Painful | ||||
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Studio album by Yo La Tengo | ||||
Released | October 5, 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:36 | |||
Label | Matador | |||
Producer |
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Yo La Tengo chronology | ||||
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Singles from Painful | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
NME | 8/10 |
Pitchfork Media | 9.6/10 |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
Painful is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released in 1993 by record label Matador, their first for the label.
The album marked a creative shift from Yo La Tengo's previous work, blending atmospheric and ambient sounds with their famous noise jams. Painful features a much more melodic-driven Yo La Tengo in its hazy, dream-like songwriting.
Two versions of the track "Big Day Coming" are present on the album and display the range of musical stylings Yo La Tengo works with; the first version features a simple organ melody accompanied by a soft bass counterpoint and Kaplan's guitar feedback echoing in the background, while the second version is a much more straightforward, shoegaze style with an accompanying organ solo towards the latter part of the song.
On 2 December 2014, the album was reissued with bonus material as Extra Painful, available on double CD, double vinyl and as a digital download.