Yo La Tengo’s new CD is called Popular Songs, but that title isn’t is as ironic as you’d presume. After a quarter century and a dozen albums, the New Jersey trio’s spare, haunting indie rock takes on some new shapes and guises on Popular Songs. There’s bang-and-clatter garage rock, pasty R&B, droning lo-fi and yes, even a little pop. It’s Yo La Tengo’s most varied and accessible record, which even makes room for one of the band’s extended freak-outs (it’s called “And the Glitter Is Gone,” and it runs nearly 16 minutes and closes the disc). The album’s other epic — the nine-minute “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven” — is the most gorgeous song you’ll hear all year. Cheap Time opens at 8 p.m. at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124, beachlandballroom.com). Tickets: $20. —Michael Gallucci
