Sonic Youth - The Eternal

It's fitting that after almost thirty years, Sonic Youth are marking a literal return to indie-rock with their latest release "The Eternal". Their intentions are clear from the start, too. About twenty-seven seconds into "Sacred Trickster", Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo let their dogs off the leash and Kim Gordon sneers, "Press up against the amp/Turn up the treble!" This is the kind of blistering, psychedelic-punk guitar workout that has become Sonic Youth's hallmark. Clearly, time has done nothing to mellow the trigger finger on Sonic Youth's heavy-artillery guitar attack.

"The Eternal" is a stark reminder that despite their tag as alternative/art-rockers, Sonic Youth can be louder than a construction site when the mood strikes them. With the addition of former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold, the band decided to change their songwriting approach. Instead of writing songs as an entire song cycle, the songs on "The Eternal" were written in quick bursts and recorded in a flurry of sessions.

"The Eternal" is self-referential enough that fans of every period in Sonic Youth's storied career will be more than satisfied. In fact, this is the heaviest Sonic Youth has sounded since 1987's "Sister". It's also notable that the band's debut set for indie-label Matador give a nod to the band's earlier days with SST. The most striking difference here is that the songs are tighter than usual. But, the band still hasn't lost the ability to stretch things out with muscle and confidence. In fact, "The Eternal" sounds very informed by the band's recent "Daydream Nation" shows.

Sonic Youth has always been built around the idea of fierce independence. Because of this, the band makes music that answers to no one. You can almost imagine that many A&R guys have thrown up their hands after repeating to the band, "I don't hear a single, guys". One also gets the feeling that a single was never really a big concern for Sonic Youth. For that reason, "The Eternal" reaffirms Sonic Youth's promise that their music will remain exciting, challenging and consistently satisfying.