Yo La Tengo
Danelectro EP
[Matador]
Rating: 6.3
Yo La Tengo's Danelectro EP begins with two dreamy, gorgeous, but
similar instrumentals, "Danelectro 2" and "3," built on the group's now
trademark sound of atmospheric keyboards, reverbed guitar plunking, distant
feedback and Georgia Hubley's always brilliant, subtle drumming. They seem
to head further into an almost post-rock territory (albeit of the melodic,
Mogwai type) than their previous records. Still, the songs bear much
resemblance to the hazy, dusky, organic atmosphere of And Then Nothing
Turned Itself Inside Out, during which sessions these songs were recorded.
The two songs lull me into a dreamlike state before I'm jarred awake by the
intro of Danelectro's first remix, by the Arsonists' Q-Unique. As
with any Arsonists track, it begins with terribly rote DJ scratching, and
here, seems to follow the "rock remix" formula to a T. Sorry, but the last
thing these songs needed was rank turntablism. The track ends up a jarring
contrast to the previous two, with quick cuts and electronic percussion, and
within seconds has shattered the atmosphere established by the band.
Kit Clayton's remix opens Danelectro's second half, following the form
of the previous, by simply abandoning much of the smooth texture of the
original in favor of rough cuts and synthetic textures. "Danelectro 1"
follows, which provides a smooth transition into Nobukazu Takemura's 11-minute
remix of "Danelectro 2," the most effective remix presented here. He adds
some subtle polyrhythmic percussion layers and keyboard effects, which bring
the whole thing closer to Tortoise brand post-rock. While it can't really be
considered an improvement, it at least retains the atmosphere and feel of the
original.
Nothing on this EP is particularly awful-- Yo La Tengo certainly can't be
blamed for their efforts-- but sometimes things are better left unremixed.
The sequencing's overwhelmingly tacky, and really, how often do you think
you'll find yourself in the mood for Takemura's epic reworking of a vaulted
Yo La Tengo instrumental? The record has its moments of beauty, but in the
end, it fails to add up to a satisfying whole.
-D. Erik Kempke