YO LA TENGO
Nuclear War
Matador
· Funky Armageddon (in 4 variations)!
As a taster for their upcoming full-length (due early this year), indie-rock's patron saints Yo La Tengo take an inspired stab at one of the late, great Sun Ra's most infamous tunes. You can classify it any way you want to in the wake of 9/11 and Li’l George W.'s latest adventures in the Middle East, but it’s political, and it's got a funky beat you can dance to, so if the bombs are coming down then I'd rather just deal with it and jive than stress out trying to figure out where we went wrong.
Whether it's the sheer joy with which the Hoboken Three corral a kiddie choir into yelling "motherfucker" for eight straight minutes, or the undeniable rush in hearing Georgia Hubley exclaim, "When they push that button/ Yo' ass got to go," Yo La Tengo’s Nuclear War is exuberantly satisfying. Sure, the tacked on "Mike Ladd Remix" is a bit redundant (particularly after the 15-minute workout of "Version 3," featuring Sabir Malteen, Roy Campbell Jr. and Daniel Carter on various saxophones), but any tune that stays interesting for more than half an hour is one for the ages.
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