Worth acquiring.October 6, 2008 Michael Stack(North Chelmsford, MA USA) "Shaker" is proof positive that if nothing else, Yo La Tengo knows how to pick a great single. Built off a layered, churning, distorted guitar riffing and an echo-drenched, subdued vocal, the title cut is filled with mystery and mood, low key and living on the edge of explosion, it's a great cut.
The b-sides are also fairly intriguing-- original "What She Wants" and Richard Thompson cover "For Shame of Doing Wrong". The latter is a real gem-- a simple organ motif with detached slide guitars and a stunningly low key vocal from drummer Georgia Hubley (with occasional support from guitarist Ira Kaplan) can knock you over in its lethargic energy (yes I realize how that sounds). "What She Wants" is equally intriguing though perhaps not quite as well executed-- built on an acoustic guitar riff and featuring a counterpoint on a deep brass (a trombone maybe?), it's so dramatically different from the rest of the band's catalog it's quite attention getting.
A little hard to find these days, "Shaker" is all in all a great single. Recommended.
