Tynan's Anger

SONGS OF THE DECADE #95

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

Yo La Tengo - Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind (2006)



Around 2006, everyone who had been reading about music on the internet was hearing that Yo La Tengo was the best band in the universe. The irony was that, by the time people started to read about music on the internet, Yo La Tengo's best work had already been done. It shocked many of my friends, even those who declared that YLT wasa their favorite band, to learn that they've been around since the 80s, let alone that they came from loud-as-fuck noise rock underground that will almost definitely not get any girl to like you if you play them a song from that era. Perhaps sensing that, and perhaps sensing that younger fans who were out of diapers when Paunful had a hard time gaining perspective, YLT decided to tap the distortion pedal for one more 9 minute behemoth of noise, fury, intrigue, and wonder. Driven by a James McNew bassline more than any song they’ve written since "Moby Octopad," the song starts off sweetly enough, before it becames a 9 minute masterstroke straight out of "Sister Ray." YLT could go back to their newfound folk appreciation with the rest of the album. This was their way out of playing 7 variations of "Autumn Sweater" for the rest of their careers.

Labels: 2000s, lists, pass the hatchet, pop music, songs of the decade, yo la tengo