Yo La Tengo – Fakebook LP

2014 reissue of the 1990 original on 180-gram vinyl. “Fakebook” is unlike any other Yo La Tengo venture, and this is both a good and a bad thing. It is a good thing, because it’s a cover album of songs that don’t get old after a hundred replays. It is bad because it isn’t the best indicator of Yo La Tengo’s songwriting abilities-seeing as how it is entirely cover songs. These songs, idiosyncratic pieces by Peter Stampfel, Daniel Johnston, Jad Fair, and others, are warm and sweet, and this rendition of them tugs especially hard on those heartstrings. It’s virtually impossible to imagine listening to this record and not smilingly singing along. And if that isn’t enough reason to get it, there’s the bonus of a smooth version of the Flamin’ Groovies’ “You Tore Me Down.” Give it a listen now!