The Eternal reviews thread
 

(There isn't one already, is there?)

The Wire:

http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/album...eleased-080609

http://thequietus.com/articles/01524...track-by-track

http://www.snobsmusic.net/2009/05/so...um-review.html

from markprindle.com:


The good news is they're still playing the uptempo guitar rock of Rather Ripped. "What's the bad news?"
They're dead.
Ha! No no, they're fine. I was just quoting Night Of The Creeps, a scrumptious horror-comedy of yesteryear. The actual bad news is that the songwriting isn't as consistent this time around. Most of the songs feature one strong melodic hook that the band then pairs with either (a) a long guitar interplay jam, (b) a Thurston Moore riff-by-numbers or (c) an ugly dissonant passage. Let's address each of these aspects now, and by "let's," I mean "let'e" (let me).
First off, the long guitar breaks obviously aren't a surprise; that's what they do. But it's disconcerting when a guitar break has no correlation at all to the song it interrupts. Secondly, Thurston can toss out those hipster 'tuff rock' licks with no effort at all (see his first solo album for proof), and he certainly does so whenever stymied for a melodic idea here. And finally, if all else fails, just play a chord comprised of notes that sound like shit together. Bammo Biff Bap Whammo! Your album is finished.
And yes, I realize I appear to have switched from third to second person at the end of the paragraph there. But what actually happened is that Sonic Youth suddenly walked up behind me so I decided to type it to them rather than saying it out loud. Kim, can you go get me a Diet Coke thanx.
Quick, while she's gone -- dearly aggravating my sense of hearing this time around are some of Kim's worst vocal performances in years. Her disgusting hoarse raspiness nearly destroys the sole mood epic here ("Massage The History," a mood VAMP driven by acoustic guitars!) as well as turning what might've been a nice ringing guitar clanger ("Calming The Snake") into a sub-Dirty screaming tantrum. Hey Kim we were talking about Lydia Lunch thanx for the Diet Coke. Lee can you see if that's a chipmunk on the patio.
Okay quick - Lee's career-long inability to sing on key continues here, and his two songwriting contributions might be his worst yet (Polvo fans should enjoy the spectacle of that band's mentors ripping off Polvo's early sound in "What We Know"). Thurston actually sounds good on the mic though; he puts terrific urgency into his great driving rocker "No Way," and his voice overall continues to mature from the shouty irritant he could be in his youth. Hey Lee oh it was just a bird? Cool I was just telling them how your voice is getting better with age.
In conclusion, it's another great outing for Sonic Youth! Good to see you guys, I'll talk to you later.
Okay they're gone THIS ALBUM BLOWS.
Alright, it doesn't "blow." In fact, it's almost up to their usual standards, full of sparkly harmonic tricks and multi-guitar aural surprises. And honestly, that's the most comforting aspect of the release: they're still exploring the possibilities of sound. Very few of these songs are simple verse/chorus constructions; they often veer off into unexpected little snippets of triple-guitar interplay as beautiful and/or bizarre as any that Sonic Youth has ever created. The problem is that some of the actual verses and choruses could use a bit of work. In addition to weak Lee-nks and Kim vocal abortions discussed above, we also have to contend with a terrible Fugazi rip-off (seriously, am I nuts or does "Leaky Lifeboat" sound exactly like "Do You Like Me"?), Thurston's pleasant-but-underwhelming "Antenna" (a smooth poppy "Sugar Kane" throwback that I loved until I realized I've heard the haunting chorus melody in some other song -- and now I can't sleep until I figure out what song it was!), and "Malibu Gas Station," an awesome driving surf-rock song (about Britney Spears, possibly?) ruined by a throwaway tuff grrl chorus.
What I like and what you like are five different things though. And this is turning out to be a very divisional release: it hasn't even been released to stores yet, but listener response on my FaceBook page is already running the gamut from "I only listened to it once and didnt like it at all and getting to the end of the album felt like a chore" to "Really? I think it's pretty great." I'm not trying to straddle the fence like a coward here; I honestly do vividly love some parts of the record and viciously hate other parts. Embarrassingly, I even enjoy two songs that I should by my own first (full) paragraph LOATHE; "Poison Arrow" certainly includes its share of gross wrong chords, and "Thunderclap" is nothing but Thurston Moore riffs-by-numbers. But consarnit, the former's dichotomy between screwball assfuckery and simple tonic/subdominant chords appeals to me greatly, as do the Helmetastic staccato ending and Thurston's strangely Shannon Selberg-sounding vocal. As for the latter, the song basically stinks but the little Kim/Thurston "yeah yeah!" and "whoa whoa!" vocals are so adorable, I want to kiss them both in their aging wrinkly mouth (with halitosis). Plus it's dedicated to Germs singer Darby Crash, which may explain why it's 60 billion times more fun than the song dedicated to Beat Poet Gregory Corso.
By the way, if this review seems contradictory and confused, it's because it is. When I started writing it this afternoon, I was only going to give the record a 6. But then as I kept listening to the songs over and over while writing, I came to feel that a 6 is way too low for a record with so many excellent passages. Is it full of classic Sonic Youth songs that they'll be playing in concert for years? No. But is it fun, diverse, guitarrific, uptempo and worth several listens to let the cruder portions grow on you? No.
No hang on, yes. Heck, even the ugly Gregory Corso song starts and ends with a killer piece of harmonics interplay.
To complete my excuse for the shoddy review: after deciding to raise the grade to a 7, I had to go back and rewrite certain parts, awkwardly cramming them between insults I'd already written. I still think it's a faulty record (Lee's songs in particular should've been rejected, or at least resung), but not so faulty that it deserves a barely-above-average 6. It may be an extremely low 7 -- but mister, it's Sonic Youth's extremely low 7.

hahaha

I'm going to simply assume that all of these were written from lurking SYG.

He posted something along those lines on a Facebook update a few weeks ago. I haven't heard the album yet, but judging from what everyone else is saying about it, he'll most likely give it a 7 or an 8.

More importantly, I'd really like to know why CIS isn't a ten anymore.

http://www.adatez.com:80/8277/review...onic-youth.htm

Sonic Youth: The Eternal Date Posted: Sat, 16 May 2009 | By: Josh DaNewYork

After years on Geffen Records, Sonic Youth return to an indie label with their sixteenth studio album. "The Eternal" is a supercharged rocker, recalling aspects of the Evol-Sister-Daydream Nation holy trinity, but with cleaner, louder production and more straightforward momentum. With Pavement's Mark Ibold joining on bass, and producer John Agnello back at the controls, "The Eternal" takes the melodic songwriting of 2006's "Rather Ripped" and slams down the accelerator pedal. Opening track ‘Sacred Trickster’ is driven by snarling guitars courtesy of Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo. Sure, it might contain references to Yves Klein and Noise Nomads – whoever the hell they are – but above all the track rocks. Not in a Bon Jovi, fists in the air kinda way, but in a Fugazi style: all sweat, blood and conviction before stuttering to a halt after little more than two minutes.


With their ongoing SYR project allowing boundless sonic exploration, Sonic Youth seem to be filtering their more experimental passages out in favour of a hardcore matinee on their albums ‘proper’. Ultimately, The Eternal acts as a fitting and timeless aide-mémoire of everything this mighty band has ever achieved. By soaking the record with a sweaty aphrodisia they have made it amazing fun not just for us but for themselves. There's melody, noise, desire and reflection, but it never over-indulges in any of its vices.

Even if these iconic mentors are approaching senior status, The Eternal is living proof that youthfulness is just a state of mind, and by continuing to capitalise on one of most welcome U-turns in recent music history, Sonic Youth are now a band we can love, and not merely admire.

Rock-a-Rolla

I wrote a really long blog entry about the album--a track by track review.

So this one is about two weeks overdue. The Eternal has leaked online--the new album from my favorite band of all time! Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth.

I've been once again geeking over the awesomeness of this band. Quoting quotes from The Year Punk Broke in my head (because no one I know is kool enough to have seen it).

"You are not a duck--YOU ARE HUMAN!--so go forth and thrash!"

I always debate the best approach to the album review. Since I only generally do it with highly anticpated releases, I'm not top notch in this regard. I'll give a song by song review a whirl-e-ball here.

Cover Art: I guess it's supposed to be something celestial. Celestial Seasonings? Not so much. I guess the red swirl could be a large cup of tea. Overall, I'm not impressed. Much more a fan of their photographed album covers. Though Daydream Nation is my favorite (painting by Gerard Richter). C-

1. "Sacred Trickster": Wow, this is a great album opener! Quite a statement they're making with it clocking in at around 2:00. Most Sonic Youth tracks go on past the five minute mark. It's fucking hot, sexy, and to the point. Kim seems to be singing about Thurston--a common theme through the album. Does she call T-Bone her Sacred Trickster? I'd like to think so. This one will thrash in concert. This one shakes off the duldrums of the past six albums and will get the crowd acting like the crowd in the "Dirty Boots" video--minus the gratuitous making out (probably). B+

2. "Anti-Orgasm": Wow, again! All three singing members take a vocal in this one. For a Sonic Youth nerd like myself, this is quite exciting. Some great and witty lyrics here. Just when politics seemed to be abandoned in indie rock--well, I guess not quite yet. "Anti-war is anti-orgasm." Yeah, that makes sense. Some classic sarcastic smirky lyrics. Lots of "uhn uhn uhns" throughout. Again, this one will totally slay live. The noise bit in it is pretty fucking heavy. I'm already exhausted two tracks in. "Mission control to brain police" is my favorite lyric. With all that being said, I often skip this guy. Many on the message boards call this their favorite, but I'll wait until I shit my pants while hearing it live. B-

3. "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso): They take it down a notch here. I really like it, but it hasn't quite worked its way into my brain yet. Sounds like it would work perfectly on Washing Machine. This would have been a favorite song on most recent releases, and it works really well on this album, but I simply haven't tasted its love yet. Seems like Kim is helping T. with backing vocals, but I'm not really sure. Lots of layered vocals on this album. C+

4. "Antenna": Here we go. This one is perfectly mapped out. Starts with a beautiful little robotic drone that sounds like an antenna drawing a signal from beyond. Thurston sings this one also--and very well I might add. His vox are really tight on this album. The simple bass riff to draw the song in along with the simple melody--god, this is exactly the kind of thing I want from this band! I can't wait to jump up and down and sing along like a fucking maniac come June. This one is cool and sharp; it will definitely be a summer song for me. Oh, I get the feeling T. is singing about his favorite honey--Kim. It's a nice love song. This and "Incinerate" from the last album are giving me faith that Thurson has a really endearing sweet side along with all his other wonderful sides. What can this man not do? The middle noise breakdown is pure hyperspace--then the nicest lyrics I've heard in a long time--"Every day I feel more like her; Street magik in the burning dawn; out for blood my selfish lover; forever hers and then she's gone". Aw! A

5. "What We Know": Oh, holy fucking shit! Lee wrote his best song ever--and this man has quite a track record. This somehow has better lyrics than "Skip Tracer" (and I've written those lyrics on every notebook I've owned since I was 19); thumps harder than "Mote" (well, actually probably not); and is more captivating than "Eric's Trip" (hmmm). Well, it's acually my fourth favorite Lee song of all time. Those three are unfuckwithable, but so is this one. "Heaven's not about your reputation!" Really, Lee? To quote a teacher-catch-phrase, "Can he say that?" Again, some really sweet lyrics about Lee's sweetheart. "Our bodies vibrate so slowly! Yeah, that we know! Bound together heart and soul!" I can't believe my Sonic Youth are being so sweet. I can't stop listening to this cockknocker! A

6. "Calming the Snake": I was most curious about this song before the record dropped because of the title. One of the best titles since "Dude Ranch Nurse" and "Paper Cup Exit". This is a perfectly quintessential Kim song. She rhymes "river" with "shiver" and "quiver" over and over again majestically. This will be a great song live. It has a great interlude that reminds me a lot of "The Ineffable Me". The scream in the middle with the shrieking high note! Oh god, I can't wait another month and a half for these concerts. This song might make me vomit if I drink too much. A-

7. "Poison Arrow": This one can't leave my brain. Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" used to be my strutting song (the song that I'd have in my head when something happened to make me feel like strutting), but this one is quickly replacing it. Another love song--again, I'd have to imagine about Kim. There seems to be a sweet story included here, maybe about how T and Kim met, maybe not. This is catchy and perfect. Layered very well, like Rather Ripped's best tracks. I'm hoping I don't tire of this song because I really really like it. A-

8. "Malibu Gas Station": Kim sings very well on this one. I was a big fan of songs like "Jams Run Free" on Rather Ripped, and this one is sort of in that vein. Neat little intro and a finely layered pop song. Cool title and a well-crafted song. I have a feeling this one will continue to grow on me, though there's nothing too outrageous about it from the get go. B

9. "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn": This one was my first love on the album. I played the fuck out of this the first week I got it. A nice tribute to Darby Crash with some really cool lyrics. It feels like it belongs in the seventies, and though it's nothing revolutionary, it is just a really catchy, cool song. "Trashcan Canterbury Hollywood Blvd!" My beard is a circuit to amplifiers, too! A-

10. "No Way": I saw this one performed live on LIVE WITH JOOLS HOLLAND, so I am slightly biased in saying that this guy is going to be a real high point in the concert. It didn't stand out too much early in my listenings, but now I can't get enough of it. This one and "Thunderclap" really feel like great seventies punk songs. They just have so much momentum and vim and vigor. God, I haven't mentioned my beloved Steve Shelley yet in this review. He totally fucking destroys on this song. If I were in a band, this is the kind of song I'd want to write, sing, play, and perform. I love the way T-Bone sings, "NO!" in it. This song is flawless and will totally melt my entire being when I see it live (hopefully three times) this summer. A+

11. "Walkin Blue": Another great Lee song. It's not nearly as good (well, close) to "What We Know", but it's very nice. It's consistent with his recent work, has some great lyrics, and is a nice predecessor to the album's closer. This really reminds me of some high points on Washing Machine. It's just pleasant and warm. Cool layering in the vox also. Nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't grab me by the nuts like many of the other tracks. B

12. "Massage the History": Yay, another epic Sonic Youth track. "Pink Steam" was really good, and I called it a favorite for a while, but it was nothing new. "Massage" compares a lot with "I Love You Golden Blue" for me. It has a vibe much like that, though it doesn't do it as well as that one. People are jizzing themselves over this one, but (though I really like it) I can't quite totally immerse myself in it. It's slow ans space-ish. It will blow my head off as it's played probably at the end of the main set. Oh, it's got a vibe like "Sympathy for the Strawberry". There's a really great fucked up part in the mid to late range. Kim's vocals have definitely not sounded much better than this. Maybe she did better on "Sweet Shine"--this is a quality love song--as sexy as fuck! "You're so close, close to me!" I'm really inspired by Kim and Thurston's love for each other. They wrote practically every song about each other on this one. It's fucking beautiful. I know this will eventually be the cat's pajamas from the album (again, need to hear it live), but for now, I'll wait for it to grow on me. B+

Yeah, I know I'm a total fanboy dweeb. But this album makes me feel like I did when I was 16 and they were releasing Experimental Jetset. It's good to stay excited about things.

I'm chomping at the bit to go see them in June. Once again, I'll stand in line all day with a big Taco Bell cup full of happy juice. Maybe some of the old degenerates that I used to see in line will be there. Seems like most of them have moved on. I'd be really happy to run into Nicole again, and I even thought of inviting her to one of the shows, but I doubt that would go well. I really embarassed myself the last time I saw her.

Overall, this album gets a big fat fucking A!

Why did you say cockknocker

Quote:
Originally Posted by koolthing78
To me, it sounds kind of like Sonic Youth made this album with everything they did in the 90's and 00's in mind, only they made it right after Goo.

To me it doesn't.
__________________


From the review posted above: http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/album...eleased-080609
Jon Thompson sees what I mean:
"The whole effect gives a strangely familiar feel, as if the group are revisiting their early/mid-90’s material with all the experience gained during the previous three albums."

I was glad to hear an opposition to the majority on Anti-Orgasm but you lost me on this one.

Yeah, I didn't like Anti-Orgasm as much as I thought I would. The way people were describing it made it seem like it'd be one of my most-loved Yoof songs. Eh, oh well. I'd give it a B/B+.

i was thinking about this when i was driving and listening to Wildflower Soul (awesome song)

before Jim entered the picture, i loved the way their songs sort of ran with each other. mostly in their Washing Machine, ATL and NYCG+F albums. they barely followed song structure. i think in the book (Goodbye20thCentury), it was described as guitars running parallel to each other. Wildflower Soul was great like that.

but then Jim came in and sort of structured the way they wrote. I love Sonic Nurse and loved the way Jim influenced them, but i feel since Jim's gone - they should go back to the way they wrote songs before. more free form and more original structures. I listen to the Eternal now and it's a great album but i feel they're sticking to these 'rock song formulas'. i don't know, my two cents.


i'm glad Eternal's getting good reviews but i sort of wish they made another pre-Jim record. rather than post-Jim

I agree with this very much and it is well put. A Thousand Leaves is such a great record because it's totally weird and illogical. It took me a while to get the brilliance of the last two songs on it, but now I appreciate them more than most of their cannon.

I'm really happy with this straightforward rock effort, though. It's just a great album, and I'm going to try to not analyze it too much. If it were a first album by a new band, I would be going crazy for it. The fact that it's Sonic Youth puts a lot of pressure on the direction it goes.

One thing that is a criticism, I felt like on their pre-Jim stuff, each album had a sound that totally separated it from any other release. It was like, you could tell which album each track was off of, even if you didn't know. Everything post Murray Street seems like it could be on any of the four releases.

http://www.list.co.uk/article/17925-...h-the-eternal/

4/5

"hoboken's finest?"

they'll always be an New York band

okay, i posted the prindle one above...

This is probably why I dislike The Eternal so much, actually. I love Jim and all, too; Sonic Nurse is one of my favorite Sonic Youth albums. Still, though, it seems like he did something bad to the band, or perhaps it was just that the band's equipment being stolen after A Thousand Leaves that "hurt" them. It seems to have made them re-evaluate who they were as a band once they acquired new instruments, which is cool, because I like where they've gone post-NYCG&F, yet at the same time, A Thousand Leaves is my favorite SY album, so for them reel in their oddities like that is a little bit distressing. Although, certainly, their odd ways are still on display if you look at the SYR releases, or the No Fun fest, so I'm not exactly sure why they can't take a dare and make one of their major releases more "out there" like their side offerings are. Maybe eventually.

I understand that, but they can't make a pre-Jim record, because Jim has been in the band, so anything would be post-Jim.

And I'm not just saying that to be smart; I know what you mean, and it sounds like I am arguing semantics. What I'm saying though is that Jim is now a part of SY's evolution. I love their earlier stuff, but I wouldn't ask them to keep making the same music forever. Evolution is what has made SY so great, the fact that they are constantly changing, constantly staying ahead of the game. We may come from a group that knows their amazing past, but there are probably many who will pick this up as their first SY album, only having heard the name "Sonic Youth" before, but never knowing their sound. This album will inspire many more musicians to do what they want to do, just as Sonic Youth has does with each album since they began making music.

RAMBLE RAMBLE RAMBLE, I know...

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/..._reviews/8129/

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20...029958/-1/NEWS

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/disc...content=169758

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=12169

Let's face it... everyone is waiting for the Pitchfork review (aren't they?).

Who gives a shit about Pitchfork? Their reviews are so weird and inconsistent. They gave Boris's Pink this glowing review, but their very next major release, Smile, trashed them all over the place. They don't make very much sense.

I'm not waiting for it because I respect and follow their opinion but I'm curious as to how they approach it.

They'll give it a.. oh... let's see, how much ad space did Matador buy from them this week? I'd say they'll give it a 7.9. And they'll say something along the lines of "Mixing Rathered Ripped's pop experimentation with a noisier edge, recalling their (pardon the pun) 'sonic youth'... freed from major label constraints" blah blah blah blah "...The band sounds more energetic and revitalized..." blah blah blah "Very consistent [mentions and half-apologizes for NYC Ghosts and Flowers' original review]" blah blah blah and finally, "Sonic Youth is back!"

There ya go!

Assuming every "blah blah blah" in your post is equal to 200 words of unnecessary filler, I'd say you pretty much nailed it.

oh oh oh, i haven't heard a song off it yet!1!!
any good traxks'n 'tunes there?

I'll go along with that haha (definitely a mention that it's a concept album of their past, with the 'no wave' of Anti-Orgasm) - I've yet to see a review of The Eternal which has convinced me that the reviewer has actually listened to it (or listened to it properly and more than once). Apart from maybe the suprisingly generous NME one (8/10).

Haha, oh man you're right, I should've mentioned that. "Exploring their roots, the no wave 'Anti-Orgasm' is an appropriate choice for the lead-off track, incorporating all the elements of classic SY skronk with a pop hook. 'I want you to levitate me' Kim Gordon intones over alternate-tuned guitars. New bassist Mark Ibold plays a catchy bassline and makes the band sound fuller and more confident than they have in years."

I've also read that it's the 1st album after O'Rourke leaving.

here it is: http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=5966

You gotta keep in mind though that average indie music fans do not typically know a lot about a band or it's background, they just sort of know what's new and whatnot, so Pitchfork is just catering to their needs. If you want something more in depth, you obviously should look else where.

From normanrecords.com


I am champion of the staff Sonic Youth prize draw! Master of all things chance based! It is I who hath received a free copy of the yoof’s ‘The Eternal’ on a sexy slab of heavy weight vinyl!!! It is I who hath received the bonus Sonic Youth Live L.P and Dennis Tyfus illustrated poster you get if you were savvy enough to pre-order the L.P!!! It is I who hath been privy to a sneaky peak at the album pre-release thanks to Matador’s Buy Early Get Now scheme that lets you stream the album online. Jealousy levels?? Gloating aside it’s always a pleasure to get my mitts on new Sonic Youth stuff. I’m chuffed to bits that Mark Ibold (Pavement) is playing bass nowadays and the shift to Matador appears to have reinvigorated and inspired the group to kick out some party jams, taking the tunefulness of ‘Rather Ripped’ and rockin’ that shit out 1991 style. Nothing on ‘The Eternal’ breaks new ground, rather it revisits and reinterprets past themes with rigorous enthusiasm and joy. You get elements of the fucked up pop grunge stuff of Dirty/Goo/Sister/Evol (Sacred Trickster, Anti-Orgasm and the awesome Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn), you get space rock outings (Calming the snake), sweet indie pop anthems (Poison arrow) and an epic final track that tips the hat to Washing machine’s stand-out tune ‘The Diamond sea’. The production is too smooth to really invoke the true spirit of the aforementioned tunes (the fact that some douche bag stole all their best equipment a few years back probably doesn't help either) but you get a hint of past glories and that’s enough. I can hear a little of Pavement in ‘No Way’ and the psyche-pop jam of ‘Walking Blue’ and the wonky riff on ‘Malibu Gas Station’ is one of my fave yoof riffs in recent memory. I am a big fan of the later Sonic Youth records so I’m not gonna say something crazy like ‘it’s their best record in 15 year’ but I will commit to ‘their most consistently rocking record in sometime time’ and say that I am loving it right about now yo!! Peace!

They barely talked about the music. Instead they just talked about what Sonic Youth used to do and what they wish they sounded like.

Ah, hell hath no fury like an SY fan scorned...

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13153-the-eternal/

I agree with them on this one, but I don't like how it's written.