In many ways Yo La Tengo is the quintessential ‘90s indie rock band. Formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984 around the core duo of husband and wife Ira Kaplan (guitar, vocals) and Georgia Hubley (drums, vocals), Yo La Tengo, known for their cover songs just as much as for their original music, has long been a critics' darling.More
In many ways Yo La Tengo is the quintessential ‘90s indie rock band. Formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984 around the core duo of husband and wife Ira Kaplan (guitar, vocals) and Georgia Hubley (drums, vocals), Yo La Tengo, known for their cover songs just as much as for their original music, has long been a critics' darling.
Yo La Tengo released their debut full-length, Ride The Tiger in 1986. The band went through a number of lineup changes during its early years, settling into the trio of Kaplan, Hubley, and James McNew (bass) in 1991. Their fifth album, 1992’s May I Sing With Me, is arguably the start of prime era Yo La Tengo. Featuring the current lineup and the best songs the group had written to date, the album quickly got the attention of Matador Records.
Their next release, Painful (Matador, 1993), has been described by Kaplan as the album where Yo La Tengo really starts. Followed by Electr-O-Pura in 1995 and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One in 1997, the band continued their long relationship with Matador Records and producer Roger Moutenot. In 2005, Matador released a career-spanning retrospective called Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985-2003. Yo La Tengo released their 12th studio album, Popular Songs (Matador), in September 2009.
The band has played with influences such as Ray Davies, Jad Fair, Robyn Hitchcock, Neil Innes, Yoko Ono, and members of the Sun Ra Arkestra. They have also been regulars on WFMU Radio's yearly fundraiser, showing an incredible depth of musical knowledge by playing any and all requests. They have also scored music for films and television, including Junebug, Shortbus, Game 6, The Sounds of the Sounds of Science, an episode of The Simpsons, and Gilmore Girls.
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