YO LA TENGO Vinyl & CDs

Review: This Stupid World is an album from Yo La Tenga that sounds more live than anything the band has done for a decade. It's their first new record in five years and was created top to bottom by the band itself, building on their strong foundations yet bringing plenty of fresh new ideas. All three band members are going for it throughout almost every moment of every track, so it has an urgent, of-the-moment feel that is immediately impactful. It comes on limited transparent blue vinyl - a great record for indie fans whether or not they are familiar with this band.

Review: 'There's A Riot Going On', the fifteenth album from New Jerseyan indie rockers Yo La Tengo, started life in 2015 as a mesh of home recordings, new material and previously unused material from other projects such as their film score work. The effect of this long gestation is audible, it's a sort of kaleidoscopic patchwork of psychedelic soundscapes and calm, warm alt-indie songs that meld together seamlessly (think a slightly more out-there version of fellow Garden State natives Real Estate). The second half of the album is punctuated by more unusual moments, the percussive pseudo-jazz jam of 'Above The Sound', bossa-nova instrumental interlude 'Esportes Casual', and the horizontal ambient doo-wop of 'Forever', amongst others. Nevertheless, the strength of 'There's A Riot Going On' lies in how well it all fits together, whilst quietly showcasing how deft YLT's songwriting hand is.