Looking at how they carry themselves in their work, one can’t help but think that Sonic Youth is beyond caring about anyone’s opinion. The curious thing is how, in their twenty-eight year long career, this has always been the case. Of course, this is standard fare for most avant-garde artists, regardless of the medium they work in.
Lets begin by participating in a simple imaginative exercise. Recall if you will, what late night TV feels like. Then, think of what that particular portion of the night – you know, the portion that is beyond late – feels like. You sit in bed trying to find something, anything, remotely interesting on TV. You’re so far off the deep end that you’re finding short films about mediocre magicians sleeping with loose women on the roof of a hardware store while watching the same rerun of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations for the umpteenth time on another channel, telling yourself for an hour that you’re bound to find something. Eventually, you press the mute button upon becoming aware of the vacuous temporal space that you’re currently occupying. It’s limp, lacks distinction, and doesn’t seem to have a whole lot going on. This is the dilemma that one could find themself in regarding Sonic Youth’s latest release, The Eternal; they seem to be in a beyond-“late night” phase right now.
The Eternal simply feels as if it’s at the end of a very long day. The band – whose current lineup includes staples Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore (when is their daughter Coco going to join the family business?), as well as Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, and Mark Ibold – strikes me as lacking the usual “punch” that the outfit is traditionally celebrated for. The punch that is a constant affront to every “traditional” approach to sound that many bands are keen on adhering to.
When one is introduced to Sonic Youth, they are typically schooled in a new approach to musical thought that grates against most listening tendencies that circulate the recesses of the pleasure center of their mind. Working on their knowledge and experience of the band since this introduction, one tends to expect to hear an album with certain elements to it. Elements that would carry with them a certain grimy swagger; an aural-saltiness that has been pretty consistent with most of the band’s previous works. When listening to the previous album, 2006′s Rather Ripped, feel free to become curiously enamored by a sense of disparity coupled with emotional intensity that can make one feel as if it is of vital importance that they listen. Tracks such as “Incinerate” or “What a Waste” evoke an aural potency of urgency that commands one to listen, lest something bad should happen. The Eternal lacks the same intensity.
One has to wonder if Sonic Youth opted for something with more delicate murkiness to it, to contrast with their previous work. The Eternal seems better suited for subconscious listening; or rather, a sort of non-active approach. Play it at a healthy and audible level while partaking in some sort of casual activity, and notice how your mind reacts to The Eternal’s collection of rhythmic undertones a lot more than if you were to try to do so in an active manner. While The Eternal’s debut single “Sacred Trickster” is a strong track, it would seem to have a better home with Rather Ripped – an album with a more traditional approach – than its current abode.
It’s easy for a fan of Sonic Youth to be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to their music. Any proper music-loving chap can find conventionally structured songs lacking a rain of guitar feedback and melodic lyrics just about anywhere. However, if one ever finds themselves trekking over to Sonic Youth country, they seek out the exact opposite. This avant-garde landscape is painted with a scraggly brush of organized chaos the likes of which few in the music industry seem to be able to wield properly.
(7/10)
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