Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo is an American indie rock group from Hoboken, New Jersey, active since 1984. Since 1992, the core lineup consists of Ira Kaplan on guitars and vocals, Georgia Hubley on drums and vocals, and James McNew on bass and vocals. Other musicians who appear in the group’s history include Dave Schramm, Dave Rick, Mike Lewis, Stephan Wichnewski, Gene Holder, and Little Black Egg.

Formation and early years

The group begins as a husband-and-wife duo formed by Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley in 1984. The name is taken from a baseball anecdote and means “I’ve got it!” in Spanish. In its early period, the band recruits musicians who share an interest in groups such as The Soft Boys, Mission of Burma, and Arthur Lee’s Love.

The first recording is the 7-inch single “The River of Water”, backed with a version of Arthur Lee’s “A House Is Not a Motel”, issued in late 1985. Dave Schramm plays lead guitar and Dave Rick plays bass on that release. After recording “Private Doberman” for a Coyote Records compilation, Rick leaves and is replaced by Mike Lewis, who also plays bass in DMZ, Lyres and The A-Bones.

First albums and changes in lineup

Yo La Tengo’s first album, Ride the Tiger, appears in 1986 on Coyote Records. It is produced by former Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley, who also plays bass on three tracks. After that release, Schramm and Lewis leave, Kaplan moves into the lead guitar role, and Stephan Wichnewski joins on bass.

New Wave Hot Dogs follows in 1987, and President Yo La Tengo appears in 1989, helping to establish the group’s reputation with rock critics. The latter album is produced by Gene Holder of The dB’s and is the last release the group makes for Coyote. Wichnewski leaves not long afterwards, leaving Kaplan and Hubley to continue as a duo and to play two-electric-guitar shows.

Acoustic material and the arrival of James McNew

In 1990 the group reunites with Dave Schramm for Fakebook, an album of mostly acoustic material. It includes covers of Cat Stevens, Gene Clark, The Kinks and Daniel Johnston, along with five original songs. Gene Holder again produces. In 1991 the group releases the single “Walking Away from You” backed with a cover of Beat Happening’s “Cast a Shadow”, and also records “Speeding Motorcycle” with Daniel Johnston.

Later in 1991, James McNew begins playing bass with the band after joining for a short US tour and a European tour. He becomes part of the trio that continues as the group’s core.

The album May I Sing with Me is recorded in Boston with Gene Holder producing and Lou Giordano engineering, and it is released in 1992 on Alias Records. Two tracks from the earlier That Is Yo La Tengo EP are included on the album, and Holder plays bass on those songs. The Upside-Down EP is also issued in support of the album.

Matador Records and critical reputation

Yo La Tengo begins a long association with Matador Records in 1993 with the single “Shaker”. That year’s album Painful marks the start of a continuing collaboration with producer Roger Moutenot, who produces all of the band’s later albums. It is the first Yo La Tengo album to feature McNew on every song. Electr-O-Pura follows in 1995, and from this point the band credits songs to the group rather than to individual members.

The 1997 album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One combines folk, punk rock, shoegazing, long instrumental noise sections and electronic music. In 1998 the group collaborates with Jad Fair on Strange But True. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out appears in 2000.

Soundtracks, covers and later work

In 2001 the band records an instrumental score for eight short undersea documentaries by Jean Painlevé, released as The Sounds of the Sounds of Science. The piece is first performed at the San Francisco Film Festival and is later played live multiple times. The group also releases an EP of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War” in 2002.

Summer Sun appears in 2003. That same year the band collaborates with Yoko Ono on the charity album Wig in a Box: Songs from and Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch, supporting Harvey Milk High School. In 2005 the group issues its first best-of compilation, Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985–2003.

The band scores four films in the mid-2000s: Junebug, Game 6, Shortbus and Old Joy. These soundtracks are collected on the 2008 release They Shoot, We Score. Their 2006 album I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass draws on this soundtrack work and uses more strings and horns than earlier albums, alongside two long guitar jams.

Live work, cover versions and aliases

Yo La Tengo is known for its large repertoire of cover versions, both live and on record. In 2006 the group releases Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics, a collection of improvised covers recorded for WFMU, the New Jersey freeform radio station, during its fundraising marathon. Listeners request songs and the band performs them on the spot.

In late 2007 the band performs acoustically on the “Freewheelin’ Yo La Tengo” tour, where audiences can request songs and ask questions. In 2008 the group appears under the name Condo Fucks at Brooklyn’s Magnetic Field, and under that alias releases the cover-album Fuckbook on Matador in 2009.

Across its history, Yo La Tengo is widely associated with indie rock, dream pop and noise pop, and it develops a reputation as a critics’ band with a strong cult following.