So I Says About Sonic Youth, I Says....

so i says about sonic youth, i says...

http://floodwatchmusic.com/blog2/2006/09/05/heading-on-out-into-western-star-land

the above is a neato greedo Sonic Youth article, which i feel compelled to comment on, as i am now in the manic phase of my recent attack.

it is a good article, interesting above all else, and almost makes me not want to call out the author on sheer douchebagery for neglecting the pre-shelley work.

my thoughts, as i read...

"sister" is not perfection, as it contains "tuff gnarl", which while having sharp lyrics is the one time where thurston's proclivity to sing the guitar line is cringeworthy. there isn't enough else happening to distract from it.

"daydream nation" is "overrated", ahhahahahahahah, oh what nonsensical backlash hath thou wrought, library of congress?!

"goo" is in fact tremendous, and i was warmed when the reissues brought a spate of interviews wherein the band admitted to having taken a new shine to the previously disregarded material. "dirty" is still to my mind a wonderful album of the time, but i do not think as highly of it now as i did upon initial purchase as a 15 year old. "wish fulfillment" is so overdone.

:"jet set" may as well have had nothing by thurston, as he was apparently too preoccupied with "psychic hearts" and impregnating his wife to put much effort into his tracks. speaking of whom...kim fucking rules this album, which makes a recent "uncut" article wherein she deems this wreckhard her least favorite of the band's output absolutely befuddling.

"washing machine" is great, but overrated (ooh, two lee songs! a song that's almost 20 minutes!).

"a thousand leaves" is stunning, indeed. my god, stop sleeping on this brilliant womb and let yourself sleep in it. (oh, and in the same aforementioned "uncut" piece, thurston called this his least favorite SY release. WOW.)

as far as "nyc", hey...

small flowers crack concrete/the ringtone boss mic contact soda pop redirection/bleed orange onto paper mache/hat trick marijuana".

i am a huge o'rourke fan, and loved his contributions, particularly live (listen to what he did during "eric's trip", and that bassline for "plastic sun", holy shit)..."sonic nurse" is still better than "murray street", and "rather ripped" is flat-out great.

have to love an SY mix that contains the word "haiku".

BECUZ--amazing opener...first time i ever heard this was on the very day it was released and my best friend took it and a cd player to a pavillion to eat BK and listen.

INCINERATE--but are the guitars as hard-panned as "hudson hawk"? i mean, really. great pop song with the lyrics only a heartbroken stoner poet can pen.

SHADOW OF A DOUBT--chilling as this night is, and the video is hard to separate from subsequent listenings.

'CROSS THE BREEZE--disposable heroes, kid. kim g IS master of puppets.

STEREO SANCTITY--stop giving thurston credit for "i can't get laid cuz everyone is dead" and read a book, assholes. i'm not talking about the author of the piece, as he makes no such error, i mean YOUR dumb ass.

UNMADE BED--steve shelley is the best drummer right now. my sister who knew nothing about SY before i played "rather ripped" for her two weeks ago (and the title of which would prove an unfortunate description of where our relationship would end up) even made the comment that "the drummer is really good, he holds them together." yeah, now tell your klepto meth-head son to get away from my purse.

RAIN ON TIN--duh...the truly sucky thing about death for me is that when it finally greets me, i won't be able to hear this song anymore.

MOTE--"yah, give lee more songs!" yeah, because you sooo wouldn't take it for granted if they did. think, mcfly.

THE SPRAWL--whatever kim is sellin', you want 3 of it.

HOARFROST--snow is my favorite form of precipitation, and this song evokes it perfectly.

DISAPPEARER--

"Goo is the Sonic Youth album with the heaviest Los Angeles vibe"

er? nah, that's "dirty." quite clearly so. this is actually emitting the vibe of "oh my fucking christ stop being so amazing".

WISH FULFILLMENT--i'll take "genetic" over this. you know what? i'll take "hendrix necro" over this (stop ignoring that song, i blasted that in my headphones last week and was dancing while in a sitting position on the bed). i have a lee live rendition from 1996 that is breathtaking. the lyrics deserve the sparse approach, not the glossy sheen that served the other songs on the album well.

BEAUTY LIES IN THE EYE--i guess there are people who don't like this track. i call those people, "radiohead fans."

UNWIND--lovely thurston/lee duet. did not work out so well live.

KAREN REVISITED--or "karenology", or "madonna sean and karen" or whatever the shit. IT IS NOT ABOUT KAREN CARPENTER! this is not a return to "tunic", it's a reference to "karen koltrane". this is not excusable. lee was never "tethered" to karen carpenter. (that would have literally been as useful as being tethered to a feather).

CHAPEL HILL--a great one...one of their best choruses.

WILDFLOWER SOUL--aww, did tbone write another lullaby for coco? yeah, he did, and it beats piss out of "mockingbird", so you know.

Sonic Youth