Murray Street

by

Sonic Youth

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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.

So here we have it finaly,the latest offering from the great elderstatesmen(and woman)of underground rock. As with most of the band's releases since there 80's heyday, Murray St. is sure to meet with mixed reviews within their fanbase. Assertaining the stregnths of thier new material depends on which side of the fence you're on. While this album has the potential to attract new listeners while appeasing their pop-savy followers, it can be frustrating for those hooked on the band's artier and more edgy sounds.

Upon initial listens I found myself tormented along those same party lines. I knew that there was a really good album somewhere within these songs yet I couldn't convince myself of it completely. "Why is this?" I wondered endlessly. "What am I missing here?"

I finally reached some closure when I came back to an interview in which Thurston Moore stated that what the band had now reached was some sort of classic rock stage. While this seemed preposterous to me( and I'm sure most other admirers of the band)when I first read it, it made sense after hearing the album.

Following the infamous hiest of thier one-of-a-kind sound equipment the bands ability to create dissonant,fuzzy soundscapes had been seriously hampered. They bravely marched on for a while attempting to recreate thier vintage musiscal niche, but with mixed results. With Murray St. the band (with the addition of musical guru Jim O'Rourke)have conscioulsy decided to reach a different kind of plateau in thier career.

The album is marked by its dramatic shift to melody and clean guitar tones. The three opening numbers show a fine-tuned craftmanship and gentleness unheard before. Beautiful uplifting melodies and precise, unabstracted guitar chord arrangements are Murray St.'s calling card. What it really all boils down to is that Sonic Youth have truely made the most mature, warm, and inviting album possibly of thier career.

It is these qualities of the album that posses all of the charm and wonder in the music. For a band of several forty something adults Sonic Youth are finally starting to show thier age, in a good way of course! Having veered up and down the musical map with thier avant-garde sounds and punk attitude to various degrees of sucess, band have now learned the ancient art of subtlety.

The most brilliant and pleasing moments on Murray St. are really the simplest and subtle ones. The crisp-sounding interplay in "Rain on Tin", the short but sweet guitar solo on "disonection notice" and most exceptionally the simple addition of sustain key organ chords to "sympathy for the strawberry." All of which in one way or another seem to have O'Rourke to thank. Instrumentally he dosent' make a huge splash, but allows things to gel as never before within the band, allowing them to "jam" in a very real sense as Thurston had pointed out in that same interview.

This cohesiveness and new-found sense of control over thier music is what makes Sonic Youths better moments so sweet on this disc. Unfortunately though the album is somehwat marred by its failure to follow through with its scope. The music really losses itself when the band tries to verge into familer territory. Murray St.'s most glarying pitfall can be found in Kim Gordon's "plastic sun" a song obvioulsy attempting to resurrect the noisy, attitude filled youth of old, but lacks the spine to do it. The same can be said of several other moments on the album where the band seems hellbent on going back in time.

Its unfortunate that the album hits these moments, yet it does. With thier more clean, mature sounding songs Sonic Youth have emerged reborn. The few moments on the other end of the spectrum hurt the album's flow but don't destory it. In the end the band have come up with a rewarding album of wonderful music. Yet its short tracklist and the few dud moments make this one just shy of being a classic. Nearly essential. Totally wortthwhile.