of course, it could be a red herring, as 'Ohm' was for 2013's relatively mellow/folky Fade, and I must confess to finding 2018's There's A Riot Going On a bit dull - so much so that I've never actually listened to its follow-up, 2020's COVID LP We Have Amnesia Sometimes. But 'Fallout' is the sort of song to inspire cautious optimism.

The release of This Stupid World will be preceded by an eight-night Hanukkah residency at New York's Bowery Ballroom in December and followed by a full US and European tour in the spring. Sadly, the closest date to me - Bristol - falls on my son's birthday. As reliably great as they are live (my most recent encounter: headlining Green Man in 2019), I'm not sure I'll be able to swing skulking off to SWX to see them that night...

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