Artist: Sonic Youth
Album: The Eternal
Year: 2009
Grade: 4.5 pretzels
It’s so weird to think of Sonic Youth as being a band of fifty-year-olds. I mean, the word “youth” is right there in their name, starring at you. But, sure enough, Thurston Moore, the youngest of Sonic Youth’s three-headed creative partnership, reached the big five-oh last year. The strangest thing about all this is that Sonic Youth haven’t really changed all that much as they’ve aged. Ever since they tempered their original raw, chaotic experimentalism a bit on 1988’s Daydream Nation, they’ve consistently recorded variations on that style, most of which have been quite good. There’s been a semi-noticeable ebb and flow to their releases, with some feeling calm, while others are more energetic. Coming after 2006’s fairly down-to-earth Rather Ripped, The Eternal shows Sonic Youth swinging back towards the wilder end of the spectrum.
The Eternal has two of the most explosive tracks Sonic Youth have recorded in recent memory. The opener “Sacred Trickster” is a furious, two-plus minute trip through a blender, with Kim Gordon’s typically breathless vocals soaring above the noise. Lee Ranaldo also adds the lacerating “What We Know”, which feels unusually catchy and coherent for Ranaldo, who usually writes the bands most out-there material. It’s a damn good showcase of Sonic Youth’s guitar pyrotechnics, harkening back to the thrill of their earliest material. Sonic Youth may be getting older, but they still know how to rock the fuck out.
Of course, for every vicious song Sonic Youth puts on an album there’s going to be a corresponding slower song and The Eternal has some excellent ones. Moore’s “Antenna” is an immediate standout, with its downbeat chorus and languid tempo. At the far end of this spectrum is the closing “Massage The History”, which sprawls over ten minutes with moody washes of guitar feedback and creepy acoustic arpeggios. Sonic Youth have always loved these dynamics, so it’s no surprise to hear such a diverse group of songs on a single album.
Generally, Sonic Youth sound far more rambunctious on The Eternal than they have for years. Many of the tracks here positively growl, such as the gritty “Poison Arrow” and “No Way”. I am really quite amazed that Moore, Gordon and Ranaldo have continued to make music this unique for this many years, without much of a noticeable drop-off in quality. Sonic Youth have proven that they’re one of the hardest-working, most consistent bands out there and every new album they release feels like another worthy addition to their already stellar body of work. The Eternal is a loud record (by Sonic Youth standards) and a good one at that. Of course, the next one could be equally as good and it could be infinitely calmer. We’ll just have to see when it comes out. Sonic Youth have earned my trust and albums like The Eternal only help to reinforce my faith in them.
The Eternal has two of the most explosive tracks Sonic Youth have recorded in recent memory. The opener “Sacred Trickster” is a furious, two-plus minute trip through a blender, with Kim Gordon’s typically breathless vocals soaring above the noise. Lee Ranaldo also adds the lacerating “What We Know”, which feels unusually catchy and coherent for Ranaldo, who usually writes the bands most out-there material. It’s a damn good showcase of Sonic Youth’s guitar pyrotechnics, harkening back to the thrill of their earliest material. Sonic Youth may be getting older, but they still know how to rock the fuck out.
Of course, for every vicious song Sonic Youth puts on an album there’s going to be a corresponding slower song and The Eternal has some excellent ones. Moore’s “Antenna” is an immediate standout, with its downbeat chorus and languid tempo. At the far end of this spectrum is the closing “Massage The History”, which sprawls over ten minutes with moody washes of guitar feedback and creepy acoustic arpeggios. Sonic Youth have always loved these dynamics, so it’s no surprise to hear such a diverse group of songs on a single album.
Generally, Sonic Youth sound far more rambunctious on The Eternal than they have for years. Many of the tracks here positively growl, such as the gritty “Poison Arrow” and “No Way”. I am really quite amazed that Moore, Gordon and Ranaldo have continued to make music this unique for this many years, without much of a noticeable drop-off in quality. Sonic Youth have proven that they’re one of the hardest-working, most consistent bands out there and every new album they release feels like another worthy addition to their already stellar body of work. The Eternal is a loud record (by Sonic Youth standards) and a good one at that. Of course, the next one could be equally as good and it could be infinitely calmer. We’ll just have to see when it comes out. Sonic Youth have earned my trust and albums like The Eternal only help to reinforce my faith in them.
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