best Sonic Youth album of the '00s

Isn't that the story of lots of failed SY albums?

This is between Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped for me. Am leaning toward the latter.

A friend says they went downhill when Steve Shelley joined.

― Bud Huxtable (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:49 AM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

That person does too many drugs.

― Kevin John Bozelka, Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:51 AM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

ha, guilty on both counts

I wouldn't say steve shelley caused them to go downhill (my favorite sy alb is EVOL after all) but the timing was right

^^ suggest ban

nah they just became (or started becoming) a different band when shelly joined, that's all

unfortunately it was a band I didn't like

not for lack of trying either

can't count how many times I spun daydream nation and goo trying to figure out whether it was them or me

I finally decided things weren't going to work out between us

so the only album I've heard in this poll is rather ripped

you went back for a quickie, didn't you

murray street, hands down. havent heard the eternal yet though.

yes! our original relationship was so hot I can't stay away

but as of late our trysts just leave me feeling used and unfulfilled

xp

I'm with Edward here - they peaked on Bad Moon Rising, though Evol is so close it is hard to pick. Very slow decline for a few years, then the wheels fell off.

I've heard two of these '00s albums - NYC Ghosts & Flowers and Rather Ripped - and didn't find either remotely interesting.

I remember when Sonic Youth used to be the most far out weird thing I listened too. This wasn't in the 00s.
It's probably me more than the band. Voted Sonic Nurse, without much conviction. I like them all.

Sonic Nurse is the best thing they've released in the past 20 years. All good albums to some degree, though.

Sonic Nurse>>Murray Street>>>>>NYC Ghosts & Flowers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rather Ripped, which is why (along with "Sacred Trickster") I'm dragging my feet on hearing The Eternal.

Rather Ripped is the first album where I really wondered why they fucking bother

yeah? i like Rather Ripped. Maybe a bit slight? But pretty enjoyable.

I like Rather Ripped less and less every year, and "Sacred Trickster" does nothing for me, but The Eternal is overall pretty solid and I'd reccomend it highly to someone that likes Sonic Nurse.

I think on the Rather Ripped thread I called it Rather Tepid. Just seemed like they were going through the motions.

Strangely, I'd still see them live, as they've never failed to put on a good show. Just can't be bothered to follow their studio work.

Weird, I think of Rather Ripped as kind of a pinnacle, taking the same basic formula of Sonic Nurse and whittling it down into these great three- or four-minute gems. The Eternal sounds more like a band going through the motions to me.

MURRAY STREET, PEOPLE (that's what i voted, anyhow)

with Rather Ripped a close second

xpost Too slight for me. I liked the direction they were going with O'Rourke, and without that groovier bottom and prettied up guitars you just had past-prime pros with shitty voices writing by-the-book "songs" as if that was ever what they were good at.

this is all between Sonic Nurse and Murray Street, and it's not a easy pick. every track on MS really sticks out and has a way of its own, where SN is more this thick, sprawling monster all the way through.

can't say that i dislike Rather Ripped or The Eternal but it's still very remote to me that anyone would pick either of them here. then again, like said, that's part of the charm with this band

xp

Yeah I'm not sure how their one album of the decade that actually sounds different from the others is "going through the motions." You might not like it but I think you have to recognize it as an attempt to shake things up a little.

I would have really liked rather ripped if the material was on par with the tone, everything sounds great but they are playing absolutely nothing

Rather Ripped is the first album where I really wondered why they fucking bother

apparently you have never heard experimental jet set trash and no star

people sure are weird

experimental jetset is my go-to album for evidence of sy not giving a frig

NYC G&F sounds pretty different from the rest, n/a! That and Experimental Jet Set sound like patchwork goof-offs, and their peaks did more for me than anything on Ripped.

Does Gerard Cosloy still run the show at Matador at all? I thought it was pretty LOL that the dude who said in Spin he was tired of SY in 1988 would be signing them 20 years later.

I like EJSTANS! I mean, yes, it was the first one I ever heard, so I have some sentimental attachment, but I think it's a pretty interesting album -- lots of echoey space, acoustic guitar, etc.

yeah I don't like the whittling down on RR because for the most part they were whittling away the best parts of the 2 previous albums. the average track lengths for these albums really bears out the fact that i like the longer tunes:

NYC Ghosts - 5:17
Murray Street - 6:31
Sonice Nurse - 6:17
Rather Ripped - 4:19
The Eternal - 4:42

yeah Jet Set was the first for me too and still really intrigues me -- like it's the closest they've ever come to actually reinventing their sound, and they managed to do it with the same producer they had on Dirty.

i'll save my Jet Set argument for after this thread runs its course and i do a best of the '90s poll, though.

Murray Street for me...one of their best albums ever, I think. Sonic Nurse would be second, with the others way below.

Still haven't EJSTANS, but it's no problem finding a cheap used copy.

tylerw otm above re. Murray Street (and the one I voted for). "Rain On Tin" is my favorite SY song.

"Rain On Tin" was the moment where I realized they were still my favorite band and probably will be for the rest of my life.

Anthony, I don't usually expect to agree with you so wholeheartedly about a band like this but this sums up my thoughts so precisely:

I liked the direction they were going with O'Rourke, and without that groovier bottom and prettied up guitars you just had past-prime pros with shitty voices writing by-the-book "songs" as if that was ever what they were good at.

That's more accurate describing SY between 1990 and 1994. They traded by-the-book songs for really good ones in 2002.

They must have used them up by the time that got to Rather Ripped.

Honest question: So, not caring for SY post-'88, should I give Murray Street a listen?

I kinda feel like listening to '90s SY is a prerequisite for listening to '00s SY, even though I generally like the latter more, if that makes sense.

Honest question: So, not caring for SY post-'88, should I give Murray Street a listen?
nah

I purchased through Washing Machine, and have heard A Thousand Leaves, though I no longer own any of the 90s work and haven't for a decade; I feel I can recall the sound of those records without too much trouble.

Is Murray Street that much of a departure/evolution that I will miss something by my unfamiliarity?

nah, it's just that if post 88 doesn't do it for you, i don't think you'll find the same energy/dynamism/power on Murray Street. I love it, but it's more of a rambling/contemplative thing ...

That might be good - it isn't like my favorite (BMR) is full of burners.

Murray Street is kind of like a reward for people who loved the jammy parts of A Thousand Leaves and stuck it out through NYC Ghosts.

like if you remember what "Wildflower Soul" sounded like and liked that, you'd dig MS.

I really should buy these records. I quite liked Murray Street and Rather Ripped the two times I heard them.

That sounds kind of interesting, actually. Maybe I'll have to give it a spin...

x-post

teh temptress bats her eye

man, "New Hampshire"! "I Love You Golden Blue"! "Unmade Bed"! "Dripping Dream"! it's a great album.

totally happy w/ these results, although i'd like to think that in time The Eternal will be thought of as better than Rather Ripped.

This poll got way more voters in general than most. no surprise I guess, but still.

I thought I wld be the lone NYC ghosts voter.

i had a feeling it would have a decent lil voting bloc, especially since it's kind of counterprogramming to put it up against the 4 albums after it

results more or less otm

i voted for nycbff. i'm not sure i stand by my reasons tho.

this is kinda interesting commentary about these albums:
http://music.newcity.com/2009/06/23/preview-sonic-youthvic-theatre/

Some could argue that shortly after 1992’s fantastic “Dirty” the band consistently churned out mediocre work, until 2000’s “NYC Ghosts & Flowers,” which was just bad. The following “Murray Street” and “Sonic Nurse” saw the band in mediocre territory again, and then “Rather Ripped” sparked them back into contemporary relevancy.

I don't think "interesting" is the word I'd use to describe this commentary.

The "mediocre" rating for Murray Street aside, I agree with that statement pretty much.

Even if you agree, "they were great and then they were mediocre and then they were bad and then they were mediocre and now they're great again" is about as far from "interesting" as commentary gets.

yeah, and "contemporary relevancy" .... ZZZZZzzzzz

How can The Eternal be a "return to form" if Rather Ripped had already "sparked them back into contemporary relevancy"?

ha! you guys are interested . . .
btw they rocked the shit at the vic last sunday night
rather ripped a silver rocket!
and played my favorite part of daydream nation: the sprawl > 'cross the breeze

damn! reverse the order maybe? voted for NYCG&F--their most gorgeous work ever, sonically speaking--just to spite pitchfork, basically. but pretty much love 'em all to one degree or another. i really dig Lee's "bad" beat poetry, even. and wtf, Kevin, the Karen songs are the highlight's of the respective albums they're each sandwiched amidst.

Bad Moon Rising is their worst ever, fwiw.

waht

yeah yeah yeah, i know. but "DV '69" aside i don't really get that one. Walls Have Ears smokes both Bad Moon Rising and Evol, imho.

There is a great version of Death Valley '69 on Walls Have Ears, yeah.

But Brave Men Run, I Love Her All The Time... no?

they're ok but nothing revelatory. i much prefer the "Flower"/"Halloween" 12" myself.

there are 3 songs on bad moon rising: side A, 3/4 of side B, and "death valley 69"

the first 2 songs are awesome

but thanks for yr challops, ioannis

I love "Brave Men Run" and the bonus tracks, and "Death Valley" is a lot of fun live, but yeah Bad Moon is way down among my 2 or 3 least fave SY albums. But then, I'm not a huge fan of the pre-Shelly stuff and my favorite release from that era is Sonic Death.

and wtf, Kevin, the Karen songs are the highlight's of the respective albums they're each sandwiched amidst.

Well, I agree with you on "Karen Koltrane."

but thanks for yr challops, ioannis

no problem.

murray street: 7 songs, half epics, jim o'rourke