I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

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.