| Yo La Tengo released a mostly-covers album called Fakebook in 1990. By 
        1998, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley had worked out a few more, so they 
        decided to record an EP that acts as a sort of supplement to Fakebook. 
        The CD single for the Beach Boys cover "Little Honda" features 
        six additional covers that are, yes, for lack of a better term, quirky. 
        Most amusing is the breezy, carefree slant placed on William DeVaughn's 
        soul jam "Be Thankful for What You've Got." Hearing Ira and 
        Georgia sing "diggin' the scene with a gangster lean" is truly 
        classic. There's an obligatory obscure Kinks cover ("No Return"), 
        but a less-obligatory, entirely obscure cover of Sandy Denny's "By 
        the Time It Gets Dark." Add in a Gram Parsons tune and a drunken 
        live sing-along of Queen's "We Are the Champions" and you've 
        got an oddly-rewarding mini-album that invites further inquiry into the 
        covered artists' catalogs. Even more remarkable is the way Yo La Tengo 
        make such a wide variety of influences come together so seamlessly.  (by Scott Sepich, All 
        Music Guide) |