[Mostly Harmless]

I might be wrong

Becuz:
The beginning guitar part is great, but soon after that dark mystery the song becomes bland and indeed, repetitive. The lyrics that subdue the guitar lose my interest- even if they're good, they're pretty girly. I can't relate to sentiments like "Standing with him, you feel more real" After the first verse the guitars kick in with a lot of power which reels me back, and that chunk is so good that when the lyrics roll around for the second verse, suddenly I'm hooked into what Kim Gordon's saying- it seems to have a gravitational pull. She can definitely do that to me sometimes. All-in-all, a solid track.

Junkie's Promise:
The song itself is so self-loathing/pitying and in any other instance that would majorly turn me off. But here it's obviously about a self-loathing character, and not about Thurston himself (I could be wrong, but I strongly get that impression). Junkie's tempo goes everywhere too- the beginning is slow and chunky which emphasizes the speed of the solo. Great distortion. Definitely a good rock-out track.

Saucer-like:
I'm a lover as well. Firstly, that beginning tension is so important, because the repetitive calm afterward gets annoying quickly. Lyrically this song is pretty badass. The twisted guitar part is quite something as well. I give props to any song that can always change, develop, and generally move.

Washing Machine:
In an album, it's pretty important not to fuck up the title track. I don't think Sonic Youth fucked up Washing Machine, I think it's just misunderstood.
Yes, the opening vocals are the runner up for the ultimate epitome of bad taste. I'll get to that.
It's a first-person story, and after the character's boyfriend (who she practically worships) can only return her adoration with "Honey, you look so fine.", you can totally tell by her tone and the music that she enters some dazed contemplation, or at least starts re-thinking her life. When the girl says she was walking down the empty street that turns into a field where she sees a woman's face, I see a spiritual experience. Not you're typical one (if there is a typical spiritual experience), as God, or a god, totally insults her, basically saying "Clean up yr act, whore" And when she looked up, the music undergoes this terrific, whirling transfiguration, which shows her transfiguration- it's very rough and combative at first, which is eventually drowned out by static, and then by this deep peace. I think by the end of the song, she's realized she's meant for better things then that schmuck she was with before. She's been transformed into a better person now. The transformation the god gave her was painful (the combativeness), but ultimately sobering (the deep peace by the end of the song). That, or maybe one crazy acid trip. YOU decide! I think it'd be a lot cooler to think Sonic Youth wrote a song with Aphrodite as a main character.
In this paradigm it's very necessary to make the beginning vocals near-intolerable and the music rough and un-inviting. It's Sonic Youth's way of saying "This is no Catholic schoolgirl. This is one nasty-ass bitch" It's not music for music's sake, it's music for story-telling sake, and the music plays the part perfectly.

Unwind:
Pretty lyrics. The greatness of the song is the subtle perversion of the original guitar line, which gradually gets out of hand and consumes everything. It's also interesting that it's labeled “unwinding” as if to say “This pretty picture was painted out of bits of chaos” The lyrics “Laugh in the midday light, then leave it behind” are perfectly reflected musically in the second half of the song. Smart songwriting.

Little Trouble Girl:
I instantly liked this song the first time I heard it, but musically it's spread too thin. We can all relate to growing away from our parents. It's message is about what real love and real respect is. Confrontation is such beautiful respect. It's like the movie “Signs” where Mel Gibson is holding his dying son in his arms, looks up to God and says through his tears “I hate you.” Because it took a lot for his character to fight with God. It'd be easy for the character in the song to lie to her mother about what she does, but she loves her enough to struggle. She won't take the easy way out and bullshit the mother she loves.
All things considered, a weak track. Endearing, but weak.

No Queen Blues:
The first time I heard this track, I had to skip it. That doesn't happen often. I like the dirty, dark guitars, and the production's pretty neat. But Thurston's vocals when saying “the Queen of NO NO NO...” drive me nuts. The lyrics in general aren't great, and the way he delivers that line gets me out of the mood. I'd suffer through it for the music only when I'm in the mood for that mess at the end.

Panty Lies:
Remember the runner up to the epitome of bad taste?
Guess who won first prize.

The Untitled Track:
Eerie. I like it. The blast at the end is a great touch.

Skip Tracer:
Another track I immediately liked. That starting riff is so interesting, and the lyrics give yr ears so much to chew on. The lyrics, like all of Lee's songs, are great. I especially love “very 'I'm-in-a-band'” and “Shouting the poetic truths of high-school journal keepers” The second the lyrics slow down, the music develops. Never a dull moment. I love it.

Diamond Sea:
One universally adored sonic experiment. In my personal opinion, I hate the jagged parts near the end, but you're not supposed to completely like an experiment. I could've sworn they'd hit some frequency near there that would explode my brain. Mad props to the epically tripped-out lyrics. A great number all-around.
Great for listening to after doing that old dance with maryjane.