Yo La Tengo Announces New Covers Compilation

For 20 years, Yo La Tengo has participated in the annual WFMU marathon fundraisers by playing live cover songs on air in exchange for pledges for the freeform independent radio station. A new compilation of those live performances made in support of the Jersey City, New Jersey-based station, entitled Murder In The Second Degree, has been released by the trio.

Following up the 31-song Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics album released by Yo La Tengo in 2006, the new installment once again features cover art by cartoonist Adrian Tomine. The CD is available for purchase but the tracklist has not been revealed. Here’s a bit more from the band about Murder In The Second Degree:

For the last 20 years (and counting), Yo La Tengo, accompanied by cub reporter Bruce Bennett, have performed live on WFMU during their fundraising Marathon, and in return for listeners’ pledges of support, we have attempted to play their requests, with no prior knowledge of what those requests will be, and without utilizing any of the many web sites that provide lyrics and chords. We rely instead on a lifetime of listening and the forgiveness of our audience.

As with this volume’s predecessor, we will not tell you what songs are essayed. A track listing that includes, say, “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Rock and Roll Love Letter” and “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” (one of which is here; the other two have never been requested) will all but demand imagining how it might sound, and you will be wrong. As listeners familiar with Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics already know, but you will learn the hard way: There are endless ways to ruin a song …

We compiled Murder in the 2nd Degree years ago. Would it have made sense to tweak the contents, and add some more recent material? Undoubtedly. But that would require us to listen back to more of these performances. And as Half Japanese put it so aptly on “No More Beatlemania” (not included): “Once is enough.”

For a taste of what’s on Murder In The Second Degree, stream Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics here: