Beth Keating writes…

As published on Drone Magazine, 26 June 2009:

Sonic Youth keep their flame strongly lit with their sixteenth full length release, The Eternal.

On Friday morning, it snapped. I’d been listening to The Eternal for a bit over a week by then, trying to come up with some solid angle of opinion. For the first three listens I was unable to get past the opening three tracks, Sacred Trickster, Anti-Orgasm and Leaky Lifeboat (For Gregory Corso). They were decent enough – the way Sacred Trickster led seamlessly into Anti-Orgasm was especially impressive – but something about the songs didn’t sit right. Even now, after the barriers have been broken, I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly misses it for me.

A few listens later, I made it past the barrier. My initial explorations of the rest of the album were mixed. Some tracks were met with the same reaction as the first three – good songs packed with the solid Sonic Youth sound, but not quite hitting the mark. The impact of other songs were more immediately satisfying. The track Antenna, with it’s mellow and restrained Incinerate-like pop direction, was an instant contender for favourite track. The next two songs which followed joined it in immediate impact. Lee Ranaldo’s voice juxtaposed with Kim Gordon’s in the chorus of What We Know – his comparably conservative and straight-forward vocals an interesting mix with Gordon’s epitome of grungy sultriness. The combination of droning, sometimes space-rock howling guitars, a brilliant beat – as well as well utilised noisy bridges and lulls in effects added to its appeal.

Calming the Snakes continued with Gordon’s irresistably imperfect vocals – this time tinged with more desperation than usual. Steve Shelley’s drums pulsated faultlessly through, teaming perfectly with new bassist (ex-Pavement) Mike Ibold’s intriguing and foot-tapping resonances.

Songs such as Poison Arrow, which followed this magnificent trio of tracks, had definite plusses – again, it’s seamless beginnings following on from Calming the Snakes was a complete amalgamation of absolute energy – but it was let down by a chorus bordering on gimmicky. Apart from the small imperfection though, the song soared, with Thurston Moore revisiting his brilliant slacker-drawl in the verses, soothing and comforting in its familiarity and suitability with the clashing riffs and effects.

On Friday, I listened to the entire album again. This time, it fell into place. Unlike previous spins, I got it – it all made sense. On The Eternal, the elements of classic Sonic Youth are all present; discordant and battling guitars, three incredible and different vocal stylings, Steve Shelley’s faultless drumming, and through all the dissonance, an innate funkiness in every track. Is this their best effort? Probably not. It may not be another Daydream Nation, but then again, we’re a long way from 1988. When you’re criticising Sonic Youth though, you can really only compare them to themselves. No-one stands up against them – in both longevity and innovation. And sure, The Eternal may not be contender for album of their career, but look at what other titles you are comparing it against. The fact that this album, despite being their whopping sixteenth release, is stuck-in-your-head solid, and up there with some of the more memorable releases of 2009 is an unheard of achievement in an aggressive and violent industry. The Eternal is a brilliant album – proving once again that Sonic Youth are not just great for what they’ve achieved in the past, but for their wonderful and genuine ability to keep creating relevant pieces of art. Because of this, they’d have to be one of the greatest gifts to rock music.

FAVOURITE TRACKS: Antenna; What We Know; Calming the Snake; Malibu Gas Station; No Way; Walkin Blue
LABEL: Matador