Sonic Youth

The Eternal

(Matador)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

When you are releasing your sixteenth studio album, you probably no longer care what people think.  In the case of Sonic Youth, they may not have cared from the start, having their sound rooted in early punk and always pushing the boundaries of bizarre guitar tunings and experimental rock.  The Eternal continues to expand the spectrum of sound that is associated with guitar, playing between frenzied chords and airy harmonies.  Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, the husband and wife duo most associated with Sonic Youth’s sound and origins, seem to push each other to try and achieve new heights with their most recent offering, alternating between vocals and their stringed instruments in a friendly competition-collaboration. 

“Sacred Trickster” finds Gordon baring her soul forcefully and without apology, as would be expected from a band that seldom takes a breath between tracks.  “Anti-Orgasm” uses call and response vocalization over guitar, which at times seems to be mimicking sonar, in an effort to create a somewhat disorienting tune.  “Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso),” seemingly dedicated to a beat generation poet, eludes to the anti-establishment mind-set that seemingly beats at the heart of Sonic Youth’s music.

The Eternal doesn’t seem to unveil any new territory for the band itself, but finds them moving steadily along the path they’ve been blazing for years.  “Antenna,” clocks in as the second longest track on the album, relying mostly on instrumental deviations and dueling guitars to carry it home.  “Poison Arrow,” gets about as straight forward in its approach to rock as can be expected by Sonic Youth, featuring a more radio friendly delivery than it’s companions.  However, Sonic Youth has always found its albums best received in college dorm rooms, dark coffee shops and lonely bedrooms.  Fame on the radio is fleeting and passive but in these other arenas music remains eternal and for Sonic Youth, essential.