Night Beds
The Howling Hex
Yo La Tengo
Country Sleep
The Best of the Howling Hex
Fade
DEAD OCEANS
MATADOR
DRAG CITY
Considering this project’s name, the album’s title and the calming effect of many of the delicate songs on this fulllength debut by Nashville’s Winston Yellen, the temptation is to describe it as a collection of unthreatening altrock lullabies. But Yellen is up to something more complex: His compositions balance elements of sorrow, loss and desperation with the comfort of companionship and emotional repair. He delivers them in a lovely, well-tempered high tenor not unlike that of Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold or Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The beautiful single “Ramona” combines Yellen’s delicate voice, a gauzy melody of piano and guitar and a driving beat atypical of the rest of the album. “Borrowed Time” is a restrained, introspective country-rock stroll, complete with touches of steel guitar and the barest hint of a two-step rhythm. Framed by gentle strings and harp, “Even If We Try” emphasizes the delicacy of Yellen’s quest for healing. Often, like a good magician, Yellen leaves his audience wanting more. Such tunes as “Faithful Heights” and “Was I For You?” (both less than two minutes long) draw you in immediately, but they feel like sketches that could’ve been fleshed out more. “Wanted You in August,” which contains maybe the album’s most gorgeous combination of instrumentation and voice, clocks in at well less than three minutes. Gene Armstrong Night Beds performs Monday, Feb. 18, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Mellow Bellow and Best Dog Award open the 18-and-older show at 7 p.m. $10; 622-8848 or hotelcongress.com/club.
Twelve years after their demise, Neil Michael Hagerty has now spent just about as much time on his own as he spent in Royal Trux with his former partner Jennifer Herrema (currently fronting Black Bananas, formerly known as RTX). It’s fairly safe to say that while Herrema inherited the trashy rock, style and swagger from her old band’s pantheon, Hagerty got the risk-taking and experimental sensibilities (not to mention his guitar chops). Sometimes, challenging albums are well worth a few listens. Other times not so much. Best of, Hagerty’s 11th album fronting the Howling Hex (not including three initial solo albums) is unfortunately titled: It’s neither a retrospective (these are new songs), nor is it remotely the best work that Hagerty has released under the Hex moniker. Picking up where 2011’s Wilson Semiconductors left off, Hagerty is still mining his self-proclaimed “border sound,” which in recent years has meant repetitive polka/ waltz tempos on drums, bass and organ, along with Hagerty’s recognizable guitar wailing and inimitable voice. Unfortunately, the entirety of Best of is a repetitive and redundant listen. While tracks such as opener “Built a Friend” and “The General Prologue” feature a tight and compressed guitar skronk not unlike that found on Royal Trux’s catchy nod to the ’80s, 1998’s Accelerator (recently reissued by Drag City), the polka/waltz structure is too dominant and limiting. Historically, Hagerty has shown that he has the tools to construct interesting, if challenging, rock music. Here’s hoping he digs deeper into the shed next time around. Brian Mock
Yo La Tengo’s endurance undoubtedly earns them the euphemistic label of “veterans.” The problem with Fade, however, is that it truly is an album only a veteran (i.e., old) group could release: accomplished, smart, unfussy and assured. Guided by no concessions and no attempts at misguided reinvention, Fade is often excellent. Opener “Ohm” is a sprawling track that envelops a sinister organ drone in a tranquil but cacophonous pileup of fuzzy guitars and shaking percussion. Bacharachian strings infuse the low-fever buzz of “Is That Enough,” while closer “Before We Run” is a slow-burner dotted by militant, symphonic brass and swooping strings. Replacing longtime producer Roger Moutenot with John McEntire of Tortoise fame has spawned much discussion, and Fade certainly is a sumptuous album best heard through headphones. There are no weak tracks here as, again, the group is too “seasoned” for that, but “Well You Better,” a midtempo number with quirky squiggles of texture, is slight and forgettable. Fade, befitting late-era reflection, is a decidedly serene affair that at times feels like a confluence of shoegaze and country. “Cornelia and Jane,” with its moaning slide guitar washing over Georgia Hubley’s distant vocals, is beautifully wistful. Elsewhere, the ragged “Paddle Forward” and the noodling, radiant “Stupid Things” are YLT at their most recognizable and glorious. Yo La Tengo is one of the rare acts whose lengthy tenure has not, when it comes to proper releases, resulted in anything regrettable, with Fade continuing the trend. Michael Petitti
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