Sonic Youth

The blunt, chaotic sound of Sonic Youth's visionary but difficult early work had begun to give way to a more coherent and song-oriented attack on 1986's EVOL, and with 1987's Sister, Sonic Youth revealed that they were a great rock band as well as a great art band. From the shifting dynamics and disquieting mood of the opening track "Schizophrenia" to the ferocious coda of "White Cross," Sister was the work of a band that had grown impressively stronger and more unified in the 12 months since their previous long-player. The sheets of sound that issued from Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo's re-tuned and modified guitars were still the core of their sound, but Sonic Youth's songcraft was steadily improving as they made better and more effective use of their aural palette and created a melodic context that helped their noisy report make greater dramatic sense. After going through a handful of drummers, Steve Shelley finally gave Sonic Youth the combination of chops, imagination, and force that they needed behind the kit, and while he certainly improved EVOL (his debut with the group), it was Sister where he truly make his mark: the steady pulse and rhythmic shadings of "Catholic Block," "Stereo Sanctity," and "Tuff Gnarl" helped firm up the tunes and added some discipline to Moore and Renaldo's exploratory guitar work that, remarkably, made their twisted instrumental figures more impressive and no less distinctive. And the warmth and clarity of Bill Titus' all-analog engineering made the guitars (and Kim Gordon's bass) sound as glorious as they always deserved; while Sonic Youth had been a band with great ideas from the start, Sister was where the execution finally caught up with the concept, and it was their first truly great album. [Sister was re-released on CD in 2016.]… (meer)

Product Details

* Audio CD (June 25, 2002)
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Enhanced
* Label: Geffen Records
* ASIN: B000066I6F
* Average Customer Review: based on 64 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,509 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #46,738 in Music

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1. The Empty Page Listen Listen
2. Disconnection Notice Listen Listen
3. Rain On Tin Listen Listen
4. Karen Revisited Listen Listen
5. Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style Listen Listen
6. Plastic Sun Listen Listen
7. Sympathy for the Strawberry Listen Listen
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
As 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 the impetus that made you so exciting in the first place. Such is the dilemma faced by this exceptional band in 2002, now wryly rechristened "Radical Adults" in one Thurston Moore lyric. Given the bewilderment that's unfairly greeted recent attempts to push their remarkable music to new extremes--notably their contemporary classical project, Goodbye 20th Century --Murray Street initially feels like something of a compromise; the band themselves admit it's more "song-oriented" than their last few albums. But hell, what a magnificent compromise. Named after the New York street where their studio is situated--and where a plane engine landed on September 11, 2001--Murray Street is potent, accessible, daring, and often obliteratingly lovely. For a start, the first three songs ("The Empty Page," "Disconnection Notice," and "Rain On Tin") easily rank with the highlights of SY's previous 15 albums. Obliquely melancholic, tuneful but unorthodox, all are enriched by great cascades of intricate three-guitar noise. When the Youth spin off on one of these bright and wild trips, these rich musical elegies for their city, they remain one of the world's great musical wonders. --John Mulvey
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
This may take a while..., September 1, 2003
Reviewer: Wheelchair Assassin (The Great Concavity) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
Usually, I figure two or three listens are enough to get an idea of whether or not I like an album. I've reviewed some albums as early as the second time I've heard them. "Murray Street," however, defied my initial opinion-forming efforts. I'm currently at about my eighth listen, and I'm just figuring out how I feel about it. I had heard of, but never heard, Sonic Youth before I heard "Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style" on an internet station and decided to check out the album, so I can honestly say that my opinion of "Murray Street" isn't impacted by any preconceptions regarding this band or their previous body of work. Judged on its own merits, though, this album definitely calls for a more thorough examination of the Sonic Youth catalog.

Anyway, what does the album sound like, you might ask? Well, if I say so myself, pretty great. My own personal experience indicated that this album requires an ear for detail and repeated listens to get into, so I recommend to any listeners that they give this album some time and attention before rendering a judgement one way or another. Based on what I've read, this album isn't as extravagant or adventurous as Sonic Youth's previous work, but that doesn't mean it's without its charm.

"Murray Street" as a whole has a rather trippy and melodic vibe; I could even go so far as to describe much of the material here as "laid-back," but not at all in a bad way. The musicianship here is very high-quality, but the band members clearly aren't out to beat you over the head with their chops; one reason this album took me a while was because the subtleties of the music were gradually revealed to me with each subsequent listen. Traditional pop song structures can be found here, but the band can also launch into extended, improvised-sounding instrumental passages with equal success. Of special note are the mind-bending guitar solos that leave no doubt as to why Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo were both ranked in the top forty of Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time (I personally thought that list was somewhat of a travesty, but making it is still pretty impressive).

The band may have three skilled guitarists, but awe-inspiring, Hendrix-style displays of technical prowess are not to be found. Instead, Thurston and company reveal themselves to be masters of atmosphere. When every member gets locked in together and those guitars intertwine, it makes for some truly transcendent listening. "Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style," which I found to be the most accessible and "rocking" song on here, is an excellent guitar song that displays equal amounts of virtuosity and efficiency. The jagged lead lines and angular hooks are sure to get your head bobbing, and they're enhanced by mesmerizing background atmospherics that propel the song to dizzying heights. When Sonic Youth reach that perfect middle ground between conventional and experimental rock, it makes for some of best listening of the past few years.

The other songs on "Murray Street" aren't quite as immediate, but they're a taste worth acquiring. "The Empty Page" and "Disconnection Notice" may sound easygoing on first listen, but there's an abundance of intricate, fascinating noise roiling beneath the surface. "Rain On Tin" and "Karen Revisited" start out in a similar manner before shifting gears and turning into prolonged guitar-led jams. "Karen Revisited" goes on a bit too long IMO, but "Rain On Tin" is a prime example of the joy of unpredictability, and may well be the best song here. Kim Gordon's punkish, riot-grrrrrl "Plastic Sun" is a short burst of adrenaline that provides some much-needed aggression late in the album. In contrast, Kim's closing, nine-minute epic "Sympathy For The Strawberry" is one of the most elegant songs I've heard lately, with a shimmering guitar freakout eventually giving way to her very pretty, almost childlike vocals.

As I've already noted, "Murray Street" isn't for everybody. This isn't pop, so if you tend to form an opinion on songs within a minute of the first time you hear them it may not be for you. However, I think one of the most compelling qualities of "Murray Street" is the way it forces you to *listen* to each song from beginning to end. I give this album a hearty recommendation to those who want to hear some rock with brains.

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A Thousand Leaves, Part 2, June 27, 2002
Reviewer: R. Hutchinson "autonomeus" (a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This is a fine new record from SY, but it's a return to the sound of A THOUSAND LEAVES, not DAYDREAM NATION (as one reviewer has claimed). I say great, I loved LEAVES! Actually, to go back further, MURRAY STREET sounds more like EVOL than anything else SY has done since -- also great! Dissonant guitars, now more subdued as played by radical adults.

Jim O'Rourke's touches here are interesting -- there's a subtle motorik kick to "Strawberry," and a Stereolab-like Farfisa. The album leads off with three Thurston songs in a row, all laid-back psychedelia, then Lee's one number, also psychedelic. "Rain on Tin" and "Karen Revisited" both culminate in long guitar jams. Then come the two most rock-ish numbers, Thurston's "Radical Adults" and Kim's "Plastic Sun," both fairly short and intense. Finally Kim gets in the psychedelic groove with "Sympathy for the Strawberry." The structure is quite different from LEAVES (see my review) which formed a palindrome, opening and closing with Kim numbers, warm melodic Thurston numbers inside those, another layer of Kim, then four long psychedelic jams by Thurston and Lee, and Kim in the middle. MURRAY STREET is shorter, basically goes from Thurston to Lee to Kim, and does not have any tracks as radio-friendly as "Sunday" or "Wildflower Soul."

Thurston recently said the group would rather be making films now. Perhaps this partly explains why this album breaks no new ground, and sounds very much like LEAVES, Part 2." That's OK. Once again, SY offers a glimpse of a countercultural utopia, and I think this record captures a "radical adult" vision of that possibility in a way that is perhaps more necessary than ever...

See my METASONIC (sy + rhizomes & fractals) list for more recordings and reviews by the band, its members, its formative influences and early co-conspirators, and even artists used for cover art.… (meer)

? Format Year Company Release Number Country CD 1990 Flashback Worldproductions 07.93.0212 LU Songs: Track Title 1 Sister 2 Tom Violence 3 White Cross 4 Cotton Crown 5 Stereo Sanctity 6 Brother James 7 Pipeline 8 Hot Wire My Heart 9 Beauty Lies In The Eye 10 PCH 11 (I Got A) Catholic Block 12 Tuff Gnarl 13 Tunic (Song For Karen) 14 Dirty Boots 15 Kill Yr. Idols 16 Silver Rocket 17 Mary-Christ 18 Kool Thing Notes: All songs recorded live at Chapel Hill, NYC, September 15th, 1987. Tracks 13-18 recorded live in California 1990.… (meer)