I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (CD - 1997)

Additional personnel: Al Perkins (lap steel & pedal steel guitars); Jonathan Marx (trumpet).

Recorded at House Of David, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Al Perkins (lap steel guitar); Jonathan Marx (trumpet).

Audio Mixer: Roger Moutenot.

Recording information: House Of David, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Steve Thornton.

Functioning as a virtual catalog of mid-'90s indie rock trends, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One is an astonishing tour de force from Yo La Tengo, establishing their deep talents as songwriters and musicians. Although the album may run a little long for some tastes, there are very few throwaways on the record -- even the shoegazer cover of the Beach Boys' "Little Honda" is a revelatory gem. But what truly impresses is the way the songs, ranging from hypnotically droning instrumentals to tightly written and catchy pop songs, hold together to form what is arguably Yo La Tengo's finest and most coherent album to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Yo La Tengo began life as one among hundreds of Velvet Underground-inspired bands, banging out dark, skittish tunes that displayed YLT guitarist/vocalist Ira Kaplan's affection for Uncle Lou as well as Yo La Tengo's commitment to creating a gently subversive groove. Over the years, the band, which also features Kaplan's wife Georgia Hubley on drums and vocals, has gone through more identity changes than David Bowie, from acoustic folk-rock to wailing, Sonic Youth-like guitarchitecture.

On this album, the band consolidates their sound as they expand it, incorporating bossa nova, electronica and '60s pop into a gorgeous shimmering whole that is something more than the sum of its parts. The laconic-but-expressive vocals of Kaplan and Hubley provide the songs with just the right combination of detachment and naivete, and the trio (which also includes bassist James McNew) sounds like one person with six arms, three brains and one big heart. And don't worry; "We're An American Band" isn't the old Grand Funk Railroad song. minimize