We are in it for the long haul, folks. Time for some Yo La Tengo, an American indie band from Hoboken that seems to have mastered every style of music there is, including 1960s psychedelia. Those who know me know that I love 1960s psychedelia. But I am skeptical of efforts to replicate that style in the modern era. Spontaneous music cannot be recreated. When I heard this album for the first time about 10 years ago (it came out in 2006), I was driving to court for some mundane court appearance when this song came on the CD player. "That sounds interesting," I thought. "Let's hear it again." I ended up playing this song on repeat the rest of the trip and on the way back to the office. I had waited my whole life to hear this song. If you like the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, early Grateful Dead, the Beatles' Revolver, you will like it also. This is where it's at. You'll be pleased to know that this three-member band includes a husband-wife team. The wife plays drums.
In 2007, I saw this band play in Woodstock, N.Y. It was a small venue, and the band was taking requests and questions from the audience. I mustered the courage to request this song from the balcony. Ira Kaplan, the guitarist and singer, pondered the request for a second and the band got to work. Most the audience was not familiar with the song, but they were mesmerized by it. It was my greatest moment as a concert-goer.
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