The bossa nova beats are more prevalent; likewise the Stereolab-ish synth texturing. The instrumentation is broader. But these are minor points, ultimately; ultimately, the change here is one of tone. And Then Nothing... was quiet in the way a heated conversation that has to be whispered is quiet--the album guarded the vehemence of its emotion jealously, and songs seemed to emerge from the undertow of pregnant pauses. The album was anxious: anxiously joyous, anxiously sad, anxiously anxious.
Summer Sun, in contrast, is quiet in the way some conversations are just...quiet. Because they are intimate; because voices don't need to be raised. Tracks like "Tiny Birds" and "Season of the Shark" and Georgia's cover of Big Star's "Take Care," which closes the record on a distinctly melancholy note, are as dark as anything Yo La Tengo has ever written. This album is no "happier" than the last, but it is more relaxed: The band has settled into its patois of mellow songwriting, allowing the feeling to breathe. Indeed, "Moonrock Mambo" and "Let's Be Still" are downright breezy, a mood Yo La Tengo hasn't conquered until now. But it's no surprise they've mastered it.