Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun (2003)

(As published in the Times of Acadiana ... )

Yo La Tengo
Summer Sun
(Matador)

Don’t be fooled by the lyrics’ obsession with instant gratification (“I don’t care what’s wrong or right if you’re not there by my side” ... “I want to make you feel O.K. right now”): This autumnal alternative pop is actually the result of a long process of fermentation—specifically, of patiently allowing Big Star’s Sister Lovers to settle and expand in one’s heart and soul for almost thirty years. The giveaway is not only the disc-closing cover of “Take Care” but also the music’s overall tone and flow. Sister Lovers lovers will like it almost as much as Alex Chilton admirers love the Replacements’ “Alex Chilton.” Rating: Three-and-a-half children by the million out of five.