JIM JOINED SONIC YOUTH IN THE LATE 1990S, MOSTLY AS A TOURING BASS GUITARIST AS KIM HAD BEGUN TO FIND HER SKRONKY VOICE AS A GUITAR PLAYER. I SAW THA YOUTH ON THEIR 2002 TOUR AND WONDERED WHO THIS FIFTH GUY WAS EVEN THOUGH I HAD A COPY OF INSIGNIFICANCE AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH HIS GENERAL THING. DOES THAT HAPPEN ANYMORE? NOT KNOWING WHAT THE PERSON YOU OWN MUSIC BY EVEN LOOKS LIKE?
SY HAD BEEN GOING THROUGH A BIT OF A PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PATCH IN THE 90S BUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR SYR SERIES ALLOWED THEM TO BIFURCATE THE WILD AVANT IDEAS FROM THE ROCK RECORD IDEAS. IT'S A GOOD THING TO DO IF YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT, AND FIND AN AUDIENCE WILLING TO REMEMBER TO OVERLOOK EVERY OTHER RECORD.
ANYWAY I CAN'T HONESTLY TELL YOU WHAT O'ROURKE BRINGS TO SONIC YOUTH AS AN INDIVIDUAL. HE'S A MEMBER OF THE BAND AND DOING HIS BEST TO JOIN IN. THE PART OF THE RECORD THAT SOUNDS MOST DECISIVELY LIKE HIS WORK IS THE EXTENDED GUITAR PASSAGE THAT CLOSES 'RAIN ON TIN': IT SLOWLY MORPHS FROM THREE GUITARS INTERLOCKING TO SOMETHING AKIN TO THREE PEOPLE TAPPING ON THE SIDE OF MELODIC SEPTIC TANKS.
MURRAY STREET IS A WARM RECORD OF AN AUTUMNAL SONIC YOUTH: THE CLOSED TUNINGS AND PUNCHY DRUMMING IS THERE, BUT IT'S MOSTLY OVERLAID WITH TWINKLY LOW MID-TEMPO PLAYING WITH LITTLE DISCORDANCE OR MID-SONG BREAKS FOR NOISE. THEY DO OCCASIONALLY GO FOR HELL - AVANT-SAX DUO BORBETOMAGUS TURN UP ON ONE SONG - BUT THE GENERAL VIBE IS GENTLY DOWNBEAT POST 9/11 MELANCHOLY. PLEASINGLY CONCISE TOO.
I'D GIVE IT CERTIFIED: GOOD BUT I HONESTLY DON'T SEE HOW YOU CAN CALL IT A JIM O'ROURKE RECORD.
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