Daily Jam - Today Is the Day (Rock Version)

Do you have any of those artists that you feel you need to spend more time with?  I do.  One of them is Yo La Tengo.  So let's listen to some Yo La Tengo.  Here they are with "Today Is the Day (Rock Version)" from their 2003 "Today Is the Day!" EP.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Yo La Tengo

Yeah, the world continues to fall apart, but at least Yo La Tengo keep making music.  That's one thing we've got.  Listen to "Fallout" below and pre-order the upcoming "This Stupid World" LP here from Matador, out in February.

Daily Jam - Nowhere Near

Working from home.  Kids are off today.  Calamity ensues.  It's a good time for some Yo La Tengo.  Here's "Nowhere Near," our Daily Jam.

Yo La Tengo

Back in April, which seems like so very, very long ago, the indie rock stalwarts of Yo La Tengo recorded an improvisational session of ambient, droney, pysch-tinged explorations.  In the past, they've used these kinds of sessions to work out new songs, and that could still happen here, but they decided to just release it all anyway.  Listen to "We Have Amnesia Sometimes" below in its entirety below and order the LP here from Matador.

That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?

So, yesterday after hearing the news that Prince had passed away, i wanted to post some kind of tribute to the Purple One.  Due to the protective nature the man had over his art, it's kind of hard to find songs to post, and everyone already seemed to have the big, legendary live stuff covered anyway (Superbowl/George Harrison tribute/Coachella "Creep" cover/etc).  And so today i give you Dump.

Dump was (is?) the project of Yo La Tengo member James McNew, a moniker used for releasing home recorded 4-track demos and other stuff.  Way, way back in 1998, Dump put out a mini-album of Prince covers called "That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?" that was later reissued three years later with additional tracks.  These fuzzy takes on Prince classics are absolutely fantastic, and a perfect representation of how his funky, revolutionary style and art managed to work its fingers and notes into every single nook and cranny of music and pop culture.

The CD is long out of print, and at last check this morning was going for almost $300 on Amazon.  But you can hear all the songs over on Youtube.  Check out "Raspberry Beret" and "When U Were Mine" below and have a purple day.

Eluvium & Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo)

Eluvium's new album "Nightmare Ending" is due out in a couple of weeks from Temporary Residence Ltd.  Check out the melancholy, downtrodden, piano-led track "Happiness," featuring Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on vocals.  This one should put you right to sleep.

Yo La Tengo

It is necessary and proper to give credit to the old guard every now and then...especially when those old guard members are Hoboken legends Yo La Tengo and new album "Fade."  Picking up where they leave off on each consecutive album, the band continues their journey into the fuzzed out nether regions of rock and roll.  Listen to crunchy, slow burning album opener "Ohm" below and go get the album from Matador.  Go, go, go!