Music Notes: Sonic Youth, Rather Ripped

August 24th, 2006

Tanja received a box of promo CDs from a record label, so I think it will be fun for me to post my aging, Gen X thoughts about this “new music.”

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Music Maybe I’m overly immersed in art history at the moment, as Sonic Youth sounds to me the aural equivalent of Pollock painting: random, messy, seemingly inept, but on closer examination multilayered, crafty, and poetic. I’m not really a fan of their noisy, atonal garage band ethic but I can certainly appreciate it.

There are many artful contraditions here. Both vocalists are traditionally awful singers, but the lyrics are quality examples of evocative surrealism. The often completely moronic and inept guitar playing is perfectly timed: in lock-step with bass and drums like steel wire. The song’s directions seem predictable one minute, then diverge into atonal pushes and pulls out of nowhere. The general result is a feeling that if Sonic Youth is creating original, organic complexity purely on instinct and if so, that’s the definition of some kind of talent.

All that said, I’m hard pressed to find many hooks or hit singles and I suppose that’s why I see it more as high art than pop art. Something to admire and study, but not really feel passionate about. I guess that just boils down to personal taste. I’m finding I like music a bit more slickly produced and commercial. That’s one route Sonic Youth thankfully avoids, even if I’m not rushing out the accolades.