Yo La Tengo's New Song + Vinyl Dolls + DVD Set
Yo colorful dolls!
The members of Yo La Tengo want to show us their psychedelic and funny side with the deluxe version of their last (and very good) album ‘Fade’, out November 19th via Matador. First of all, it will include ‘Super Kiwi’, an upbeat song that didn’t make the cut for the album.
‘Super Kiwi’, which will also be released on 7” with a Beach Boys’ cover ‘A Day in the Life of a Tree’ as the B-side, is a fuzzy busy number, with a droning sound layered with some metallic throbbing noise and dreamy-buried vocals,… a sort of upbeat pop-krautrock song peppered by some discordances here and there. The artwork is pretty funny, a double dose of kiwi if you want, but fun doesn’t stop there! Yo La Tengo dolls, designed by Jim Woodring, are also almost there as announced by Matador:
‘Experience the magical collaboration of Yo La Tengo and Jim Woodring. The three band members, Ira, Georgia and James come to life as 3 original characters in the land of “the Tree!”
Present/past/future, the real/unreal, visible/invisible, sadness/joy……”the Tree” will grow, enveloping all. And the ecstatic creatures that inhabit “the Tree” are the 3 beings blessed by the god of music. The curtain has been raised for Woodring’s mysterious and psychedelic dream land. But the story has just begun……
This product is a set of DVD and 3 soft-vinyl dolls. The DVD contains an original animation (5:20 minutes) of a mind-blowing colorful dream world that centers on “the Tree” and the 3 whimsical characters. It is made by a Japanese production company that specialize in hand-drawn animation: drop. And of course, All NEW music by Yo La Tengo! The 3 colorful soft-vinyl dolls were sculpted by Japanese master sculptor: Tomohiro Yasui. Beautiful packaging design by Jim Woodring with a bonus comic on the back.’
Honestly, I have a hard time recognizing Ira, Georgia and James, but if you’re familiar with Woodring’s work you shouldn’t be surprised. The short animation coming with the dolls, curiously doesn’t feature any music and I am just wondering why on earth someone would want to buy these crazy creatures, but to each his/her own! I will settle for Yo La Tengo’s awesome psych-krautrocky inventive music.
