Where can I start?
Seriously, I can't remember the last time I fell so hard and fast for an album. I think it'd have to be the Pixies "Surfer Rosa" which was actually around this time my freshman year. I actually remember listening to it on a discman because I didn't waste time putting it on my iPod and instead of studying for my finals, I listened to it 7 times a day for a week and I didn't do great on my finals. Luckily, I don't have any finals I have to come in for, so go me!
Well, you ever listen to the first couple of Yo La Tengo albums? Well stop, because most of it sounds like the Feelies. You ever listen to Young Marble Giants? Well, so do I. Let's hang out some time... But, this is truly a great album. It is mainly guitar driven, but who cares? There's also some craaazy percussion stuff that's happening that's just pretty cool (see the breakdown at the end of "Crazy Rhythms"). Fa Ce La is just a wonderful romp through what would be 80s college music that's now studied at Juliard and Northwestern, completely with a gibberish/French chorus, acoustic guitars, with a fast tempo and maracas. Track one (the Boy With Perpetual Nervousness) sounds like R.E.M., Loveless Love (track 3) has these great double tracked guitar solos, Forces at Work has, hands down, one of my favorite guitar sounds of all time. The rest of the album is just great.
Ira Kaplan, especially on the earlier YLT recordings, tries to much to sound like the singer, and the music sounds like how R.E.M. later would. But, still, entirely different from those bands.
There's even a Beatles cover (Everbody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey)!!!
RATING - Hands down, throw out your copy of "Ride the Tiger" and "New Wave Hot Dogs" and buy this while hanging out at a truck stop - - - - - IN BRITAIN! (fancy truck stops over the pond, mate).
KEY TRACKS - Forces at Work, Crazy Rhythms, Raised Eyebrows.
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