And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

Ten albums in and not too much has changed in the musical world of Yo La Tengo. The central husband and wife team of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Huble still work within the placid parameters of the Velvets' eponymous third album and while this is certainly no bad thing in itself, after such a lengthy innings it's disappointing that YLT seem content to coast on soothing strums rather than invest their work with more personality.

And Then Nothing is an undeniably pleasant and listenable way to pass an hour - but too often the songs drift past without leaving any impression whatsoever. Occasionally a softly sung phrase peeps out from behind the discreet curtain of minor chords to catch the attention briefly (I'm particularly fond of "I laughed as you waddled in your platform shoes" from 'The Last Days Of Disco') yet the most memorable vocal hook comes courtesy of the "Out of tune!" refrain from the single 'Saturday', along with the Mary Chain-esque 'Cherry Chapstick', one of the rare occasions when YLT turn up the volume and pick up the pace.

There's nothing remotely dislikeable about And Then Nothing - any band who can call a song 'Let's Save Tony Orlando's House' certainly have something going for them - it's just that after more than a decade of making records you'd wonder whether 'nice songs played by nice people' is sufficient justification for carrying on.