28 Yo La Tengo, President Yo La Tengo vs. #101 Prefab Sprout, Protest Songs
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at records from Yo La Tengo and Prefab Sprout
Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.
I’ve started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be some typos.
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.
KA—
Yo La Tengo has been around long enough now that most people who know the band have a favorite record, era, or run. But in those early years—before they became your favorite band’s favorite band- they were still feeling their way through to what they wanted to become. President is a preview of all of the boxes; whatever passes for a single in the YLT universe, a good slab of feedback, and an uncanny ability to pull off a cover song you never saw coming.
Regarding the “singles.” I should preface this by saying that the first two tracks on this album are two of my all-time faves by the band, and that they sit atop a long list. “Baranbay, Hardly Working” is an all-timer. It kicks off with a wave of hypnotic feedback that grabbed me instantly and has never really let go. The organ that comes in later and its repetition of it all sealed the deal. “Drug Test” is vaguely menacing— or at least as menacing as Ira Kaplan can muster.
“Orange Song” is a bit of garage rock the likes of which used to radiate out of garages nationwide. It’s hyper, a little bit rockabilly, and a lot unhinged. It’s fantastic. “Alyda” slows things down and is a lovely lilt featuring Georgia Hubley on backing vocals- something we’d see more of as the years went on.
There are two versions of “The Evil That Men Do” here- and in, yes, a harbinger of things to come, they are wildly different from one another (see also: “Big Day Coming” off of 1993’s Painful). The first (“Craig’s version”) feels like something from an Ennio Morricone fever dream- I say that as a compliment. Do psychedelic westerns exist? If not, they should. What a fun genre! At any rate, this would be a great track for one of those.
The second (“Pablo’s version”) is a 10-minute-plus blast furnace of sonic chaos. Like clouds parting, something resembling a “normal” (it’s all relative) song appears before the whole thing collapses back upon itself. If you count yourself in the “fan of noisy YLT” camp, you‘re in for a treat.
It all wraps up with the band putting their own spin on Dylan’s “I Threw it All Away,” because, of course, it does.
AllMusic describes this as the record that “gets to the heart of what makes this band tick.” That’s fair, but what President Yo La Tengo does best is show us a band on the precipice of greatness, giving us a preview of what’s to come.
I should preface this one by noting that Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen (or Two Wheels Good, depending on what side of the Atlantic you’re reading this on) is one of my favorite records. So much so that I essentially stopped listening to anything else from the band. I’ll carve out an exception for the band’s “The Sound for Crying,” but even that was on Life of Surprises, a Best Of compilation. Pound for pound, the first four tracks on Steve McQueen (“Faron Young,” “Bonny,” “Appetite,” and “When Love Breaks Down”) might be the brightest example of sophisti-pop from 1985. Maybe the decade?
Paddy McAloon can hold his own behind the mike (Wendy Smith can, too), and their vocals float on top of wonderfully complex rhythms and shimmering melodies.
Okay, that’s a lot of words to say. I wasn’t really sure what I was in for here. Skimming a couple of reviews, I saw what were, for me, red flags. Phrases like “stripped down” signaled that I’d be getting an acoustic or folk-tinged record. No thanks. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear it referred to as a logical next step to Steve McQueen.
If that was a nice surprise, realizing it’s more of a sequel than anything else was a delight. Why it was decided to squish a record in between ( 1988’s From Langley Park to Memphis) is beyond me. That one’s not bad either, but it makes their discography feel slightly amiss.
Any doubts I had left vanished after hearing the opening pair of “The World Awake” and “Life of Surprises.” “Faron Young” set an impossibly high bar (IMO), but these both rise to the occasion. It takes five tracks to get to anything stripped down, and “Dublin” is a doozy. It’s spartan with more space than sound as McAloon sings about the IRA. “Diana” is about Princess Diana, and as smooth as anything else in the band’s catalog.
“Pearly Gates” closes out the record with a rumination on mortality.
There’ll be no stampede on the Pearly Gates
I’ll say ‘after you,’ you’ll say ‘I don’t mind the wait’
There’ll be no stampede on those imposing doors
Naked and afraid, cowering we crawl on all fours
There’ll be no stampede on the Pearly Gates
I’ll say ‘after you,’ you’ll say ‘I don’t mind the wait
It’s a shame that Protest Songs wasn’t released in the order in which it was recorded. Had that happened, I have to think it would’ve served as a 1-2 punch with Steve McQueen and given the band some real momentum. As it stands, this record is known mainly to fans. C’est la Vie.
Bottom Line: Protest Songs was a genuine delight, and a huge case of “what might’ve been.” President Yo La Tengo is rough around the edges, but a huge case of “preview of what’s to come.”
My vote: My bracket pick and vote will be going to YLT.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Check out the full bracket here.
Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
Kevin Sent 