na: Yo La Tengo, The Feelies, and more

The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth: Two quietly monumental indie-rock documents, made back when it was called “college rock,” resurface in 2009. All the words that writers normally fling at these guys: tight, constricted, jittery, repetitive, hypnotic — are all completely and totally apt: on Crazy Rhythms they fashioned a sound that perfectly encapsulated the feeling of standing, clenched, in place, with one foot tapping nervously. Then there’s The Good Earth, a sighing, murmuring record that feels sung to itself, one that you just happen to be overhearing. Both seem initially modest; both sink deep into your consciousness over time, and both are absolutely essential. Don’t miss Douglas Wolk’s Q&A with The Feelies’ Glenn Mercer, in which he discusses their insanely meticulous, stonecutter’s approach to recording their albums.

Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs: The playfully titled latest from Hoboken, NJ’s greatest. Corey Dubrowa really nails this one:

“Being called a “critic’s band” must feel like the musical equivalent of being called a “finesse team” in football: an underhanded compliment that says less about what you are (in Yo La Tengo’s case, eclectic to the point of jukebox-like proficiency, creatively restless to the point of ADD, tasteful to the point of curating albums like they are a gallery-load of rare art) than what you aren’t. Husband/wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, along with their bass-playing pal James McNew, have been at this indie thing longer than there’s even been a thing called indie — 13 albums, 25 years — and on their latest LP, the cheekily-titled Popular Songs, they play the same game of musical spin-the-bottle they first perfected on their career high-water mark, 1996’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. ”

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, Through the Devil Softly: Newest comfy indie-folk something that the breathy Mazzy Star frontwoman slips into. Weightless gorgeousness.

Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Death Won’t Send A Letter: Rangy, soulful country-rock with vague hints of Celtic folk.

Doomriders, Darkness Come Alive: Part death metal, part boogie rock, part skate punk: the Doomriders are here to fill your fuck-shit-up playlist of choice. Check out Jen Guyre’s Q&A with them.

Cage The Elephant, Cage the Elephant: Brat-punk meets blooz-rock meets a bunch of other stuff. This has that stuffed-in-sausage-casings, hyper-compressed production style shared by a lot of big 90s rock records — Brendan O’Brien, maybe? — that I personally have a hard time digesting. Chris Weingarten sez:

These funky blues-rawk headbangers have more ideas than their bodies can contain, a dervish splitting the difference between indie braininess and superstar abandon. Everything spirals outward from lead singer Matt Shultz, whose primitive yawp can match 100 different records in his collection. He can do the soulful croon of a Jon Spencer alterna-soul rave-up (”Free Love”), the marble-mouthed flow of a ’90s honky-hop crossover novelty (”Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”), the glammy yowl of Buckcherry cock-rock theatrics (”Back Against The Wall”) and even a bit of Perry Farrell-styled aggro-hippie nonsense (”Lotus”). But mostly he’s like a deranged bloozpunk — think Jack White raised on Bob Dylan and hip-hop and you’re getting close — with a penchant for snotty teenage fuck-you’s and a feral scream that isn’t used nearly enough.”

Living Things, Habeas Corpus: Swaggering, over-the-top anthemic punk rock; cheesy but fun.

Vitalic, Flashmob: New full-length from the legendary French house producer, whose last full-length, 2005’s OK Cowboy was just tipped as one of the greatest albums of the decade by Pitchfork.

Antipop Consortium, Fluorescent Black: Sputtering synths, hammering, evil electro beats, and hardhitting, impressionistic blurs of rapping that make a mash out of syllables and a thousand divergent reference points (I caught refs to Buffie the Body, Simon Cowell, Prince’s “Computer Blue,” and the collapse of the financial sector).

Matt Haimovitz, Figment: This disc by the pathbreaking cellist Matt Haimovitz pairs cello repertoire by thorny high modernists like Elliott Carter (whose piece “Figment” here provides the album’s title) with stormy, impressionistic studies by other contemporary composers like Ana Sokolovic, Steven Stucky, and Luna Pearl Woolf, as well as a work for cello, Chinese lute, and electronics by Dun Yun and an odd-sounding cello/electronica hybrid called “Figlude.” A fascinating cross-section of new and newish cello music from a conservatory cellist who decided about ten years ago that concert halls were boring and antiseptic and that he’d rather play alone in clubs. This should provide him fodder for the next few years of dates.

Abernethy, The World Outside the Window: Casio-keyboard indie-pop pocket symphonies.

Bear In Heaven, Wholehearted Mess: A shimmering, dreamy dance-pop tune with three excellent-sounding remixes.

André Marie Tela, Bend Skin Beats: I am not going to pretend I know all of the different strains of African popular music represented here — I am not a knowledgeable guide in this area — but this sounds killer.

E-40, The Mail Man: Another week, another unimpeachable Bay Area hip-hop classic from E-40, the fast-talking, slang-slinging Bugs Bunny of gangsta rap. He's not rappin' too fast; you just listening too slow.

Beatmonstas, Bomb Til We Hit Em: Throwback rap, 1988-style.

The Ettes, Do You Want Power?: Fun, passably brassy girl-garage.

Red Jacket, Mine Lovers Lookout: Rainy-day Jayhawks country-rock jangle for your next sick day.

Skyzoo, The Salvation: Flat and uninspired ghostwriter rap from a guy who never seems to disappear from Nahright.com for too long.

Various Artists, Folk Yeah! Indie Folk for Fall: I could really not do better in explaining more clearly what this album offers than its own title does: its Indie Folk. For Fall. Timely AND easy to understand.