Album of Repose

After so many years of listening to rock music I realize there's no other band that I've grown up with more than Yo La Tengo. I've seen them live more than any other band, including the time Stoner and I saw them at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. As Stoner was wont to do during that period of his life, he had passed out towards the latter part of the set. At least I thought he was passed out, because he raised his head from the counter that lined the wall of the Blind Pig after a song sung by Georgia Hubley, the drummer, to proclaim, "This is Georgia's world, we just happen to live in it," and returned his head into his folded arms.

It is Georgia's world and Ira's world, too, and it's a great place to visit and linger. Listening to their new album Fade is like a conversation with an old friend. It's a commiseration of how complicated life is: We're older, probably wiser, but we're still no closer to figuring things out. And as the album title suggests, everything seems to fade with age. It's a depressing message if not for the absolute brilliance of the album that belies the message. These old friends, fellow geezers, have created their best album yet. It's a masterpiece. It may even bring a tear to your eye. Go get it and play it often.