Yo La Tengo May I Sing With Me CD

With this 1992 release, Yo La Tengo took a bit of a leap forward. Production-wise, the sound is fuller and more reflective of the passion and fury of their intense live performances than ever before. Additionally, the core group solidified with the addition of bassist James McNew, who has remained with the group ever since. Despite these changes, the group still tends to operate in about three gears: the gentle, the harsh and the hypnotic.

The record begins with drummer Hubley's "Detouring America With Horns"--featuring lovely guitar strumming and campfire harmonies--and ends with the similarly low-key "Satellite," a haunting number that showcases Hubley's clear, vibrato-less vocals. Guitarist-songwriter Kaplan seizes control on manic rockers like "Mushroom Cloud of Hiss," "Some Kinda Fatigue," and the super-intense "Out the Window," songs on which he seems to be throttling unearthly sounds out of his guitar. The group's propensity for the lugubrious, narcotic jam is evidenced on aptly titled songs like "Five-Cornered Drone" and the nearly 10-minute foray into feedback heaven, "Sleeping Pill." On "Always Something," Hubley and Kaplan's gauzy vocals float atop a simple yet insistent guitar figure to create a song of fragile, ethereal beauty.

Recorded at Fort Apache, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Personnel: Ira Kaplan (vocals, guitar); Georgia Hubley (vocals, drums); James McNew (vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Siket.

Recording information: Fort Apache, Cambridge, MA; Water Music, Hoboken, NJ.

Photographer: John Halpern.

Yo La Tengo: James McNew (vocals, guitar, bass); Georgia Hubley (vocals, guitar, drums); Ira Kaplan (vocals, guitar).

Additional personnel: Gene Holder (bass).

Rolling Stone (5/92, p.81) - Highly Recommended - "...Yo La Tengo redefines guitar skronk while recapturing the crispness of country-rock songwriting and reinventing rock`n'roll ambience..."