For a rock band with limited commercial potential, Sonic Youth is remarkably persistent. Its 14th release, A Thousand Leaves, integrates much of the band's musical experimentation over the last two decades. The result is astonishing. The album underlines what has always distinguished Sonic Youth's music, namely the ease with which it weaves its trademark noise and dissonance into songs so naturally.
The tracks here are generally longer than on previous albums and sound more intricate and composed. The epic "Hits of Sunshine (for Allen Ginsberg)" is a dazzling hypnotic groove that evokes Jefferson Airplane at its trippiest. "Sunday" has a driving rhythm and melodic vocal broken up by a noise solo.
This is music as it should be: pretty, noisy, confused, angry. In a word: affecting.
[an error occurred while processing this directive] A Thousand Leaves, by Sonic Youth: US$16.97. Geffen Records: on the Web at www.geffen.com/. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
STREET CRED
Pix Are for Kids
Free to Disagree
Attorney Privilege
Pen and Think
Familiar Dissonance
Life with Bruno
A Cinematic World Away
Discounterculture
Jargon Watch
Graphics Card with a Charge
Berlin Diaries
Desktop Sound Factory
Shake Your Joystick
Ambient Awakening
ReadMe
The Lizard King
Cold New World
Pocket-Perfect Sound
Contributors
