Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
By (Author) Elliott Simpson
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
6th March 2025
United States
General
Non Fiction
Music reviews and criticism
782.42164092
Paperback
128
Width 121mm, Height 165mm
Hailed as a quiet masterpieceupon release, Yo La Tengos And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out proposed a radical new future for rock music. Released at a time when the music industry was changing dramatically thanks to the rise of online file sharing, it suggested that the only way for a band to survive was to listen to themselves. A delicate and hushed album, its songs explore the quiet battles that take place every day and the beauty that can emerge from the ordinary. In many ways, this is reflective of the story of the band that made it self-managed for most of their career and having maintained the same line-up since 1992, Yo La Tengo almost resemble a suburbs-based nuclear family. And Then Nothing argues that great art does not come from suffering, but instead, steady, unglamorous work. It is an album that helped forge a new mythology for rock and roll: one not built on sex, drugs and debauchery, but instead the quiet lives of people living in peaceful suburban homes. From the nothingness of the everyday, something incredible can emerge.
Elliott Simpson is a Bristol-based writer. Elliott has written for publications including Louder Than War, Tap the Feed and Bristol in Stereo, producing reviews of concerts, albums, and festivals and carrying out artist interviews.