And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

iTunes Review

The Hoboken, New Jersey trio's tenth album unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and close listening with subtle textures, gentle harmonies, and a becalming mood. This is not the sound of a band playing to its familiar strengths; only the swirling "You Can Have It All" and Georgia Hubley's "Madeline" showcase Yo La Tengo's knack for catchy pop, and Ira Kaplan reins in his passion for skronk guitar everywhere except on "Cherry Chapstick." Mostly the songs glide on rich vocal harmonies, hum atop skittering percussion, or shimmer with trebly waves of synths. While much has been made of the album's lyrical content (it supposedly contained Ira and Georgia's most personal writing to date), the vocals function more often to color and shade the mood than to communicate literal meaning. (There are a few exceptions, most notably Kaplan's intimate talk-sing turn on "The Crying of Lot G.") Though listeners just discovering Yo La Tengo are advised to start elsewhere-Painful is a particularly sure bet-And Then Nothing is an accomplished work from a talented, veteran band not content to sit still.