TRACTOR OPERATOR, EXCELLENCE, YELTSIN
(Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington) Yeltsin is old. Better put, Yeltsin is not young. This is a good thing for the Eugene/Portland band, whose wide range of influences—a sound similar to a more streamlined Jawbox or less hook-dependent Fountains of Wayne, and a bio that namedrops both the Band and Gram Parsons—are key to their brand new long-player, A Closer Walk With Yeltsin, out tonight. Age is oftentimes meaningless in the grand scheme of things musically, but there is great maturity (in a good way) and beaming confidence in the group’s rock songs, two elements that would be lacking had the band not been around the block a few times. Call it experience, or the benefits of age, but whatever it is, it helps Yeltsin wipe the floor with their younger rock cohorts. EAC

MP3:
Yeltsin - The Stranger Machine