‘Songs’ shows Yo La Tengo can still pop

The most remarkable thing about Yo La Tengo might be the band’s sheer consistency.
After 25 years and a dozen albums, they continue to crank out carefully crafted, abundantly creative tunes.

Their latest album, “Popular Songs,” shows no sign that they’re slowing down.

Well, that is, it shows no sign that they’re slowing down – artistically speaking, that is.

A certain mellow contentedness permeates “Popular Songs,” making it generally one of their sunnier and more laid-back albums, particularly in comparison to 2006’s “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass” – not that that album was anything close to angry, despite its title.

Starting from a grand, orchestral opening in “Here To Fall,” “Popular Songs” offers a mix of the serene “Avalon Or Someone Very Similar”, the joyous “Nothing To Hide” and even the funky “Periodically Double or Triple”.

It does drag a little in its quieter moments, particularly in “By Two’s” and “The Fireside,” but “Popular Songs” provides no doubt that Yo La Tengo still has it.