Yo La Tengo's 'sun' burns brightly

Yo La Tengo's biggest weakness is that its members are the smartest people to walk into any room. No three people are bigger rock geeks than Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew. Kaplan even used to be a rock critic.\nNot that they are pretentious or arrogant, they just have inhaled so much rock that sometimes their albums revert to formalized renderings. Take 1997's I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, in which they had the 15-minute Velvet Underground-style guitar jam, the bossanova, the organ-drenched classic single ("Autumn Sweater"), McNew's Neil Young tribute, some weird jazz and even an obscure Beach Boys cover.\nWhen I saw them live at the South by Southwest Music Conference last month, they not only previewed several tracks off their new album Summer Sun but also did covers of the Beatles' "Birthday," Donna Summer's "Last Dance" and Sun Ra's "Nuclear War." For them it was all in a rock geek's day's work.\nThey have always been impressive with their knowledge, but they had been hit and miss in their efforts at making a stylistically cohesive album. Their influences lead them toward introspective pop with jazz and Krautrock flourishes one minute and Kaplan indulging a guitar freakout the next.\nWith Summer Sun, Yo La Tengo has come as close as it has since 1995's Electr-O-Pura at a disciplined sound and vision. It achieves great oneness in its sound, the sound of a unit that's been together for a while. The rhythms don't lurch, and Hubley as a drummer will never be confused for Moe Tucker. She's more likely to be confused for Meg White. But don't be deceived. This band has an advanced sense of rhythm, and its ability to work the groove is its most underrated skill. You won't even notice your toe tapping on songs like "Nothing But You and Me" and "Moonrock Mambo," but it will. Plus, Hubley has one of the prettiest voices in rock, solitary and gossamery. With her breathy delivery and her worldly instincts, you can't help but feel better after listening better. Each song she sings has the best aspects of a sweet lullaby.\nThe rhythm supports Morse code keyboards and a delicate droning guitar, both contributing to the peaceful, quiet vibe. "Beach Party Tonight" isn't the theme for MTV's Spring Break but the song you're playing with your significant other at night when the two of you are alone, a bonfire built in the sand. "Let's Be Still," "Little Eyes" and a cover of Big Star's "Take Care" speak for themselves, an effort at not inner peace but outer peace.\nAs a result, this is going to fall short for anybody who needs to listen to a chest-beating, hair-raising rock album. For that I might suggest 1992's May I Sing With Me, a sloppy feedback-fest, or the single "Tom Courtenay" from Electr-O-Pura, a semi-kitschy, melodic pop tune with a swirling, string-bending guitar solo from Kaplan.\nNow Yo La Tengo is about quiet, soothing spaces. The band practices self-denial, and makes records that hold up. Kaplan and crew are older but not old, wiser but not over the hill.