sedated by the gasoline fumes and hypnotized by the satellites

today's listening pleasure: the the: mind bomb (1989). an album that had a heavy hand in shaping my beliefs theologically. go buy it...(wait for it... wait for it...) now!

well, that was some fun, now wasn't it?

anyway, my friend, bandmate, drinking buddy and general partner-in-crime the norm is taking off for north carolina for a week. "what is he gonna do down there?" you may well ask. probably indenturing himself to some dear friends by painting stuff, moving shit, hammering junk and sweating, but at least he'll be getting away from it all. he's driving there and back, so i hope he a has a pleasant and safe journey. the two times i drove through north carolina it rained like a motherfucker (and i was in the frickin' mountains; it sucked). as a parting gift, the norm did pass a long a link to fun little site that lets you build lego versions of yourself. sweet.

today is geeky wednesday. did we remember to buy our comic books, boys and girls? shame on you if you didn't. let your geek light shine proudly.

other than that, i'm gonna try to convince allison to go see that damn austin powers movie with me. we tried to go monday night, but a monsoon swept through the area and made us turn the car around. welcome to the ohio valley.

cheers.
posted by paul 6:36:28 PM

i'm a girl scout searchin' for the new stuff

it's a good thing when one of your favorite bands puts out a new album every two years or so. it's even better when those same albums are supplemented by eps and singles and what-nots from that favorite band on their own label. the band in question for today is the lovely and legendary sonic youth. their newest major label release is called murray street, and it is simply fantastic.

hands down, it is the best album they've put out since the even more incredible washing machine. please keep in mind that i cut my sonic tooth on dirty like many lost souls trapped in small town hell during their teenage years. so my love for their 90s material has a slight bearing on my opinions of their entire catalogue. this is by no means an insult directed towards the early recordings (evol and daydream nation are just phenomenal), just a preface to prepare you of what kind of judgement i may pass on the album to be reviewed and my feelings towards sonic youth's work.

let's just take it track by track (hell there's only seven, so what the fuck. right?):
1. the empty page: sets the tone of the album perfectly. the band is back to writing songs. not that it's all verse chorus verse stuff, mind you. but this is most singalongesque the group has been in years. page is a jangly stomp that peaks at a wave of phase and distortion that is just enough to kick in the stomach without making you throw up; a beautiful and intense, little sequences. the song eases back down to well picked outro with wonderful vocal harmonies.
2. disconnecton notice: spooky and elegant. another thurston sang number and some of his best lyrics. and an honest to god guitar solo. a really lovely number.
3. rain on tin: this is just a masterful work of art. thurston is done singing after a brief 42 seconds. what follows is a beautifully structured instrumental that makes nice work of the new five piece setup. a wonderful build that really plays on lee's grateful dead influences that hits a peak that explodes like a pissed off volcano. it's sudden but quite fitting and natural. then the rain falls. definitely one of the best pieces on the album.
4. karen revisited: those who know me, know that i love lee ranaldo's stuff. his songs are always my faves on the sy records. this song has the unique distinction of being my favorite on this disc as well as my least favorite. the first half is an amazing work of a pop melody that is about to ride its own wheels off. the structure is barely contained by the angular guitar work. brilliant. more vocal harmonies. lee's best lyrics since skip tracer. the other half is a mix of squealing feedback (which is quite piercing) and ambient liquid tones (which is quite lovely). it kinda goes on long and doesn't really seem to fit with the incredible first half.
5. radical adults lick godhead style: a creepy, rocky dirge from thurston (with some backing assist from kim). it builds and cut back, builds again and then cuts you in half. this one has a couple horns that act like chain saws. very nice.
6. plastic sun: kim finally gets to take the mike on this little number. sort of a typical kim song. has a very experimental jet set feel to it. she's sure pissed at some chick. steve does some killer drumming here.
7. sympathy for the strawberry: this is one hell of a closer. kim does some of her best and sexiest singing ever. steve is simply amazing on this track as he slowly builds the tempo and the bass line that jim (i'm the new guy) o'rourke lays down is so hot. a killer of a closer.

i would like to add that adding jim was the creative kick in the ass the band needed. the songs are true to sonic youth. there is no selling out here, just wonderful, distinct songs. each one has its place on the album and is easily recognizable from the others while maintaining the overall feel of the record. they seem to be learning to edit themselves a lot better. this is some of steve's best work that i can remember. as far as lyrics go, kim, thurston and lee are in rare form; awesome stuff. after the last two good but sleepy albums (a thousand leaves and nyc ghosts & flowers) this was like a breath of fresh air. murray street is definitely in my sonic youth top three albums.

cheers.
posted by paul 7:43:10 AM

in a interstella burst, i'm back to save the universe
or
oh, what the hell, we'll give it a fucking try... again

i'm not going to make any announcements to anyone. i'm just going to see if anybody notices. between brian and brad (the reviews will be a'comin' sweetheart) bugging the shit out of me and my life actually being interesting again, i thought, "what the hell".

we'll see how it goes.

i'll do what i can.

i ain't making any promises, baby.

i'm just gonna do my thing.

so, once more, into the breach:

cheers.
posted by paul 5:03:49 PM