If we indie rock fans are Linus from “Peanuts,” then Yo La Tengo is our security blanket. The trio from Hoboken, New Jersey, has been a friendly, reassuring presence for decades — quietly strong, dependable, pliable and able to pack a serious wallop when necessary.
Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew are musically capable of anything, and often do everything on their sprawling records — 1997’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One,” for example, is 70 minutes of songs so diverse and right on, it feels like an instant greatest hits collection. Moody acoustic folk-pop, sweet bossa nova, hypnotic instrumentals, catchy overdriven rock songs, covers of The Beach Boys and Anita Bryant … there’s something for everyone.
At live shows, they’re as likely to churn up some paint-peeling electric noise (courtesy of Kaplan’s famous distorted guitar squalls) as they are to hush a sold-out hall with a gentle serenade. They’ve done both during visits to Northampton, usually in the same show.
Yo La Tengo has been putting out critically acclaimed records since the mid-1980s, but it hasn’t gone to the musicians’ heads. They’re still low-key folks with a self-depreciating sense of humor (especially prevalent in their liner notes and videos) and they let their deep love of music shine brightly. Over the years, they’ve joined forces with the fantastic and eclectic radio station WFMU, covered songs by Sun Ra, Jackson Browne and Big Star, and also released three special albums that almost entirely put the spotlight on their favorite tunes — including their latest release on the Matador label, “Stuff Like That There,” which finds the band working up its own versions of hits and deep cuts by The Parliaments, Hank Williams, Darlene McCrea and The Cure.
Don’t miss an evening with Yo La Tengo at the Academy of Music in Northampton Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Very recommended!
Quirky Americana/indescribable Hudson Valley band The Slambovian Circus of Dreams was just in town less than four months ago, and by popular demand they’re back to play another show at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Friday at 7 p.m.
High Highs is a Brooklyn duo fronted by vocalist Jack Milas (who wields a very Thom Yorke-ian falsetto) that combines acoustic textures with synths. The duo’s newest album is “Cascades,” and they appear at the Iron Horse Friday at 10 p.m. Local band Fiesta Brava opens.
Darlingside and David Wax Museum are both headline-worthy acts in their own right. Together they’re a top-notch double bill appearing at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls Saturday at 7:30 p.m. A Signature Sounds Presents show.
Jonathan Richman (pictured) wakes up your soul with the most minimalist ingredients — a classical nylon string guitar, trusty drummer Tommy Larkins by his side and his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes he’ll even tear the guitar off his body to sing a cappella and dance for a few seconds, paring everything down to just pure heart. Richman once sang songs with titles like “Rockin’ Shoppin’ Center” and “Hey There Little Insect,” and while his newer material reflects the life he’s lived (“Time Has Gone By So Fast,” “When We Refuse To Suffer,” “As My Mother Lay Lying” (in the nursing home bed), the through line connecting everything is his honesty. And his concerts are still full of wonder and humor. (One of my favorite modern-day Richman songs is “You Can Have A Cell Phone That’s OK But Not Me.”) Each time I’ve seen him play in town, it’s been a favorite show of the year. See Richman and Larkins at Pearl Street in Northampton Saturday at 8 p.m. Very recommended.
The latest installment of the Northampton Jazz Workshop features Hartford-based vocalist Dianne Mower — currently working on a revival of Dave Brubeck’s musical “The Real Ambassadors” — as the special guest at the City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. An open jazz jam follows from 8:30 to 10:30.
Local singer/songwriter Adam Dunetz ended a long hiatus from songwriting with his fifth and latest album, “The Backup Plan,” and he returns to The Parlor Room in Northampton Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Brutal Measures (pictured) — a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and Weasel Walter — shares a bill with Boston’s Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling and local punk band Other Mother at Flywheel in Easthampton Thursday at 7 p.m.