Musician Monday: Yo La Tengo

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I posted on here because of Memorial Day and work being more of a full-time job than a part-time one. As it appears that my schedule won't be relenting any time soon, my posts during the summer might be more infrequent. Do not fret! I will post as much as I have the energy to write, so posts will keep coming. Anyway, on to today's musician. Today I'd like to bring to light a slightly older band, having started in the mid 80s. They've had a long and relatively successful career for the last couple decades, and they produced new content as recent as 5 or 6 years ago. Unfortunately for them, they did not receive as much recognition as they deserve, so that's why I'm talking about them today. I am talking about Yo La Tengo.

Spanish for "I have it!", Yo La Tengo is an indie rock trio out of the best state in the US (Jersey obviously) that brings a laid back approach to the very broad indie genre. Their songs are calm and relaxed; I used them to survive my first round of finals because they kept me calm when all hope seemed lost. Every track evokes the classic feel-good emotions that allow the listener to just sit and enjoy the tunes. The members are quite versatile musically as well. Each member contributes to the vocals as well as plays at least two instruments while performing as Yo La Tengo. This allows them to effectively customize each song to have the optimal instrumentation. As stated before, Yo La Tengo never made it to the mainstream despite decades of quality music. Despite this fact, they still enjoy many fans that still support their talents. Here are my picks for this week:

Autumn Sweater (5:18)

Autumn Sweater was the very first song that I heard by Yo La Tengo. It came on while I was listening to Air radio on Pandora (I now am personally against Pandora, more on that later) and I absolutely loved how awesome I felt while listening. The organ mixes well with the awesome drumming and simple vocals to create a true masterpiece.

Leaving Home (2:47)

This instrumental piece is the pinnacle of chill music. It isn't busy and it features a soft, warm guitar lead. The general volume of the piece is quiet and it's got a wandering, dreamy tempo. To me, this is the ideal song to listen to to help you fall asleep. It's quite relaxing.

I'll Be Around (4:47)

This is my favorite Yo La Tengo song by far. It also is the sole reason I didn't blow my brains out while trying to study for both of my Physics finals this year. The full, yet calm background cradles the short verses of lyrics. While brief, these lyrics hold a lot of power in them. To me, this song is saying to the audience, I will always be there for you. Don't worry about your troubles in life, because I will be there for you. I strongly advise you to put everything down for a few minutes, clear your mind, and listen to this track in full. You won't regret it.

What do you think of Yo La Tengo? What other awesome bands don't get the recognition they deserve? Let me know you opinions in the comments, and have a relaxed week.