- Jan 6, 2004
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THURSTON MOORE: "To me, you can’t really reference black metal. You either gotta play it totally and purely and devote yourself to it or not.... I basically spent the winter of 2007-2008 standing on my roof with my shirt off with two axes over my head in a crisscross shape just listening to black metal. That’s probably when I was deepest into it. I was going ballistic." (full interview -----> http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=305305 )
Anyway, possibly the greatest band of the past 25 years. They've put out fifteen full-length albums since 1981 and still have yet to become irrelevant/stagnant/uncool -- and at the same time lacking the pretentiousness of all the other critical darlings of modern rock (Radiohead, anyone?). And they ROCK. Their '80s output dwarfs 95% of the metal coming out at the time in terms of immensity and heaviness and pure fucking extremity of sound. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live and it was headbanging bliss. This is a band that GETS IT. I took me several years to fully warm up to them, but as of now I am a complete and utter fanboy.
The problem for the newcomer is that it's difficult to find an easy way into their discography. The gradient of change from album to album is so steady (similar to The Beatles) that hearing a single album will only give you a snapshot of the band at that exact time. The enjoyment only increases once you know where they had been previously and where they would go next. Here is my brief rundown of their studio releases:
CONFUSION IS SEX - No-wave noise rock sonic death boom horror show. Approach with caution.
BAD MOON RISING - More low key but still quite noisy. Picking up pieces of songs over two side-long suites. Their best album to get stoned to.
EVOL - A big transition, where they begin writing actual songs. A fan favorite.
SISTER - Their best? Possibly. But always gets compared to....
DAYDREAM NATION - The pinnacle. 71 minutes of armageddon. Their heaviest, most mindblowing. Takes forever to penetrate, which makes me love it even more.
GOO - Continuing the progression to a song-based band. For a casual music fan, I'd recommend this first.
DIRTY - Their most radio-friendly.
EXPERIMENTAL JET SET, TRASH AND NO STAR - Sonic Youth jump the shark? A weird, grungy album that I don't really know what to think of yet. Many people consider this their worst.
WASHING MACHINE - A return to form. The 19-minute "The Diamond Sea" would be worth the price alone.
A THOUSAND LEAVES - Nostalgic and pretty and epic. Considered perhaps their "most underrated one."
NYC GHOSTS & FLOWERS* - Bohemian spoken-word post-rock. Some love it, some hate it.
MURRAY STREET* - Has been described as their "most beautiful" album.
SONIC NURSE* - Don't know.
RATHER RIPPED* - Some have described this as more "straightforward" and "rocking" than the others.
THE ETERNAL - The new one. Have only heard twice (once on CD and once in a live setting). I know I enjoyed it, but I can't make a firm judgment yet because I left my copy in North Carolina.
*have not heard
Best introductory songs for metal heads: "'Cross The Breeze", "Catholic Block", "Death Valley '69", "Disappearer".
Best songs in general: "Teenage Riot", "Schizophrenia", "Kotton Krown", "Starpower", "Tunic (Song For Karen)".
Anyway, possibly the greatest band of the past 25 years. They've put out fifteen full-length albums since 1981 and still have yet to become irrelevant/stagnant/uncool -- and at the same time lacking the pretentiousness of all the other critical darlings of modern rock (Radiohead, anyone?). And they ROCK. Their '80s output dwarfs 95% of the metal coming out at the time in terms of immensity and heaviness and pure fucking extremity of sound. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live and it was headbanging bliss. This is a band that GETS IT. I took me several years to fully warm up to them, but as of now I am a complete and utter fanboy.
The problem for the newcomer is that it's difficult to find an easy way into their discography. The gradient of change from album to album is so steady (similar to The Beatles) that hearing a single album will only give you a snapshot of the band at that exact time. The enjoyment only increases once you know where they had been previously and where they would go next. Here is my brief rundown of their studio releases:
CONFUSION IS SEX - No-wave noise rock sonic death boom horror show. Approach with caution.
BAD MOON RISING - More low key but still quite noisy. Picking up pieces of songs over two side-long suites. Their best album to get stoned to.
EVOL - A big transition, where they begin writing actual songs. A fan favorite.
SISTER - Their best? Possibly. But always gets compared to....
DAYDREAM NATION - The pinnacle. 71 minutes of armageddon. Their heaviest, most mindblowing. Takes forever to penetrate, which makes me love it even more.
GOO - Continuing the progression to a song-based band. For a casual music fan, I'd recommend this first.
DIRTY - Their most radio-friendly.
EXPERIMENTAL JET SET, TRASH AND NO STAR - Sonic Youth jump the shark? A weird, grungy album that I don't really know what to think of yet. Many people consider this their worst.
WASHING MACHINE - A return to form. The 19-minute "The Diamond Sea" would be worth the price alone.
A THOUSAND LEAVES - Nostalgic and pretty and epic. Considered perhaps their "most underrated one."
NYC GHOSTS & FLOWERS* - Bohemian spoken-word post-rock. Some love it, some hate it.
MURRAY STREET* - Has been described as their "most beautiful" album.
SONIC NURSE* - Don't know.
RATHER RIPPED* - Some have described this as more "straightforward" and "rocking" than the others.
THE ETERNAL - The new one. Have only heard twice (once on CD and once in a live setting). I know I enjoyed it, but I can't make a firm judgment yet because I left my copy in North Carolina.
*have not heard
Best introductory songs for metal heads: "'Cross The Breeze", "Catholic Block", "Death Valley '69", "Disappearer".
Best songs in general: "Teenage Riot", "Schizophrenia", "Kotton Krown", "Starpower", "Tunic (Song For Karen)".
