It's amusing to think that the fiercely freaky Sonic Youth were a major-label act for nearly 20 years. The Eternal marks their literal return to indie rock — and that's no big whoop, since they've always done pretty much what they want anyway. The irony is that The Eternal might be their most concise record ever. It's also a rock & roll ass-kicker.

The Eternal sums up almost everything this band has done over three decades, punk sneers and psychedelic guitars pimping a proudly pretentious belief in rock as art. "Press up against the amp/Turn up the treble!" growls Kim Gordon on "Sacred Trickster," a gender-fuck metarocker that's the band's noisiest album opener since "100%," on 1992's Dirty. "Anti-Orgasm" works similar turf, Gordon and hubby Thurston Moore chanting about free love amid athletic guitar intercourse. There's more vocal collaboration than usual, and ex-Pavement bassist Mark Ibold, the group's new fifth member, helps motor some unusually strong grooves. Otherwise it's biz as usual, just tighter: trippy Moore jams, Lee Ranaldo sleepers, a Gordon meditation on sexualized fame (with the cheeky Britney shout-out "a tough cross to bear/Oops, no underwear!").

But after years of hard touring — including the recent Daydream Nation shows, a clear influence here — the band seems legacy-minded. "Poison Arrow" flaunts a fine Lou Reed impression and New York Dolls-style riffs, with some no-wave noise melody and a minimalist outro — a collage of the group's New York-rock tradition. And on the nine-minute finale, Sonic Youth curl up in bed in a fuzzy psych-folk blanket, with Gordon hoarsely whispering, "Let's massage history." They still are, and it feels real good.

Share

• Email
• Stumble
• AIM
• Del.icio.us
• DiggThis
• Fark It!

WILL HERMES

(Posted: May 26, 2009)