[E. Noisefield]

it pains me to ask this question, but...

...mmm...

Why is The Eternal kind of... um... not so good?



Ok, so all the songs are great individually. But as an album it just doesn't work for me. I was just wondering if it was "just me", or if others have had a hard time... uh... adjusting to it...? It just doesn't feel complete to me in some way. I felt this way about Ripped for a time, but it faded the more I listened to the record. Even Nurse had some moments that it took me a while to warm to, but I love those records now. It's been 2 years and the Eternal still hasn't grown on me. Although I love the songs, something about the arrangement or length (or something) just doesn't click with me. Anyone else?

[deflinus]

It's a great album.
I'm often surprised by how well done the songs are but I think I know what you mean.
To me, I think it's the post production work. I feel the parts that are supposed
to be loud and grab your attention, just don't for some reason.

I can't put my finger on it.

[Mortte Jousimo]

I love Eternal as much as the other albums! And I was very excited about it already the first time I heard it! Only thing that isn´t as good as in other albums are the sounds. Especially drums sound very typically pro-tools drums sounds. But it is ok to me, because guitars sound as great as usually.

I think it´s just that every album just can´t hit you even it is your favourite band and there are some personal reasons that is sometimes hard to understand. I was at first very disappointed at Experimental Jet Set and NYC ghosts, after few years from their release I started to like them also a lot. But still if I had to say which is the worst SY-record, I would say it is Experimental.

[Genteel Death]

''Ok, so all the songs are great individually. But as an album it just doesn't work for me.''
I agree with this. I've tried finding different uses for it: doormat, pillow and toaster all seemed to work fine. It didn't work when I tried using it as a listenable album.

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

''Ok, so all the songs are great individually. But as an album it just doesn't work for me.''
I agree with this. I've tried finding different uses for it: doormat, pillow and toaster all seemed to work fine. It didn't work when I tried using it as a listenable album.

Why don´t you put your hate to somewhere else as SY? I mean you haven´t got anything positive to say about SY or SY-members solos since rather ripped. I think everybody knows in SYG you hate after rather ripped SY. If you some reason can´t stay away from SYG, why don´t you be just in the Non-sonics side? I mean this is Sonic Youth FAN-forum, not some common music forum where everybody should critisize the music commonly. I don´t mean anybody can´t say any negative things about SY, but you have say your comments so many times and there is nothing new.

And if you´re going to reply "I´m just answering the thread", you could have just answered "I don´t like any SY-products after RR" (well I think that would have been also unneccessary, because everybody knows it here). I love Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I don´t like at all Stadium Arcadium. I don´t still have any need to go RHCP-fan sites to repeat all the time how lousy band RHCP nowdays are.

[Pelle]

It is a great album with lots of great songs, but I could agree that it misses that "something"(I think it has to do with the production), but I don't know..it's on my top 10 SY, defenitly.

[muttlegs]

To me it plays like a sub par, overproduced greatest hits, save the last track.
It misses the magic ingredient.
However, what do I know as EJSTANS is one of my favourites. Start the hate now.
That is due to the fact that that is the first album I bought and my entry point into the sonic youth universe.

[Pelle]

Originally Posted by muttlegs

However, what do I know as EJSTANS is one of my favourites. Start the hate now.
That is due to the fact that that is the first album I bought and my entry point into the sonic youth universe.

I agree, EJSTANS is a fav of mine aswell..a lot of people hate it, I don't know why..it's a great album, one of the albums that got me into SY aswell, that one and Washing Machine.

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by Pelle

I agree, EJSTANS is a fav of mine aswell..a lot of people hate it, I don't know why..it's a great album, one of the albums that got me into SY aswell, that one and Washing Machine.

I don´t hate EJSTANS, I think it is very enjoyable album! But at first I was a little disappointed about it. Maybe because there isn´t not much of that great melodic stuff like Theresa´s in Dirty. At first I thought SY were lazy when they composed EJSTANS. But then I read some interview where they told they wanted to do life-like-album in EJSTANS, not more than life album as Soundgarden did in the Superunknown. When I started to think EJSTANS an album that has feelings from normal life, it opened a lot. By the way EJSTANS was the first album I bought immediately it´s released (Dirty was first that I heard immediately, but it took few years when I bought an LP to myself).

[EVOLghost]

Nothing really.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

Why don´t you put your hate to somewhere else as SY? I mean you haven´t got anything positive to say about SY or SY-members solos since rather ripped.

I'm just surprised he waited until after Rather Ripped. I haven't had anything positive to say about them since they sacked Bob Bert.

[E. Noisefield]

Somebody said something about a "magic ingredient"

Bingo.

"Massage the History" is just classic SY. Up there with "...Golden Blue" and "Heather Angel"... really top knotch. And many of the other songs (like poison arrow) are completely awesome. But it just sounds like a B-Sider to me.

I think part of it has to do with the lack of concept. The Eternal doesn't have much of a look or unique "feel" to it like so many other SY's do. Ripped, for instance, had great artwork, represented the band really well, and had a very cohesive flow and purpose.

This album just doesn't have that. To me, it's like a heavier EJST&NS, only not as good. That album was also pretty ambiguous...

Anyway, I don't want to hate. It was my favorite album of 2009. But they were on one hell of a streak in the '00s, and Eternal ended it in my opinion. I prefer the jams on SYR9, and hope they use them as the blueprint for the next LP.

But seriously- I don't know why I don't enjoy it as much as I do their others.

[Pink Noise]

I think it rocks.
And whenever I get tired or feel like it doesn't rock so much, I just listen to something else..

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by E. Noisefield

Somebody said something about a "magic ingredient"

Bingo.

"Massage the History" is just classic SY. Up there with "...Golden Blue" and "Heather Angel"... really top knotch. And many of the other songs (like poison arrow) are completely awesome. But it just sounds like a B-Sider to me.

I think part of it has to do with the lack of concept. The Eternal doesn't have much of a look or unique "feel" to it like so many other SY's do. Ripped, for instance, had great artwork, represented the band really well, and had a very cohesive flow and purpose.

This album just doesn't have that. To me, it's like a heavier EJST&NS, only not as good. That album was also pretty ambiguous...

Anyway, I don't want to hate. It was my favorite album of 2009. But they were on one hell of a streak in the '00s, and Eternal ended it in my opinion. I prefer the jams on SYR9, and hope they use them as the blueprint for the next LP.

But seriously- I don't know why I don't enjoy it as much as I do their others.

I think in EJST&NS isn´t any as great songs as Anti-Orgasm, Leaky Lifeboat, Antenna, Poison Arrow, Malibu Gas Station, No Way, Walkin Blue and Massage. To me EJST&NS is a kind of "we don´t take any pressures, just keep fun"-album in Sonic discography, but it´s ok, because every album don´t have to be make absolutely seriously. To me Eternal is absolutely that what I expected from SY.

[E. Noisefield]

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

I think in EJST&NS isn´t any as great songs as Anti-Orgasm, Leaky Lifeboat, Antenna, Poison Arrow, Malibu Gas Station, No Way, Walkin Blue and Massage. To me EJST&NS is a kind of "we don´t take any pressures, just keep fun"-album in Sonic discography, but it´s ok, because every album don´t have to be maked absolutely seriously. To me Eternal is absolutely that what I expected from SY.

That's so funny... cuz Thurston swears that Jet Set was supposed to be their "pop" album. Ha. It's still awesome, though.

If you don't like Sweet Shine, then you have some kind of psychosis or some shit.

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by E. Noisefield

That's so funny... cuz Thurston swears that Jet Set was supposed to be their "pop" album. Ha. It's still awesome, though.

If you don't like Sweet Shine, then you have some kind of psychosis or some shit.

No, not at all, you have understand me totally wrong . I like Sweet Shine a lot, but it don´t make me same kind of shivers like Massage do. I really like the whole EJSTANS (well maybe at first I didn´t like it), but I think Thurston´s is right. Well, I think it is their "rock" album, I mean the way Sonic Youth plays R´n`r (Thurston has also said that Doctor´s Orders is their version from Rolling Stones Dancing with Mr. D and I think he´s right).

The Whole point is that when you have listened kind of spiritual songs like Therera´s Sound world, Disappearer, Candle, Pipeline/Kill time, Tom Violence etc. and after that heard EJSTANS where that material isn´t at all, you might be disappointed. But after I understood what´s the point of EJSTANS (And also after their made their awesome Washing machine = they made again spiritual material) I have enjoyed that album a lot.

[Mortte Jousimo]

By the way, I really like "the Eternal" -artwork, I think it´s also as good as in other SY albums. And that drums sounding is ok because it make also Eternal a little bit different than the other albums. I think it´s very good think SY has changed a little in every album. But I really hope they don´t make those "pro tools" -sounds into next album (All the producing in SYR9 is just great!)

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I'm just surprised he waited until after Rather Ripped. I haven't had anything positive to say about them since they sacked Bob Bert.

So what´s your point to be here? To bark people how they´re listening just "mainstream-crap"? To tell the people how only real music is made by the bands whose members are young, who have been together only a year and who have only 100 listeners? I mean can´t you just go to the those "Non-mainstream" bands sites where you can find same thinking people? Or are those bands so "Non-mainstream" that they even don´t have sites?

By the way, I think Bob Bert is quite ugly drummer, he´s ok in BMR, but EVOL and Sister and the rest couldn´t ever be so great with him. And I´m also very glad Schlavunos played mostly in CIS.

[E. Noisefield]

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

By the way, I really like "the Eternal" -artwork, I think it´s also as good as in other SY albums. And that drums sounding is ok because it make also Eternal a little bit different than the other albums. I think it´s very good think SY has changed a little in every album. But I really hope they don´t make those "pro tools" -sounds into next album (All the producing in SYR9 is just great!)

Totally agree. Hopefully they use some of those unfinished tracks as blueprints for the next album, as they've done before. I really enjoyed the sound and tone of SYR9, and if they flushed it out it would be fucking great.

[E. Noisefield]

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

No, not at all, you have understand me totally wrong . I like Sweet Shine a lot, but it don´t make me same kind of shivers like Massage do. I really like the whole EJSTANS (well maybe at first I didn´t like it), but I think Thurston´s is right. Well, I think it is their "rock" album, I mean the way Sonic Youth plays R´n`r (Thurston has also said that Doctor´s Orders is their version from Rolling Stones Dancing with Mr. D and I think he´s right).

The Whole point is that when you have listened kind of spiritual songs like Therera´s Sound world, Disappearer, Candle, Pipeline/Kill time, Tom Violence etc. and after that heard EJSTANS where that material isn´t at all, you might be disappointed. But after I understood what´s the point of EJSTANS (And also after their made their awesome Washing machine = they made again spiritual material) I have enjoyed that album a lot.

Wow. That's an interesting interpretation. I've never associated SY with spirituality at all, but I can see where you're coming from.

It's awesome to talk to people who think about SY as much and as deeply as I do.