Yo La Tengo

We'll get to Yo La Tengo's poignant and prickly noise-pop later; for now, succumb to their sweet and sedate side, the kind of cozy cuts that usually end up on Wes Anderson soundtracks. The organ-pumping "Autumn Sweater" stirs the senses like a pile of freshly fallen, sepia-toned leaves; the psych-pop subtleties of "Little Eyes" and "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" drift away like a raft caught in a creek's current; and "I Feel Like Going Home" casts a soft, sad glow with the help of pristine piano chords and tear-stained strings. All and all, it's enough to lull you into a deeeep sleep. Don't batten down your lashes just yet, though; we've still gotta share some Next Steps.

Aside from a few fresh, new songs and a couple retakes of recent originals, Yo La Tengo's Fakebook album took a long, hard look at the immense record collection of frontman Ira Kaplan, turning obscure (Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle") and omnipresent (Cat Stevens' "Here Comes My Baby") tracks into frostbitten folk songs. In the process, Yo La Tengo also alluded to the shifting soundscapes of their two decades together, from the cloud-scraping country undertones of "Nowhere Near" to the jarring but jubilant jingle-jangle routine of "Tom Courtenay." Basics and Next Steps aren't enough of an overview for a band with such a vast output (17 albums!), though, so may we suggest a couple hours of quality time with our Deep Cuts?

Who will be the next Velvet Underground? While that question hasn't left the lips of critics and art punk-adoring VU cultists since the band split up in 1973, Andy Warhol himself would have appreciated a successor like Yo La Tengo. Aside from literally playing Lou Reed and company in I Shot Andy Warhol, the New Jersey natives have often embraced a similar mix of restless, sadistic noise and comfortably numb melodies. The comparison is clear throughout Yo La Tengo's catalog, really, from gloomy rock tunes like "It's Alright (The Way That You Like)" to beautiful but broken ballads Nico would have loved singing over ("Needle of Death," "Take Care").

With similarities to Sonic Youth in terms of its prolific, two-decade-plus career; fearless, grab-a-track-by-its-chords creativity; and hip-married-couple nucleus, Yo La Tengo is one of indie rock's few standing institutions. Their influences are clear (the experimental/accessible gray areas of the Velvet Underground, splotchy canvases of spectrum-crossing sound, and pop as vintage as a cellared bottle of wine) and their intentions are even clearer (indie rock with dashes of free-form jazz and feedback), but one thing Yo La Tengo's never been is predictable. So forgive us for what we're about to say: The following is essential listening for anyone who finds record shopping more enjoyable than even chocolate or sex.