Ive loved this band for years now but they were always sort of a mood band, like I had to be in that late night solitude mode for most of their music. This album was different though right off the start with "here to fall" that i like to think would be something syd would have done had he progressed. This is def their most consistent and far ranging album in a while, i love it. Especially the MBV mashnote "more stars than their our in heaven (what a great title).
I saw them live in boston (still astonished by how their shows sell out so quickly) and they were not what i was expecting at all. I imagined a band of librarians playing and fans acting accordingly. How wonderful of a surprise when they opened with Ira channeling insane feedback like the illegitimate child of lou reed and thurston moore. I think alot of the middle aged couples were surprised by this as well, but fuck them. Not only was YLT more raucous live but Ira was funny too, cracking jokes and displaying his perfectionism when they redid the third verse of "stockholm syndrome" in concert cause he thought it could sound better. Everyone should see this band at least once.
killer version of here to fall
http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/episode/2052-yo-la-tengo/1