News of a new Yo La Tengo album is reason enough to celebrate. News of a great new Yo La Tengo album? Well, there ought to be a national holiday of some sort. The long-running band has just announced their 15th full-length, the daringly titled There's A Riot Going On (out March 16 on Matador), and you can check out four tunes from the record today. The LP is a world unto itself, but if you had to pick an analogue from the catalog, it would have to be 2003's Summer Sun. Recorded by multi-instrumentalist James McNew, Riot shares a certain sensibility with that effort, boasting spacious/spacey layers, tumbling rhythms and flickering balladry, all with the friendly ghost of Sun Ra overseeing the proceedings. There's also a notable lack of Ira Kaplan's signature guitar skronk. But as its title suggests, one thing Riot is not is placid. Even in its loveliest moments, there's a restless tension lurking beneath every note here, a perfect reflection of our restlessly tense times. More than 30 years into their unpredictable adventure, Yo La Tengo still captivate, inviting us back into their little corner of the world one more time. words / t wilcox
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