Review of Sonic Youth's Upcoming The Eternal

By now we know that Sonic Youth produce two types of albums: the improv-rich experimental albums - like their SYR series of live recordings - and the scuzzy, angular rock albums. The Eternal, the band's first independent release since the early '80s, falls into the latter rock category. And while Sonic Youth continue to work with a familiar pallet - broken-toned guitars spitting out clashing riffs and waves of snarling feedback over up-tempo beats - The Eternal, like the band's more-recent Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped records, is a fulfilling rock album. That may not seem like the biggest compliment to a band known for it's sonic twists and envelope-pushing, but in a music climate where mixing and matching genres seems to be all the rage, it's refreshing to hear a record so centered on guitar, bass, and drums. Yeah, those instruments may be played unconventionally and wrapped up in tones that are anything but "mainstream," but what you get here is the sort of gritty, carefree rock music that the garage movement was built on.

The songs seem to fall into two camps here. Tracks like "Anti-Orgasm" and "Walking Blue" recall the extended fuzzy builds of Daydream Nation. They bounce along while being prodded with jagged guitars and slacker vocals, before suddenly fattening up into noisy washes of distortion and instrument pummeling. It's like psychedelic music made by punks; a raw, sloppy, and loud take on locking into a groove. The other type of songs you will find here are of the awkward pop variety. Tracks like "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)" and "Poison Arrow" will be sure to please fans of the band's more recent output as they turn off-kilter riffs into strange hooks, stick to song structures that can easily be deciphered, and pack all their signature moves into a mere three minutes.

After 25 years Sonic Youth are still able to do what most bands that dabble in dissonance and noise rarely can: craft engrossing, catchy tunes that meld rock's love of riffs and melodies with the underground's love of unconventional songwriting and unique tones. They may no longer be the weird cousin on the major label, but no production value has been lost. In a sense they've always been making "independent" records; albums that share no affiliations with the rest of the musical landscape, so the move only seems fitting.