NEWS: Yo la Tengo Will Beat Your Ass

MUSIC: Yo la Tengo Will Beat Your Ass

Yippee-kay-yay, the new Yo la Tengo, I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, is coming in September and YLT’s label, Matador, is already offering a free listen of "Beanbag Chair."

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since the masterpiece I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and 20 years since first album Ride the Tiger.

Yo la Tengo --who inspired one of the most emailed Onion articles of all time-- just played a set at Barcelona’s stylish Primavera Festival along with Dinosaur Jr., Lou Reed, the Violent Femmes, Animal Collective, Killing Joke, Motorhead, Sleater-Kinney, Stereolab, Gang Gang Dance, the Constantines, the Boredoms, Deerhoof, Big Star, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Flaming Lips, Mogwai and more. Damn! Anyone for Gaudí and tapas?

They have a handful of summer dates scheduled, including July 30 at Hullabalooza-- I mean the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chi-town.

One month earlier, YLT shares the bill at Love's Arthur Lee leukemia benefit with New York Dolls’ David Johansen, Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ryan Adams and Robert Plant, who apparently asked "Is it OK if I do any Led Zeppelin songs?"

Sure, we'll allow that Golden God, but does that mean no "Big Log," "In the Mood" or selections from Now and Zen?

Woot! I love them so much. They give us regular dorks and slobs hope that we can all be in a cool band without having to look or act like hipster dickheads.

[Edited on Jun 03, 2006 12:13PM]

I just gave the track a listen. It's good stuff. This band has been consistently good with each passing year and I can't wait for some new tunes from them to spark up my headphones.

Bump.

It's still not available on itunes except as a pre-order, but here is a link to a Real Player version for "Pass the Hatchet I Think I'm Goodkind" from the latest All Songs Considered. OMG, feedback heaven -

If that doesn't work, here's the link to the All Songs Considered show that has the YLT tune (and Sparklehorse! and a kick-ass Jerry Lee Lewis version of Rock and Roll.)

I love that title.

I love YLT to pieces, but if there's a band I'm not particuarly worried about beating my ass, it's them.

Oh man, Yo La Tengo probably could beat my ass. What an emo tragedy THAT would be.

YLT's ill humor is legendary. I would be quite afraid of Ira and maybe even Georgia in the right context.

Guess that Arthur Lee benefit was a little late.

I totally want that "Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics" CD from their site, which features the best (best?) of their attempts to cover songs requested by people making pledges to WFMU.