Search - Yo La Tengo :: Upside-Down EP (5 tracks)

To see all that Yo La Tengo can be in a few songs

ndjunkie | Porto Alegre, RS Brazil | 01/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is such a mix of all the faces that Yo La Tengo can have. One of their most beautiful artworks, this ep will give you (like it gave me) an amazing experience with music, for a low price. You have sweet songs like Upside-Down, some folk with the Farmer's Daughter, a little of punk with Out Of Control, a complete mass of guitars and virtuose with Sunsquashed. Yo La Tengo wonderful lyrics and one of the most criative sounds make this ep a great buy for all times."

Perfect sampler

Michael Stack | 09/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bascially agree with the other review already posted. This EP captures just about all the moods of YLT in around 30 minutes. I picked it up for the long, feedback-drenched track, "Sunsquashed". Perfect for fans or just the curious."

Fantastic companion to "May I Sing With Me"

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 10/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The teaser single for May I Sing with Me, "Upside-Down" is an essential companion to that record, presenting the album's first single and one of it's real standout cuts in two takes backed with a pair of covers and an extended improvisation.



"Upside-Down" is just one of those defining pieces for Yo la Tengo-- featuring a great, chugging sound with cutting guitars and a fantastic two part vocal-harmony on the verses that gets split on the choruses, it's infectious, the kind of song you just want to blare while rocketing down the highway. The second take, "Upside-Down (One More Time)" presents it as an acoustic piece and while it lacks some of the immediacy of the master, it's equally listenable.



The covers couldn't be more different from each other. The Beach Boys' "Farmer's Daughter", one of the early standouts from that band's catalog, gets a gentle rendition, with a lilting chug provided by clean-tone electric guitars and delicate acoustic guitar leads over which Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley sing a gentle two part harmony. Channel 3's "Out of Control" gets a reading somewhat more consistent with that band's punk background, it's presented in a quick, explosive and fierce reading, with Kaplan ranting the lead vocal out. The two couldn't be more different, but they both couldn't be better either.



The closer, a 24 minute psychedelic noise jam titled "Sunsquashed" is something to hear-- buzzing organ, rock-steady drumming and Kaplan just falling all over the place with distortion and feedback. It's one of those extended pieces that feels like it's over quick, a testament to it's greatness.



I've generally had mixed feelings on singles-- in the modern era, they've always felt like kind of a rip-off to me, but "Upside-Down" is one of those rare ones that's completely essential. Highly recommended."