SLCene Suggests: Yo La Tengo at The State Room

YO LA TENGO, THE STATE ROOM, Monday, May 20, 8 p.m., $25

Considering that dreamy indie-rock trio Yo La Tengo literally went about two decades between Utah gigs, fans in Zion have had it pretty good of late. Since taking that extended pause from our fair state between a late ’80s gig at the Speedway Cafe and a show at the U’s Union Ballroom a few years back, Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew have played a Twilight Concert Series show and at least one Urban Lounge gig. Now they’re returning on a tour supporting the band’s excellent new album, Fade, that arrived over the winter. Featuring all the expansive beauty, rough-and-tumble guitar and sly pop hooks that we’ve come to expect from the long-running New Jersey crew, Fade is one of the band’s best efforts, despite it being the first time they worked with producer John McEntire of Tortoise at his Chicago studio. Whether delivering extended jams or concise gems, Yo La Tengo is hard to beat in a live setting, and the fact that they’re touring without opening acts this time around–instead doing two sets at every stop–is a true bonus. I saw the show Friday night in Seattle, and the first set was full of the mellow stuff, much of it acoustic, while the second featured Yo La Tengo at their electrified, unleashed best.