Sonic Youth: Classic or Dud/S&D?

Man, The Eternal is really not good.

I take no pleasure in passing that judgment on their final album, but... the dropoff is remarkable.

Some of the grooves are OK, but the lyrics and vocal melodies are really bad, and the songs don’t go anywhere.

It's been a while since I played The Eternal. I think there was maybe one song I liked, but otherwise it's the SY album I like least (or second least since I'm no fan of NYCG&F).

I liked "Antenna" but barely remember anything else from it.

I like pretty much every other album they ever did so it might just click if I give it another try.

I like "The Eternal"! 'Massage The History' is my fave tune off it

I also like The Eternal but then I like all their "official" albums so...

My read was that the album was a strategic "let's make a real Sonic Youth album"... kind of their version of the "we wanted to get back to the sound of 5 people playing in a room" mentality. It ended up being a little too overdetermined in my view. Still I'd agree that Antenna & Massage the History were high points that equaled anything else they'd done. It's a shame that their personal drama got in the way of being able to cut another LP with that lineup to see if there was anything there. I'm sure the people running Matador probably felt the same way.

"Expressway to Yr. Skull" sounds like 5 or 6 different songs to me (in a good way) -- none of which I can identify. It probably influenced all of them, whatever they are.

― brush ’em like crazy (morrisp)

Some of these long jams on Murray St. kinda sound like Television, huh? Television, mixed with a little late VU...

I heard a Chelsea Light Moving song the other day and it was way sicker than I expected. Real sludge/punk/metal riffage thrown in with the pretty noodling.

The bits I’ve heard of Body/Head also really good. Latter day SY is kind of a snooze imo, unfortunately delayed my interest in checking out their other projects.

the new Body/Head is superb if a bit on the harrowing/intense side, smoldering ruins of sound

way more digestible & immediate than the debut 2LP, they really got it dialed in on The Switch (new LP)

i hated that CLM album when I listened to it. maybe i'll give it another shot.

Yeah, can’t speak for the album, but Alighted was what I caught and it pleasantly surprised me.

Calling out tylerw's Beautiful Plateaus playlist linked above. Great selection. Thanks.

https://www.elektronauts.com/talk/128

Lee Ranaldo's working with Elektron samplers, and a drum machine. Maybe he'll put out some interesting, more avant garde sort of material.

they're selling off a ton of gear: https://reverb.com/shop/official-sonic-youth
but the coolest thing is that they've started posting live shows over yonder: http://nugs.net/search/sonic%20youth
just getting into the williamburg 2011 show (their last NYC show), which i'd heard an audience tape of, but the multitrack recording is amazing. the sweetest guitar sound.

ooh thx for the tip

oh wow so much cool stuff in that reverb sale!

Omg I cannot afford any of it.

haha yeah

8000 quid for a Telecaster. No thanks, guys. Are they short of money or what?

not just ANY telecaster but the Sonic Youth one (to be fair art pricing does work like this)

Tbf, I think their guitars were modded?

SY didn’t sell much in the way of records and I don’t hear their tunes get licensed all that much so I’d imagine they need the $$$$

all that stuff is just collecting dust, I assume, they may as well get a little cash. that said, I don't know who buys this kinda thing. rich tech bros who also love noise?

haha what the heck is this bag of garbage?

https://reverb.com/item/16087880-sonic-youth-live-used-skrim-owned-by-sonic-youth

they should sell it to primal skrim

not just ANY telecaster but the Sonic Youth one (to be fair art pricing does work like this)

Like the £200 fuzzbox that doesn't work.

I noticed they're also selling a hand-made guitar that was given to them by a fan (the aluminum one). Kind of a prickish thing to do, imo.

happy to blame thurston for that tbh

Well there is only one bass on sale - I bet you that's Thurston's too.

^^I think you're right. I first saw them live in 2001 and swear I got pictures (since lost in a move) of him playing that blue P-Bass.

all that stuff is just collecting dust, I assume, they may as well get a little cash. that said, I don't know who buys this kinda thing. rich tech bros who also love noise?

Maybe the CEO of Alcaliber

Haha. All the guitars' condition is graded between "fair" and "not functioning"

Lee takes you on a tour of the Sonic Youth warehouse in Hoboken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVMo4F2H0dY

My favorite Kim songs. I don't see "Sweet Shine" mentioned enough.

otm re: sweet shine

i'd have brother james (at #1!) and making the nature scene on my list (if those qualify as kim songs)

Kool Thing, Tunic and Shadow of a Doubt are all amazing, hard to choose between them

Putting in a good word for "Sympathy for the Strawberry"

++

Washing Machine should be on there, i love love love that song.

I'd also say Bull in the Heather is too low cuz I'm a basic bitch.

TEN
TWENTY
THIRTY
FORTY

My first encounter with Sonic Youth was seeing the video for "Shadow of a Doubt" on Snub TV, which came on *after* Night Flight (so, maybe 2 AM?)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWpbFoEUV24

Realizing lately that 'Sweet Shine' is maybe my favorite SY song full stop. And I love a lot of the skronky noisy shit a whole lot.

I like a lot of Kim G songs but the screaming on the "wooh! I'm coming home" bit in that song really doesn't work for me, especially with the soft musical track. I like "Bull in the Heather" and "Skink" a lot, though.

I just drove past a busy strip of shops in Arusha Tanzania and there was a woman wearing, among other things, a Sonic Youth shirt.

it would be more punk rock if it was just the shirt

Sweet Shine is such a brilliant, brilliant song