Beat Your Ass and Your Mind Will Follow

This may be old news – hey, I was away – but the folks at Matador have released another preview track from the upcoming Yo La Tengo album, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, which is now only a month or so away from release. The leadoff track on the album, it has an inscrutable title and a 10-minute runtime, which is far from unheard of for this band, and musically it’s not exactly a wild departure for them either, but I like it just fine. I never get burned out on Ira’s guitar snakecharming, and I could listen to that Can groove of the drums and the bass riff all night long.

In fact, the overall album is easily my fave of Yo La Tengo’s since I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, and it might yet surpass that. Like Heart, Ass is wildly eclectic – a bit of soul, country, folk, some straightahead rawk & roll, and so far my fave track of all is a long slow piano instrumental – but so far the songs seem stronger, more captivating.

Interestingly, the advance version I, ah, stumbled upon seems to fade all of the songs about one minute prematurely, which I guess is Matador’s strategy to discourage file-sharing. I’d be lining up to buy the official release regardless, so I’m cool, but I have to wonder if they’re sending out these truncated advances & expecting them to function as review copies, which would seem kind of weird. Certainly I don’t feel like I’ve “truly” heard the album yet….

• Yo La Tengo, “Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind”

(Preorder Ass here.)