Yeah i downloaded the album, suck it if thats a problem for you, I will for sure buy it the first day it comes out. I haven't listened to it much, but wow, kim is great on this album, star of the show for the vocals. singing in key? who would of thunk it? although I like kim's voice quite a bit on alot of songs, sometimes her voice is a distraction when she is going all dischordent. but yeah, I like her vocals on this album, its a very catchy album as has been said over and over, it kinda reminds me of how Fugazi got very catchy on The Argument, but obviously in an SY way. I like it, at least for now, Sy stuff that i like alot immediatly sort of starts to diminish in pleasure faster that the more difficult and complex stuff. but overall, im happy with the album, it sounds like sonic youth...

Hey, thanks, I didn't know it was there... Incinerate is great :)

neongod, you're from baltimore? do you play in any local bands? i may know you. hehe.

but anyways, i think i'm going to weigh in with my two cents on this album. i'm sorry if anyone is frustrated that i've already heard it, but i can promise you that i will purchase the album and that jesus has already died for our sins.

1. reena - perhaps my favorite track on the album. great opener, very strong. terrific vocals by kim, nice arrangement. it will be a great live song also, i can tell... especially on the little breakdown part.

2. incinerate - not a bad song, very catchy. it sounds A LOT like green mind-era dinosaur jr. doesn't sound much like sonic youth though... sounds very clean and accessible in the verses.

3. do you believe in rapture? - not my favourite song, but it might be growing on me. i like how they took some chances with the production, but it sounds kind of like an arena rock, hold-up-yr-lighter song.

4. sleepin around - sounds sort of like an unfinished sketch of a velvet underground song. the drums on the mix that i have heard are way too quiet, and its not as driving as it could be.

5. what a waste - sounds like it should be on experimental jet set. again, it sounds sort of unfinished. kim doesn't sing it as well as she sings the other songs on the album, but i do love the lyric, "i can't wait to taste your face."

6. jams run free - this song sounds like it would normally be a b-side or bonus track or something... theres just not a whole lot to it. maybe i need to listen to it more, but i find it sort of boring.

7. rats - fantastic. lee's catchiest song since "genetic." arrangement is very effective and it sounds like theres some light tape delay on his voice that reminds me of the vocal production of "hey joni." and it will definitely be a great live song.

8. turquoise boy - a pretty song with a nice piano track. kim sings it very well, and it has a light and airy quality to it. much more melodic than the typical sy song.

9. lights out - so far i'm not really digging this song. i don't care much for the lyrics and the chorus is kind of boring and poorly executed. maybe it will grow on me.

10. the neutral - very catchy, fresh verse. very stale chorus that sounds very much like a sonic nurse rip off. great vocal production though, sounds very warm.

11. pink steam - epic-ish arrangement. definitely thurston's best vocals on the album. strong song and the recording does it justice.

12. or - a nice, introverted closer... with bad lyrics. but the textures are there and thats what counts.

all in all, i approve. i can't wait to hear the final mixes, and i have a feeling that the album will really grow on me.

sucks ass.

sonic geezers.

i downloaded the album too...
i personnaly thought it was very dissapointing

Rather Downloaded
 

Hi!
I download the album yesterday, (as my own birthday present;-) I have only listen to it 3 or 4 times but I like it a lot, I will continue listening to it and maybe later I will write s´t about it, of course I will buy it when it comes out (both cd and vinyl versions as always)

I am still amazed how is possible that the album is already on emule, soulseek, etc...

Do you believe in rapture? is my favourite song at the moment...
cheers

Pedro

You honestly cannot excpect that they should sound like they did 25 years ago. This is peculiar. Everyone wants 20 albums that sound like sister (or whatever you love from SY in the 80s).

that's funny, reena reminded me of mega man. incinerate does have a dinosaur jr. feel for sure

Quite the opposite. We are amazed at how they've evolved over the years. And the ones that don't like it I can understand...it abandons a lot of what was their signature sound.

yes i think all that noise is runnning out... what is really sad... and i don't believe they will do albums as NYC anymore.... fuck .....
anyway i'm listening first rather ripped song and it sounds good ......
but i really miss all that feedback .......
and anyway again ... its new stuff out....
i will finish listening to it now....

I've listened a few more times and it has some decent songs

Listen to the new JESU ep instead.

I have yet to check them out, but I've seen them in stores a lot. Aren't they similar to Khanate?

Jesu is like shoegazer meets Godflesh.

At first I was slightly disappointed, but fuck, this is really growing on me. Listen closely, everythings sonic is in there, for crissakes. "Rats" is definitely an instant classic, typical Lee brilliance, and makes me think of running through a dark night-time field with a crazy multipattern-jacketed wonder-soaked hippy girl.

The album is growing on me too. I think it's more of a return to early 90s alternative rock. Like early Pavement with fuller guitar sounds (not single note playing) but mixed with unconventional, yet *consonant*(as opposed to the usual dissonant stuff you would expect from Sonic Youth) chords.

There is nothing radical or revolutionary, they're just good nostalgic songs. But it's not nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia. It's more like a nod of appreciation to the early 90's.

drunken double posting action baBY

pink steam
reena
jams run free
are all sweet

all in all it's a good lp..

not feelin it as much as nurse or murr street but still cool..

I just want them to make the same album 3 times over, with eace one getting worse and worse.

First off, do some of you work as markters, they way you put on a spin on a yawnfest...

Also, SY members have kept up the "noise" experimentations in their side projects, so it's not that they evolved as they redirected it...

ok, in a way i have given in to the pressure... but i didn't d-load the album myself, my brother gave me a burned copy...

i don't want to say much about it. but i will comment on Incinerate since its on the myspace page...

catchy, immediate, fun rock song w/ a mostly clean guitar sound. the song itself has the most "typical sounding rock progression" that i've heard sonic youth do, not saying that's a bad thing at all and maybe thats what they are trying to convey here w/ this album which i guess is what stands out as being different as compared to most of their back catalog. this song sounds like a song that be on Nurse except that most of the parts/sections are brief and "to the point" or very "direct and concise".

Incinerate and Reena both work for me. I will try to wait for the others...

There is a lot of bickering about downloading the album, but you all seem to forget that there are also press releases of the album, such as my personal copy. So some people have a legit copy of the album.

And as far as the whole mp3 quality argument goes, the only real issue mp3 brings up is the fact that it throws out any information that is being masked by something else, so in the process you lose overtones. With a band like sonic youth and a bitrate around 192 a good 75% of you wont even notice the difference. And of course as you all read this each and every one of you has an arrogant side, whether you want to admit it or not, that thinks you are part of the 25% that will notice.

Petty bickering over the mp3 verses cd thing and the whole downloading versus not downloading thing are getting old. How about the world grows up and realizes some people are always going to attain unofficial copys of someones work, so just except it and move on, and if you think it's wrong don't do it, but don't come down on some kid who just wants to enjoy someone's art. It's not malicious man, nobody is like "oh shit I want to download all this bands music to screw them over," it's usually more like "oh shit I really dig this band, but I can't afford the albums"

well stated
complete agreement

its like 10$ when it first comes out at tower...totaly worth it!

everyone should just buy it on vinyl and download the mp3s. fuck geffen. long live goofin.

long live goofin!:D

HAHAHAH THE RIP OFF FROM FRIENDS!!
THAT'S TOTALLY TRUE!!!
it's a rock version of the theme song.
what a piece of shit...

Word, nigga.

i think you are all fucking morons.

I feel the EXACT same way about you!

In order for records to be available at stores for the date they're 'released' they need to be delivered to distribution labels and such at least 1-2 months in advance. Radio stations receive copies probably close to a month in advance as well. Then there's all the friends/family + anyone who worked on the album that will probably have received copies. Its so easy for these albums to end up on file sharing sites. Even the smallest bands have this happen to their albums. With bands with as much interest as SY, its inevitable that someone is going to leak it. It can also be unintentional perhaps - you've got the album on your laptop, but don't realize that its open to sharing via any fileswapping programs you have??

i just registered to give some love to 'or' because no-one else seems to be. so, uhh, i love you 'or' - you're beautiful. yep.

i also think incinerate is soooo dinosaur jr....ghost in j mascis studio0have forced SY to sound like him :)))

rapture is def. the worst - it's ok for b-side track...
kim songs rule!
and why o why lee has only 1 song????????????
his drift dvd (i have only the audio rip) is sooooo amazing

exactly,
though without geffen i probably never would have found EVOL and CIS in the before internet/ebay era

Just a quick note from me.

The musical departure part of Jams Run Free, is a small master piece. It's amazing that they have such a musical dynamic range! It's subtle and masterfull.

Also, how they've "recycled riffs" makes the old new once more. After listening to this record you will hear the older stuff differently. There are chords that remind you of Psycic Hearts, Goo, ect...
Like when Kims sings "it's a perfect sin" in The Neu tral, and it sounds like Bubble Gum from Goo.

And hey, turn it up loud. I heard the record like 8 times before noticing the opening of Pink Steam. It sounds alot like a Brainwave Theropy track, ala Dr. Jeffery Thompson.

Bubblegum "from" EVOL

Oh yeah, whoops.

And I was going to mention a thought on the title Rather Ripped. Definitly a reference to file sharing culture. Obviously the record is being rather ripped, but then, does anyone remember finding the mislabled track By Evolution Control Committee "Rocked by Rape" Where in Dan Rather is cut up? Thats been floating around for p2p nets for years labled as sonic youth.....

Ha, yeah I remember getting that back in the Napster days.