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Originally Posted by billygannon
This is my favourite Sonic Youth album...
I was reading some of Kim Gordon's book and she mentioned that Little Trouble Girl was inspired by the Shangri-La's...
The Shangri-La Projects record label is based in Memphis and released quite a few albums recorded in the Easley McCain studio where this album was recorded.
The song Washing Machine was originally called "Kim's Song" and, for me, it's a significant statement. The symbol of a washing machine, with it's connection to domesticity and renewing clothes, is extremely strong. It strikes me as a statement from Gordon about her new identity as a mother. I mean the song itself sounds a bit like a washing machine, sloshing around and around.
Alongside all this it's the first album where Gordon mainly played guitar and I believe she was taking the band in a new direction with this record.
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Completely. Many bands have those "transitional" albums in their careers, and I have always seen Washing Machine as the absolute best "transitional" album of all time, on so many different levels. Musically, instrumentally, their lives in general, etc... Just so many levels that all add up to a thing of beauty for me. It may sound hippy dippy, but that is always how I have felt. And too be even more cheesy, it came along during my teens at a very transitional period in my life and in my musical development. It was a time in life where I truly felt I had "learned who I was" and was confident in the decisions of liking what I liked for reasons I liked, if that makes any sense. When I was ready to take the next steps of becoming "me" and letting go of social and peer pressures (very Dr. Phil, I know...but it's just how it is).
Washing Machine is simply, hands-down, my favorite album of all time. I am going to go play it now (likely on repeat).