IN WHICH THE STRONGEST CASE FOR KIM GORDON AS A MODERATING INFLUENCE ON SONIC YOUTH IS MADE: THIS RECORD, CREDITED TO THURSTON, LEE, AND STEVE OF SONIC YOUTH AS WELL AS JIM, GIVES 80 MINUTES OF FLOOR-SPACE TO THOSE BITS OF SONIC YOUTH GIGS THAT COME BETWEEN THE TALKING AND THE START OF THE RECOGNISABLE BITS OF SONGS.
IN SHORT IT IS 80 MINUTES OF PERCUSSIVE TAPPING ON ELECTRIC GUITARS HOOKED UP TO A SMALL ARMADA OF FX UNITS, CREATING ATMOSPHERIC BILLOWS OF SOUNDS AND UNFORMED EXPLORATORY MOMENTS. THERE ISN'T ANYTHING APPROACH A POP SONG HERE, AND STEVE SHELLEY'S CONTRIBUTIONS RARELY EVEN COULD BE FILED AS 'BEAT-KEEPING'.
HUGE RESPECT FOR ALL OF THESE GUYS (MY LAPTOP LOCKSCREEN EVEN FEATURES RANALDO FROM THE INSET IMAGE OF THE ASCENSION BY GLENN BRANCA) BUT THIS LAPSES INTO TOSS AFTER NOT VERY LONG. HAD IT BEEN EDITED DOWN A LITTLE AND PERHAPS GONE THROUGH SOME DYNAMICS, MAYBE EVEN DARED TO PLAY WITH MELODY AND RHYTHM A LITTLE, I COULD HAVE SAID IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIMENT.
BUT IT'S NOT. IT IS BASICALLY WANKING WITHOUT TECHNIQUE. OK OK THERE IS SOME TECHNIQUE AND SKILL IN COAGULATING 4 PLAYERS INTO THIS SOUND AND NOT HAVING ONE BECOME OVERLY-DOMINANT, AND IT IS NOT LIKE THIS RECORD IS CHARMLESS (THE LAST 8 MINUTES PICK UP!).
BUT I THINK I AM GOING 'DUD' FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 2006 AND THE SECOND TIME WITH THURSTON MOORE. COME TO THINK OF IT JIM'S 2006 RECORD WITH CHRIS CORSANO KINDA SUCKED TOO. NO WONDER HE TOOK SOME TIME OFF MUSIC SHORTLY AFTER.
DUD.
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