Yo La Tengo - Aarhus Voxhall - 14/5/03
4/5
By: Gudjon Emilsson
How nice it is to see all three of them in person, Ira, James and Georgia, after all this time. Classic lo-fiers Yo La Tengo have been part of a comeback kick of late, celebrating the critical rebirth of new LP, 'Summer Sun': a glorious template of bright, ambient textures and whimsical charm. With an extensive Euro-tour to complement the release, fans are treated to beyond 100 minutes of underground, memorable romanticism - interlocked, of course, with the occasional jazzy interlude or art-rock freak-out.
It's all in good measure. Opening with classic favourite 'Our Way To Fall' from the album 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out', it's greatest (low-key) hits all the way, the following 'Sugarcane' evoking a stunned response at such an early airing in the set. Not that the band need matter - there's plenty more of where this came from.
And it's the groovy keyboards and surfing guitar melodies out in force from the new series of compositions that provide much of the colour and fervour to this evening's selection; you can almost smell the beach and the ocean to such tones as displayed within 'Today Is the Day', but it's the likes of 'Season of the Shark', 'Winter A-Go-Go' and 'Little Eyes' that really scintillate, let alone an engrossing 'Don't Have To Be So Sad'.
All are so wildly content with the alt. country ramblings of a still-gleaming 'Can't Forget', the organ-drenched 'Sudden Organ' and Beach Boys fuzziness of 'Little Honda' that they evoke encore-returns. 'Stockholm Syndrome' and 'Autumn Sweater' go down a treat, whilst personal request 'Fog Over Frisco' gets a rare exertion. Yet, again, they are asked for more from the craving crowd and YLT are of course kind enough to deliver. But the band are heading to Oslo in Norway shortly, so the drums are skipped, the roadies silently dismantling them at the back of the stage. And what it leaves - all three side-by-side, taking in a rapturous 'Green Arrow' and final 'My Little Corner of the World' as a cosy, intimate ending to a glidingly sumptuous night.
While ready to leave, Ira appears from backstage. Your reporter seized the opportunity - so we asked him if they could hitch rockfeedback on the bus and drive us to Copenhagen on their way to Norway, for a convenient journey home... He said no. Oh well, f**k 'em. They still gleam.
Photo-Credit (London SBE, 07/05/03): Toby L
Artists in this article: Yo La Tengo
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