It’s now 40 years since Yo La Tengo’s founding married couple, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, first performed together, and 37 since the New Jersey trio’s debut album. That means a back catalogue vast enough to overawe anyone who attempts to join the fanbase as a newcomer today. Even if you just start with their cover versions you’ll be wading through over 50 reworkings that range from The Beach Boys to ZZ Top to Californian punk band The Urinals, with Richard Hell and Slade thrown in for good measure.
Nor is it safe to assume that they’ll be retreading old ground on this 17th album. Like another long-running American indie band led by a married couple, Low, in their recent work they’ve been pushing intriguingly at their familiar style, finding cracks in the bedrock of their sound.
