Yo La Tengo

There’s something auspiciously telling about the opening track to Yo La Tengo’s latest. For Fade, the indie-rock auteurs kick things off with “Ohm,” a gentle and expansive seven-minute number that pulses and rattles with the wide-openness we’ve come to expect from YLT. It’s a slow ease-in indicative of the message behind Fade’s music: This is an album that’s happy to take its time. Production-wise, the record is a no-fuss affair. It’s fuzzy but not muddy; the drums are big but not pummeling; and Ira Kaplan’s intricate guitar meanderings seem to soar just slightly above the rest of the mix. Midway through, “Stupid Things” provides one of Fade’s standout moments, as Kaplan’s opening bars morph into this hazily expansive centerpiece. Later, Georgia Hubley’s light-as-a-feather vocals flirt alongside the horns of “Cornelia and Jane,” then return for the triumphant album closer “Before We Run,” as if to celebrate the end of the journey — and remind us that patience is a virtue.