As a reviewer there comes a point when you have to choose picking the new CD of an established act, one you’ve known and loved over the years or you go for something you’ve never heard before and hope for the best. The latter is always the safer choice, because if its bad you haven’t invested anything into it, but when its the established band who puts out a bad record you don’t want to be one of the ones who has to say … maybe its time to hang it up. Sadly these next two hundred or so words will be me saying that to the legendary Sonic Youth.
Sonic Nurse, the fifteenth album from the aforementioned Sonic Youth, is a pale comparison to some of their classic albums including Sister and Dirty. Admittedly they band was able to stick to their avant-garde approach to music creating a free form water color painting of feedback, distortion and generic alterna-rock musicianship. But this themed album falls short and at times is barley listenable, ok mostly when Kim Gordon is “singing”.
One highlight of the album is the not so veiled “tribute” to our current Commander in Chief, “Peace Attack”. It gets away from the very weak nurse/healing/sponge bath theme the rest of the album is way to obsessed with. Though it lacks the intensity of say 1987’s “Catholic Block” it is powerful and actually a great song to listen to. It has a very classic rock groove to it which overlays very subtle drums.
This disc will not be mistaken for any band not named Sonic Youth. Which is really saying something, after twenty years they have really honed a sound that is nothing like their contemporaries. Though it doesn’t feel fresh or raw anymore, not that it is fake or contrived just not as spontaneous as it used to.
If you really are into Sonic Youth you might like this one, but if your not a die-hard you might want to pick up the earlier mentioned Sister or Dirty and really get a feel of Sonic Youth at their best. |