Question of Temp

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 Stamey’s latest solo effort for Yep Roc Records.  

After recording the 10-plus- minute epic “McCauley Street (Let’s Go Downtown)” together, they decided to cover the song that inspired Yo La Tengo’s latest album, Stamey’s 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 dB’s and as a member of Alex Chilton’s (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.

Stamey’s animated voice perfectly complements the two guitar set-up of Stamey and Ira Kaplan that would otherwise easily steal the show. Stamey makes Television’s “Venus” sound like a track off of Yo La Tengo’s 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 McNew’s 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 City’s 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 Kaplan’s best guitar solo’s since And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.

Stamey’s 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, Temperature‘s 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 isn’t 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 strong.    7.5/10

Written by G. William Locke