Painful

From UrbanHymnsI first saw Yo La Tengo perform sometime around 2000 or 2001. I’d heard stories of how they put on amazing shows and how they absolutely love to show appreciation to their fans at the shows, and the show I went to they did not disappoint. The show was electric. They played songs old and new with an energy and fervor that few bands can sustain. And they played for multiple hours, wanna say close to 4 hours with multiple encores and no one in the venue left. Even when the venue turned the house lights on everyone, including the band, stayed and performed. It was a show that still holds a special place for me, as I was seeing a band with such confidence and such regard to their fans and their fans appreciation of their music. That’s where Yo La Tengo’s 1993 release ‘Painful’ plays an especially important part in the evolution of the band. Before the release of ‘Painful’ Yo La Tengo had released a few albums that showed their potential and their appreciation for their predecessors but nothing on those records had a style, a feel or sound that definitively represented Yo La Tengo. But ‘Painful’ was different, and it’s obvious with the opening track, the aptly titled “Big Day Coming”. It sets the album’s tone and announces a different kind of Yo La Tengo. A gentle, looping organ melody provides the foundation, while hazy guitar drones and dissonant bursts of feedback seem to float around it. There's a beautiful contradiction in the music: it's warm and inviting, yet its rough, unsettled edges keep it from ever feeling entirely comfortable. “From A Motel 6” literally kicks off track 2 and it brings an energy, fervor and the confident, defining style that Yo La Tengo has become known for. Kaplan uses distortion and feedback in the chorus to add tension and urgency without overwhelming the melody, elevating the song in the process. He keeps the momentum going on the (also) aptly titled third track, “Double Dare”. Kaplan’s guitar playing on these tracks is remarkable, but what’s equally impressive is how the band builds rhythmic energy and instrumental interplay around it. Throughout Painful, the musicians give one another room to explore without losing the cohesion of the songs, and it’s all just amazing. The quieter moments are equally as powerful, if not maybe even more so. Georgia Hubley’s vocals offer a beautiful counterpoint to the album’s louder moments. ‘Nowhere Near’ feels like a love letter, with its restrained arrangement giving the song an intimacy that allows its emotional weight to emerge without ever feeling overstated. Then there are moments here where they show how they can play off the two spectrums masterfully, as they show off this idea with two versions of “Big Day Coming” on here. Version 1 is this slow, meticulously executed version that takes its time getting through the journey; while version 2 rocks with a swagger and confidence led by Kaplan’s walls of amazing guitar noises and Hubley’s percussion keeping the hinges on so the song doesn’t break apart. It all leads up to the amazingly constructed finale “I Heard You Looking” (also one of my favorite song titles ever). There are no words to the song but the music creates enough for the listener to find a wonderful story to it, which is part of the brilliance behind it for me. The song begins with Kaplan playing guitar in what feels like a desolate place at night when Hubley’s drums and James McNew join in to keep him company. There’s strength in numbers, and as they build the song to it’s absolutely incredible climax there’s this wonderful wall and layers of sound that’s parts familiar and parts unknown- and by this point it’s clear they’re leading the way, the Yo La Tengo way. Thanks for taking the time to stop by, reading and hopefully providing some thoughts on this magnificent album. Take care, be safe and have a great week!