Posted in: What's New | No Comments | Posted on August 27, 2021 by Grumpy

Stuff Like That There is a 14 song collection of covers, originals and reworking(s) that happens to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Yo La Tengo’s landmark 1990 album, Fakebook.

Recorded with Gene Holder (The Feelies), Stuff Like That There as the trio of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew augmented by the guitarist and former Yo La Tengo member Dave Schramm, with James negotiating the wonders of the upright bass for the first time.

A video for their cover of The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love”, directed by Jason Woliner, may or may not prophecize a near apocalyptic event.

This specific fearsome foursome — playing material from Stuff Like That There and maybe, possibly/probably (we really don’t dictate repertoire around here) ‘Fakebook’ will kick off a world tour in September to include Sept. 30th Toronto (Queen Elizabeth Theatre), Oct. 2nd Montréal (Corona Theatre), and Nov. 21st Vancouver (Commodore).

On 1990’s Fakebook:

 “This is Yo La Tengo laying out the vast playing field of their influences and curating a great deal of what will become the modern canon of pop music.” — Stereogum

 “It’s impossible to imagine playing this record and not smiling and singing along.” — All Music

Artist And Album Information

Rare is the band that can cover themselves. Rarer is the band that would even think of it and rarer still is a band that would return to the conception and re-imagine its first breakthrough record. Someone may have read recently that old quote about how “in not knowing history one is doomed to repeat it.”

There’s not another band that I know that is less doomed than Yo La Tengo. As stated previously, the album features covers from bands other than themselves: The Cure, Hank Williams, The Lovin’ Spoonful and more.

Yo La Tengo will celebrate their 30th anniversary – and the 25th birthday of their 1990 breakout LP Fakebook – with a new album featuring original songs, covers and a handful of reinterpreted Yo La Tengo tracks. Stuff Like That There will arrive August 28th on Matador Records, though the band have made two tracks – a cover of Soft Pillow’s “Automatic Doom” and a reworking of their own I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One song “Deeper Into Movies”– available now.

Lambchop singer Kurt Wagner spoke lovingly of Yo La Tengo and their new album. “Stuff Like That There may well be a 25th anniversary sequel to the idea of Fakebook, but to my ears it makes a case for simply returning to what moved Yo La Tengo to make things in the first place: embracing the people who they still hold close and making a spirited noise about it,” Wagner said.

“With Fakebook as template, Stuff Like That There is a record with ties to the past which contribute to the sound they make furthered by an affinity for the sounds they love,” Wagner added. “Somehow they compose the already composed by return. It’s clear-eyed. It’s clever and concealed. Someone may have read recently that old quote about how, ‘In not knowing history, one is doomed to repeat it.’

There’s not another band that I know that is less doomed than Yo La Tengo.”