Yo La Tengo - Fade
Critic Score
Based on 39 reviews
2013 Ratings: #92 / 1115
User Score
Based on 262 ratings
2013 Rank: #228
Liked by 14 people
January 15, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Matador / Label
Indie Rock / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

92
Paste

Fade is just 10 distinctive, beautiful songs in 45 minutes meant to show their languid new peers (Real Estate, Beach House, Grizzly Bear, what have you) who’s boss.

83
A.V. Club

Yo La Tengo may not be as daringly innovative as it once was, but, in targeting its experiments to a cohesive purpose, the band successfully fulfills Fade’s grandiose scope.

81
Pitchfork

Fade can be every bit as adventurous as the band's most eclectic albums, but applies its myriad layers in more subtle fashion

80
Drowned in Sound

There’s nothing showy here, nothing flashy, just an understated, immaculately put together collection of happy and sad, yearning and sweet songs.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes

There’s nothing really surprising about the excellence of their new album, Fade, except that I’m completely surprised by how excellent it is. 

80
PopMatters

Much of Fade feels like an exercise in free association with previous Yo La Tengo efforts, making it an album that’s appealingly familiar, yet without seeming like it only revisits past triumphs.

80
The 405

They show that Yo La Tengo, even when working in all their forms can still put together an album of immediate and emotionally affecting songs after all these years.

80
Consequence of Sound

Fade comes together as one of Yo La Tengo’s most refreshingly forward efforts in both sound and matter.

80
No Ripcord

Fade is a sign of perseverance for the group, as the album perfectly details just what is so essential and appealing about the group, and why there will always be a place for these guys in the world of indie rock.

79
Northern Transmissions
They’re telling us that all moments in life eventually fade, but as long as you’re there for someone, nothing’s really lost. In the end, this album achieves what it sets out to be: a sweet, melancholic and strangely uplifting album.
75
Under the Radar

For a band that has made change their consistent state, Fade is another welcome stop on a career that shows no signs of growing old.

70
NME

Save perhaps for an unusual dalliance with folk (‘I’ll Be Around’), little new personal ground is broken, but their songwriting chops and sound design remain cherishable. 

70
The Fly

If a sense of staleness had begun to creep in round 2009’s ‘Popular Songs’, ‘Fade’ pretty much puts them back on track.

UltimateLifeFrm
45

A decent listen, albeit one that feels a little too safe.

Fade is the 13th album from American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released in January 2013.
It was recorded in Soma Electronic Music Studios in Illinois during summer 2012.

It marked as the band's first time hitting the Top 40 in the US Billboard 200 (No. 26)

I love the straightforward indie sound; it's peaceful, restrained and stripped back, feeling like something you'd hear during a live jazz session at a local venue.

Ira Kaplan's ... read more

EthanW
63

This was a very reserved and slow album. For the first few tracks, I really didn't know how to feel about it. Then it started picking up around the halfway point and stayed consistent. What I mean by picking up was that there was more drama and more flair. A few of the tracks were very convincing, with a nice buildup, and good lyrics. But most of the tracks felt kinda bland to me. My biggest qualm with this project is the vocal deliveries. A lot of the time, it's very hard to make out what ... read more

Oiledupwaffle34
83

A gorgeous experience front to back, though it does get a bit redundant by the end.

Oiledupwaffle34
83

A gorgeous experience front to back, though it does get a bit redundant by the end.

MagnetoJenkins
80

Back in 2013, this felt like it could have been a perfect little ending to a beautiful career. Just a solid album of pretty, psychedelic love songs. An excellent addition to their consistent discography.

UltimateLifeFrm
45

A decent listen, albeit one that feels a little too safe.

Fade is the 13th album from American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released in January 2013.
It was recorded in Soma Electronic Music Studios in Illinois during summer 2012.

It marked as the band's first time hitting the Top 40 in the US Billboard 200 (No. 26)

I love the straightforward indie sound; it's peaceful, restrained and stripped back, feeling like something you'd hear during a live jazz session at a local venue.

Ira Kaplan's ... read more

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Added on: November 14, 2012