…this Record Store Day, April 18, 2026, Merge Records is reissuing ‘Words of Wisdom and Hope’, the 2002 album by Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair. Includes two bonus tracks that were originally part of a limited 7-inch single “Always in My Heart” and “Rock Me Tonight.”
The line of musicians waiting to work with Jad Fair goes around the block. But you can see the line move; such is the prolific nature of the subdued dude. Words of Wisdom and Hope is, not surprisingly, exactly the sum of its parts. Teenage Fanclub is probably the purest pop act to get involved with Fair, and the result is easily the most straightforward album to have his name on it in some time, possibly ever. Please note, though, that this doesn’t mean it’s particularly…
Tag Archive: Jad Fair
A psychonautic swirl of spoken-word slam poetry and echoey shoegaze reverberations, this classic collaboration between indie darlings Yo La Tengo and alternative pioneer Jad Fair is a wild ride. Originally released by Matador in 1998, the album, a series of quirky snapshots and preposterous fables, derives its inspiration from real newspaper headlines.
Yo La Tengo, one of the most prevalent indie fixtures of the last several decades, blends atmospheric harmonies and dreamy melodies with clouds of gnarly squall. The trio can excel in a staggeringly eclectic variety of modes, from post-Velvets boogie to blue-eyed soul to cryptic country, while always sounding exactly like themselves. Here, they operate in full-bore…