This Saturday, May 2, marks the 25th anniversary of Yo La Tengo‘s seventh album Electr-o-pura, and following the beautiful reissue of Painful from a few years ago, they will be putting out a deluxe remaster. The new version has been re-cut from the original master tape and will be pressed on double LP in a new gatefold sleeve. You can pre-order that delightful package right here.
May 2 1995 also happens to be the day that Yo La Tengo’s Matador labelmate Lucy Dacus was born. Although she wasn’t introduced to the band’s music until her mid-teens, she soon became an avid listener and fan. To mark the announcement of the 25th anniversary reissue, Dacus has penned an essay about her experiences with Electr-o-pura, and what it means to her, as well as sharing a cover of her favourite song, “Tom Courtenay”. In her essay she says:
“What kept me coming back to Yo La Tengo was their understanding of moods. I listened to bands that knew anger, bands that knew sadness, but I didn’t know of any other bands that could express a full life’s range of moods the way they can. From song to song, the music was anxious, celebratory, sorrowful, content, confused, etc. And even when they got loud or dissonant, it never felt hostile. The sounds could be harsh, even ugly, but they were joyful. Some songs could make me cry, but they were gentle, not malevolent. I was taking on someone else’s tastes, and in the process, discovering my own.“
You can read Dacus’ full essay over here on the Matador site. Below you can watch her acoustic cover of “Tom Courtenay”, about which she says “Tom Courtenay was the first Yo La Tengo song I learned on guitar. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew who Julie Christie was … It was like any good poem, leaving space for me, between images.“
The 25th anniversary edition of Electr-o-pura is the third in Matador’s Revisionist History series, following 25th anniversary editions of Guided By Voices’ Alien Lanes and Pavement’s Wowee Zowee. You can get more info about all of these over here.
