Virtually every album Sonic Youth has released since the underrated Goo has been hailed as a return to form. However, Murray Street, their second collaboration with Jim O'Rourke (and their first with him as a full member of the group), not only recalls their past glories but explores new territory. Freed from the trendy agendas that marred A Thousand Leaves and NYC Ghosts & Flowers, the group revisits the complex, transcendent guitar epics that made them underground ock heroes in the first place. But Murray Street doesn't just rehash the sound of their late-'80s heyday, either; for the most part, epics like the '60s-tinged "The Empty Page" and "Rain on Tin" -- which sounds a bit like a rural cousin to Television's "Marquee Moon" -- are built on surprisingly clean, crisp guitar tones that only explode into occasional noise-storms. Indeed, the guitar work on the album's first three tracks is both economical and sensual, a feast of textures and counterpoints that never sounds overdone. Murray Street's wonderfully natural yet intricate sound is O'Rourke's most distinctive contribution to the group; while his work with Smog and Wilco pushed those groups to be more experimental and eclectic, with Sonic Youth he seems to give those tendencies focus and balance. Even the hypnotic drones at the end of "Karen Revisited," the album's noisy, oddly romantic centerpiece, have a unique precision and clarity. Murray Street's first four songs rank among the most consistent, and consistently exciting, work in Sonic Youth's career, so much so that the album's shorter, more ock-oriented songs feel a bit anticlimactic. "Plastic Sun," a Kim Gordon-sung rant, feels particularly out of keeping with the rest of Murray Street's warm, expansive tone; "Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style" is a typical Sonic Youth rocker that suffers merely from not being as good as the first half of the album. Closing with the serenely sexy "Sympathy for the Strawberry," Murray Street reaffirms that at the group's best, Sonic Youth manages to sound fresh and timeless all at once.
* LP Record (June 25, 2002) * Number of Discs: 11. The Empty Page 2. Disconnection Notice 3. Rain On Tin 4. Karen Revisited 5. Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style 7. Sympathy for the StrawberryAs Sonic Youth will testify, it's not easy being avant-rock superstars. Follow your urge to experiment, and you risk alienating your more conservative fans. Stop experimenting, and you lose...
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Why are so many of the clubs in Chicago 21+?I just moved here from Dallas and I've never had this problem...I can't even go see certain jazz shows because I'm only 18. In Dallas and New York I was able to get into bars/clubs as a 15 year old...so what's the deal here?Hopefully I'm not revealing some huge ignorance on my part with this question, but it's kinda bugging me.What do I do about it? W...
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Sonic Youth just don't know when to stop do they? And that's a good thing for us. At last week's McCarren Pool in Brooklyn, the indie-rock legends played the last show ever there by opening with two new songs. The songs are so new that they neither have titles nor lyrics. Though Thurston Moore explained to crowd that the band had just began writing material for their new album a few days ago, h...
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Earlier today, I hopped in my '96 Jeep Grand Cheroke to purchase some extra cans of spray-on popcorn ceiling texture paint (2 square feet costs $10!). The minute I opened the door, I knew something was wrong. My between-the-seat glove compartment was open. There was a roll of packing tape on the driver's seat. The sunglass compartment (is that what you call it?) was hanging open just overto...
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* LP Record (June 25, 2002) * Number of Discs: 11. The Empty Page 2. Disconnection Notice 3. Rain On Tin 4. Karen Revisited 5. Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style 7. Sympathy for the StrawberryAs Sonic Youth will testify, it's not easy being avant-rock superstars. Follow your urge to experiment, and you risk alienating your more conservative fans. Stop experimenting, and you lose...
More >
Why are so many of the clubs in Chicago 21+?I just moved here from Dallas and I've never had this problem...I can't even go see certain jazz shows because I'm only 18. In Dallas and New York I was able to get into bars/clubs as a 15 year old...so what's the deal here?Hopefully I'm not revealing some huge ignorance on my part with this question, but it's kinda bugging me.What do I do about it? W...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 The Empty Page |
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| 2 Disconnection Notice |
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| 3 Rain On Tin |
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| 4 Karen Revisited |
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| 5 Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style |
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| 6 Plastic Sun |
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| 7 Sympathy For The Strawberry |
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 "Murray Street")
