The year 2000 saw several albums that pointed to the future. On »Kid A«, Radiohead explored technological coldness with Godspeed You! Black Emperor invoked the apocalypse with »Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!«, The Avalanches created a manically optimistic sound collage with »Since I Left You«, Erykah Badu and D’Angelo took neo-soul to new heights and Outkast, well, let’s not even go there. All of these artists made music history and defined the year 2000. Yo La Tengo did not. Or at least not very much. And that’s why their album from that era is all the more worthwhile.
»And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out« was already the band’s ninth album. Yo La Tengo were (and still are) the darlings of music critics and record store owners. Up to that point they had been playing a sound that mixed indie, noise rock and dream pop, becoming more diverse and open over the years. Comparisons to Sonic Youth and Pavement still hold true today. But Yo La Tengo always seemed tamer, tidier and less agitated. With »And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out« they extended this sound by turning it inwards.
The dreamy atmosphere of songs like »Our Way To Fall« and »Saturday« is created with just a few sonic touches – a guitar here, an organ there, plus a Casio drum machine. Georgia Hubley’s and Ira Kaplan’s vocals practically sink into it, drifting between gentle drones and quirky melodies. It’s all so subtle that it’s almost imperceptible. If you don’t listen carefully, this album could pass you by. But there’s also almost carefree pop on »You Can Have It All« and powerful noise rock on »Cherry Chapstick«. But these tracks hardly stand out in the context of the album.
Timeless indie rock – but seated
»The concerts we’ll be playing will be much quieter«, Ira Kaplan announced at the time. »We know the songs are demanding and the energy of a packed rock club is not the energy of this album.« Accordingly, many of the concerts on the tour had seats. It was about as far from cool indie rock as you could get. But Yo La Tengo never cared about such things.
»And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out« can be understood as an antithesis. It’s not even an attitude of rejection. It’s just a band doing its own thing: »I want summer’s sad songs behind me, I want to laugh a minute, without fail, I wanna be Paul le Mat in 1980, looking to forget tomorrow, looking every day.«. The album opens with these lines, and the lyrics underline this mood. Everything is withdrawn, melancholic and distant. An album could hardly begin more in slow motion. The cover features a photograph by American artist Gregory Crewdson, an unreal staging of twilight and artificial light. Fleeting moments that can hardly be captured.
»I want summer’s sad songs behind me, I want a laugh a minute, without fail, I wanna be Paul le Mat in 1980, looking to forget tomorrow, looking every day.«
»Yo La Tengo have finally reached the upper echelons of society: Yuppies!« Pitchfork proclaimed this on the release of »And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out«. Founder and music journalist Ryan Schreiber could only speculate as to the reasons, but he concluded: Yo La Tengo are hip now. Which was only partly true. Yo La Tengo remained the unassuming, likeable band with quirky concerts and unpredictable albums. After »And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out« came the idiosyncratic beach album »Summer Sun« and the no less contemporary masterpiece »I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass«.
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»And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out« doesn’t sound like it was recorded 25 years ago. It’s not in the 20th or 21st century. Instead, the sound of Yo La Tengo on this album is simply timeless. An introverted record in an extroverted time. And that’s exactly why it’s still so incredibly brilliant and brilliantly incredible today.
