Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Matador)

Solid Yo La Tengo albums are like solar eclipses – they don't happen often and can burn your retinas. After the scorching 10-minute opener, "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind," Hoboken, N.J., and NPR's favorite rock band has reached a new moon. As guitarist Ira Kaplan's falsetto feeds the cowbell on "Mr. Tough" and drummer Hubley whispers sweet psych nothings on "The Room Got Heavy," the trio's first album in three years, helmed by longtime producer Roger Moutenot, casts a long shadow. The flightier fare ("Sometimes I Don't Get You" would be perfect in a Charlie Brown cartoon) is precious, but on "Watch Out for Me Ronnie," Kaplan does his best rockabilly twist over drummer Hubley's ready steady go, and it's a fuzzbombed Saturday night in Jersey City. Closer "The Story of Yo La Tango" stretches into Feedback Land, and it's clear that after 20 years YLT continues to reside there.