Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo **

LIQUID ROOM, EDINBURGH

NEW Jersey trio Yo La Tengo are the archetypal cult band - revered, left-field, influential, prolific, resolutely unfamous. For two hours they bewitched their partisan fans with a minimum of effort. Singer Ira Kaplan murmured soothingly, his wife Georgia Hubley and cuddly bass player James McNew provided the hypnotic rhythms over which Kaplan layered beatific piano parts or tastefully sculpted guitar.

Their obvious touch stone was the trippy pop side of the Velvet Underground. It was all very pretty and meticulously executed, but after almost an hour of psychedelic lullabies, the fairly funky instrumental Georgia Vs Yo La Tengo provided the only hint of character.

It was high time for a smattering of rock action. But you should be careful what you wish for, because when Kaplan did resort to guitar distortion, it was charmless and indulgent, but still applauded like the drum solo at a heavy metal concert. If they weren’t such nice people,Yo La Tengo could have got away with murder.