Fade is the thirteenth full-length album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. It was produced by John McEntire, instead of Roger Moutenot, who had produced all their albums since 1993's Painful. It was recorded at Soma in Chicago, in the summer of 2012. It was released on January 15, 2013.[1]
| Fade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 15, 2013 | |||
| Studio | Soma | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:48 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | John McEntire | |||
| Yo La Tengo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Fade | ||||
| ||||
Release
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.8/10[2] |
| Metacritic | 82/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [8] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A−[9] |
| NME | 7/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Spin | 8/10[13] |
The "Stupid Things" EP was released on 12" and CD on September 25, 2012, prior to the album release. It contains a different version of the title song. "Ohm" was released as a limited edition triple 12" in "a printed flat in a 4-box poly shower curtain display case" in July 2013[14] On November 5 the 12" of "Super Kiwi" was released. The title song was recorded during the Fade sessions with John McEntire. On the B-side there is a cover of the Beach Boys' "A Day in the Life of a Tree".
Fade debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 chart upon its release in January 2013, with sales of 14,000 copies. It marked the band's all-time chart peak as well as the first time a Yo La Tengo record has entered the top 40.[15]
There are three different editions of the vinyl LP available: the Standard Edition, another which comes with the Fade CD included, and a "Deluxe Limited Edition" that contains a bonus 7" with two extra songs and an exclusive download track. The "Deluxe Limited Edition" 2-CD set contains a special CD called Fade Out with 14 bonus tracks and four additional downloads (the 12" version of "Stupid Things" and three mixes from "Oriole" from the "Ohm" triple 12" edition).
A DVD called Tree, animated by Jim Woodring, was released on January 14, 2014. It contains an animated short of 5:20 minutes, based on artwork from Fade. The song "Super Kiwi" is featured. The packaging comes with three soft vinyl figurines, sculpted by Tomohiro Yasui, representing the band members, and a bonus comic on the back.
Music videos
editDonick Cary (Simpsons, Letterman, Parks and Recreation) of Sugarshack Animation (Sugarshackanimation.com) directed the videos for "Ohm" and its sequel "Is That Enough" featuring Fred Willard [16] Emily Hubley directed the "Before We Run" animated video. Phil Morrison, long time Yo La Tengo collaborator and film director, did the video for "I'll Be Around", starring Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and the members of Yo La Tengo. This marks the first proper video clip from the band since "Sugarcube" (also directed by Morrison).
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Yo La Tengo
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ohm" | 6:48 |
| 2. | "Is That Enough" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Well You Better" | 2:37 |
| 4. | "Paddle Forward" | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Stupid Things" | 5:06 |
| 6. | "I'll Be Around" | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Cornelia and Jane" | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Two Trains" | 4:45 |
| 9. | "The Point of It" | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Before We Run" | 6:14 |
| Total length: | 45:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "I Saw the Light" (Todd Rundgren cover) | 2:49 |
| 12. | "Move to California" (Times New Viking) | 3:44 |
| 13. | "Oriole" (exclusive download track) | 11:05 |
| Total length: | 62:46 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ohm (Live 1)" | 6:12 |
| 2. | "Two Trains (Demo)" | 5:41 |
| 3. | "Note to Self" | 3:24 |
| 4. | "Move to California (Times New Viking)" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Is That Enough (Live at NPR Music)" | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Cornelia and Jane (Instrumental)" | 4:45 |
| 7. | "A Day in the Life of a Tree" (The Beach Boys cover) | 3:41 |
| 8. | "Super Kiwi" | 3:09 |
| 9. | "Stupid Things (EYヨ Remix)" | 5:19 |
| 10. | "I Saw the Light" (Todd Rundgren cover) | 2:49 |
| 11. | "Stupid Things (Instrumental)" | 5:05 |
| 12. | "Ohm (Live 2)" | 8:33 |
| 13. | "Oriole 5" | 11:05 |
| 14. | "La Grange" (ZZ Top cover) | 2:57 |
| 15. | "Stupid Things (12" Version)" (download track) | 5:10 |
| 16. | "Oriole (Mix 12)" (download track) | 14:35 |
| 17. | "Oriole (Mix 15)" (download track) | 14:35 |
| 18. | "Oriole (Mix 29)" (download track) | 14:38 |
| Total length: | 114:00 | |
Personnel
edit- Yo La Tengo
- Ira Kaplan - vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesizers
- Georgia Hubley - drums, guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion
- James McNew - bass, guitars, vocals
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound
- Additional musicians
- Andy Baker - trombone ("Cornelia and Jane", "Before We Run")
- Brian Drye - trombone ("Before We Run")
- Robert Fisher - viola ("Is That Enough", "Stupid Things", "Before We Run")
- Jeff Hermanson - trumpet ("Before We Run")
- Todd Matthews - violin ("Is That Enough", "Stupid Things", "Before We Run")
- Rob Mazurek - cornet ("Cornelia and Jane", "Before We Run")
- John McEntire - percussion ("Ohm") and vibes ("Two Trains")
- Michael McGinnis - baritone saxophone ("Before We Run")
- Jeff Parker - string arrangement ("Is That Enough")
- William Porter - cello ("Is That Enough", "Before We Run")
- Phyllis Sanders - violin ("Is That Enough", "Stupid Things", "Before We Run")
- Art
- Design by Mark One
- Photographs by Carlie Armstrong
References
edit- ^ Gerard (2012-11-14). "Yo La Tengo's 'Fade' LP/CD/Digital Album Coming January 15, North American Tour Starts January 23". Matador Records. Archived from the original on 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ "Fade by Yo La Tengo reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Reviews for Fade by Yo La Tengo". Metacritic. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Fade – Yo La Tengo". AllMusic. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Mincher, Chris (January 15, 2013). "Yo La Tengo: Fade". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Markovitz, Adam; Rahman, Ray; Smith, Grady; Anderson, Kyle (January 18, 2013). "Also Available". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Hann, Michael (January 10, 2013). "Yo La Tengo: Fade – review". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (January 15, 2013). "Album review: Yo La Tengo's 'Fade' is honest and catchy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (January 15, 2013). "The dB's/Yo La Tengo". MSN Music. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Gardner, Noel (January 8, 2013). "Yo La Tengo – 'Fade'". NME. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Berman, Stuart (January 14, 2013). "Yo La Tengo: Fade". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Hermes, Will (January 15, 2013). "Fade". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Harris, Keith (January 15, 2013). "Yo La Tengo, 'Fade' (Matador)". Spin. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Video: Yo la Tengo's Surreal, Animated "Ohm"". Pitchfork. 10 July 2013.
- ^ "Chart Moves: The Tenors, Yo La Tengo, Civil Wars Debut in Top 40 on Billboard 200 | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01.
- ^ "Video: Yo La Tengo: "Is That Enough", Featuring Fred Willard | News | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-10.