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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2000)
Yo La Tengo’s new album worth a second glance, listen By Josh Krauter Staff writer ~ The cover of Yo La Tengo’s “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out” says a lot about the album it adorns. A cursor glance reveals a quiet neighborhood at night. Cars are parked in the driveway, and the grass is neatly trimmed. Nothing much is going on. Take a second glance, and the guy in the lower right comer becomes obvious. He is standing in a driveway, holding a six-pack and gazing at a strange light The album is just like that cover photo. A cursory listen reveals nothing much but a bunch of slow, indistinct songs, good for background music. But when the listener gives the album a care ful listen, he sees what was missed before - intimate, subtle songs that might make the best album of the year. “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out” is one of those albums that doesn’t resonate at first but deserves repeated listening. It’s the kind of album that reveals more of its secrets as time gpes by, instead of shouting all it knows right away, only to end up collecting dust in die bottom of the CD rack. “Nothing” is the quietest Yo La Tengo album yet, but it’s also the warmest. It’s full of unexpected melodies, poignant, direct lyrics and inventive musical quirks. Every song is distinct and, more importantly, good. Each song flows into die next “Nothing” is not a masterpiece, though. Masterpiece is too abstract a word for such a human album. The songs are about people and relationships and how people’s flaws sometimes cause problems. The lyrics probably are going to come under scrutiny, especially considering gui tarist-singer Ira Kaplan and drummer singer Georgia Hubley have been mar ried for about 10 years. That relationship is the subject of many of the songs, but the lyrics are so conversational, following the rhythms of real speech, that it’s easy to relate. ^Yo La Tengo TITLE: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out LABEL: Matador Records GRADE: A FIVE WORDS: Year s best album so far. In “Our Way to Fall,” Kaplan opens a verse with, “I remember your old gui tar” and finishes it with, “I remember the day it broke.” In “The Crying of Lot G,” Kaplan even makes this line catchy: “You say that all we do is fight/And I think ‘Gee, I don’t know that that’s true’/And then I wonder ‘Am I right or is that part of the problem.’” It’s not exactly “baby, you can drive my car,” but the simplicity of the words keep them from becoming oppressive. Though song titles contain nods to such postmodern references as episodes of “The Simpsons” and Whit Stillman films, the words stick to real life over self-indulgent, pop-culture winks and nudges to the hipper-than-thou set The lyrics are only a small part of the album’s charm. The music is rich and intriguing. The band covers an old disco tune, “You Can Have It All,” and turns it into melancholy pop by stripping it and leav ing a skeletal fragment of the song’s original minor-ball thump-and-grind. “Tears Are In Your Eyes,” a somber ballad that sounds like a late fall after noon feels, is followed by “Cherry Chapstick,” a noisy piece of sour candy that should sound out of place on this otherwise-quiet album, but doesn’t. Kaplan attacks the guitar, forcing out squalls of feedback, while the melody brings out a wistful, nostalgic feeling. “Madeline” is a piece of Bacharachian pop that rivals 1997’s “Center of Gravity,” and “Tired Hippo” is an experimental instrumental track that actually sounds like a tired hippo probably would sound. With its latest release, Yo La Tengo proves that rock bands can age graceful ly. The band has been putting out albums since the late 1980s, and this is its best yet. “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out” isn’t an album that is going to set anyone’s party on fire or blast from car stereos all summer. It’s a late night, early-morning, long-drive, alone in-your-bedroom kind of album. Joan of Arc collaboration to perform at Lied Center A collaboration of musical artists will perform what has been called “a great masterpiece of contemporary music” this Friday at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The vocal group Anonymous 4, along with Lincoln's Abendmusik Chorus and The Omaha Symphony will perform Richard Einhorn’s “Voices of Light.” “Voices of Light” is a musical composition synchronized to the classic film, “The Passion of Joan of Arc.” Einhom, a prolific composer for opera, orchestra, chamber, film and dance music, came across die idea to write “Voices of Light” when he vis ited the Museum of Modem Art in New York in 1988. A still life from the movie “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” which he saw in the museum, spurred him to see the Film. After seeing it, he was inspired to do a piece that could capture the emotion he saw coming across in the Film. The piece has been performed more than 50 times in Europe and North America, and the CD was a bestseller on the Billboard classical music chart. The film, “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” was made in France in 1927. Immediately considered a mas terpiece, the film lost its impact as a result of mediocre duplicated images used for nearly 50 years. It received new attention in the early ’80s when the original version was found and re-released. The musicians corresponding to the film are renowned artists in their own right. The four women who make up Anonymous 4 have been praised for their amazing vocal skills and have also been included on the Billboard Classical top 10. The group will sing the voice of Joan of Arc, which they did on the “Voices of Light” CD and on other tours of the work. i The performance will be directed by John Levick, and the Omaha Symphony will be directed by Victor Yampolsky and resident conductor Ernest Richardson. Pre-performance talks for “Voices of Light” will take place in the Lied’s Steinhart Room 55 min utes and 30 minutes prior to the per formance, which is at 8 p.m. Tickets for the performance are $33, $29 and $25 and half price for UNL students. r - END ROAMING FEES AND LONG DISTANCE BILLS. -THE POWER OF MULTI-STATE LOCAL CALLING. . - . j£r..a£fgrr . ... ./i -ff-g. ■ HMAABiiiHH imokix^^||V Connecting People Now with our Digital Advantage rate plans you can call anyone in our Nebraska, Kansas (including Western Kansas), West Central Missouri, North Dakota or South Dakota coverage area without any roaming or long distance fees. Plus, you can own a Nokia 252 with Caller ID capabilities and 40 hours of stand-by time for only $9.99. To sign up, visit the store nearest you or call 1-800-CELL ONE. CELLULARONE’ cellular for everyone. ' ACT NOW. 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