Live Review: Yo La Tengo - Wellington

Yo La Tengo are one of the most consistent bands of the last few decades. They have few dud releases, and their music is restless in its experimentation and eclecticism. The trio formed in 1984, and their career has shifted in all sorts of directions from the folk of Fakebook to the smog of Painful, to the instrumental score of The Sounds of the Sounds of Science, and they’ve incorporated large dollops of shoegazer, indie pop, jazz, and raw noise throughout. Their show in Wellington matched their career in that it incorporated a vast array of sounds, and their set was perfectly constructed in terms of the atmosphere. And also, like their career, it was fantastic. It’s impressive that a three-piece can sound so different – sudden shards of noise and perfectly controlled feedback jostle with gentle melodies and affecting moments of quietness. And for two hours, and two encores, their immaculate set was an exercise in perfectionism.

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