Originally credited as Chris Stamey and Yo
La Tengo, A Question of Temperature began
as a neighborly jam session between long-time
friends before growing into what became studio
honcho Stameys latest solo effort for Yep Roc
Records.
After recording the 10-plus- minute epic
McCauley Street (Lets Go Downtown) together,
they decided to cover the song that inspired Yo
La Tengos latest album, Stameys 1978 single
Summer Sun. The two joint sessions went well.
With their adrenaline on high, Stamey began
inviting more of his cronies (and past
collaborators) into the studio to join the party.
Despite its unorthodox format (the album is
comprised of five cover songs, the Summer Sun
rehashing, three instrumental tracks, four
originals, a hidden track and a snippet urging
listeners to vote), Temperature is
conceivably the first noteworthy album of the new
year.
Known mostly for his production work with
Whiskeytown, Yo La Tengo, Le Tigre, Ben Folds,
The Squirrel Nut Zippers and Alejandro Escovedo,
Stamey obtained his roots in the early 80s with
his band The dBs and as a member of Alex
Chiltons (Big Star) band. Now a full fledged
elder-statesmen of indie rock, Stamey has
released the most complete album of his solo
career in Temperature, an album that feels
too triumphant to be considered a side project
for all involved parties.
Stameys animated voice perfectly complements
the two guitar set-up of Stamey and Ira Kaplan
that would otherwise easily steal the show.
Stamey makes Televisions Venus sound like a
track off of Yo La Tengos blissful
Fakebook album rather than the edgy and
often dirty Marquee Moon. The guitar play
is insidious, as Kaplan and Stamey play dueling
solos over Georgia Hubley and James McNews
bouncy rhythmic backdrops. While many have unsuccessfully tried
to cover Television, Stamey and YLT have no
problems putting their own poppy spin on a
defining track from one of New York Citys
signature bands.
The covers are mostly political and
jam-oriented, specifically the upbeat Eddie
Harris/Lee McCann Vietnam-era protest song,
Compared to What, which features one of
Kaplans best guitar solos since And then
Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.
Stameys inspiration for his first jam-oriented
project comes from an interesting place: I was
driving in a friends car and listening to the
extra jams on the expanded edition of the Blind
Faith album. I thought simultaneously, This is a
waste of good plastic and It would be fun to
just jam a bit sometime.
While most of the tracks still clock in at
around four minutes, Temperatures
incessant nature leaves an open arena for both
Stamey and Kaplan to liven up the otherwise
straightforward recordings with their eccentric
guitar play. While some of the content does stand
pale next to the more grandiose tracks, top to
bottom, left to right, Temperature is a
solid album of predictable indie rock with no
identifiable flaws.
Typically there isnt much of a market for
artists who are largely known for the work they
contribute to others projects. Luckily, Yo La
Tengo have a dedicated enough fan-base to bring a
fair share of ears to A Question of
Temperature. As much of the album does sound
like the current YLT output (specifically
Sleepless Nights and McCauley Street),
listeners should not be left disappointed. The
legend of Chris Stamey stands stronger than ever.