The Beach Boys album Yo La Tengo call “harmonically advanced”
The music of The Beach Boys contained an unexplainable magic that few artists have been able to emulate since. Between their sunny, southern Californian optimism and their progressive-pop magnum opus, Pet Sounds, they secured a reputation as one of the most successful, influential and well-loved bands of all time.
Though they were born out of New Jersey rather than the Californian coast, Yo La Tengo have managed to channel some of that same magical quality into their criminally underrated discography. Their fuzzy indie rock soundscapes are often more melancholic than the Beach Boys’ biggest hits, more reminiscent of autumn than summer, but the innovative warmth of Brian Wilson’s sound can still be felt.
Like most musicians, Yo La Tengo harbor a love for the Beach Boys. In a previous interview with Far Out, bassist and vocalist James McNew picked out the Beach Boys’ 1968 record, Friends, while sharing nine of his favourite albums. Friends received poor initial sales and though it has come to find an audience with devoted Beach Boys fans, it never received the same critical acclaim as their pioneering pop effort Pet Sounds.
Though Pet Sounds had a similarly mixed opening reception, it has come to be accepted as one of the most important and innovative records of all time. Still, McNew maintains that Friends contained elements that improved upon Pet Sounds. He explained: “Carl [Wilson] steps up and knocks it out of the park. Even more harmonically advanced than Pet Sounds despite feeling lighter than air (the deceptively deep ‘Little Bird’, for example).”
By the end of the 1960s, The Beach Boys’ leader Brian Wilson was struggling with drug abuse and mental health, meaning Friends was recorded in his home studio. Still, somehow, McNew noted, “The Beach Boys made this (brief) album of utter beauty despite their tough times”.
Yo La Tengo have previously paid tribute to the influence and innovation of the Beach Boys through their music. They covered ‘Little Honda’ on their 1997 record, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. The lyrics are slightly amended to, “I may not always love you, but sure as there are stars above you, you’ll never need to doubt it, I’ll tell the world about it, God only knows, yeah, God only knows, God only knows, give it up for God”.
Almost a decade later, on their cover album Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics, they put out another ode to the Californian band with a cover of ‘Little Honda’ from the 1964 album All Summer Long. The song formed a medley which also sampled Sonic Youth’s ‘Schizophrenia’ and The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’, amongst other tracks.
Like many modern musicians, from Talking Heads to Stevie Nicks, Yo La Tengo are indebted to the innovation of the Beach Boys. Their presence can be felt throughout the warmth and familiarity of their music, a sonic comfort few other artists have been able to create.
