Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Another Sonic Youth album and the follow up to 2006's 'Rather Ripped' comes in a groovy pop rock feel. Okay, that sounds pretty bad, but what I mean is, 'The Eternal' is far from sounding like 'Daydream Nation' and far from sounding like 'Confusion Is Sex'.

The album kicks of in fast motion, as 'Sacred Trickster' whirls round you like a tornado does but in double quick time, before you know it this song is finished the moment you start enjoying it and at the end of it you're feeling like 'Ohh' but in that 'Ohh' you can certainly think to yourself "good song". Then, we enter a dominating power chord riff in 'Anti-Orgasm' this song is simply beautiful in many ways. First of all the title is humorous, and again back to the opening riff mention, it feels like a heavy metal song at times and as Kim screams "Anti-War - Is Anti-Orgasm" it drones back to the feel of heavy metal as the vocals connects so well with the dominating riff. As the song takes a winding close, it calms right down in to Sonic Youth normality, with the dreamy instrumental closing, you almost forget the past that was three minutes ago when you were pounded with probably the most heaviest riff they've came up with since 'Daydream Nation's' 'Silver Rocket'.

More highlights from Sonic Youth's 16th studio album comes up with 'Antenna', not much to say about this song apart from it's epic beauty, Thurston Moore's vocals are really romantic in this song, he seduces his listeners by singing calmly lines like "Radio transmitting nowhere it falls away, she's far away" which am sure Kim would enjoy having that sung to her before she goes to bed with her hubby Mr. Moore.

Straight after 'Antenna' we go back to rock & roll, 'What We Know' is simple straight forward rock, similar to the opener 'Sacred Trickster' it's over all to quickly, but again a worthy highlight as the music fits around the lyrics perfectly once more as it all just clicks so soundly. As we move on to 'Poison Arrow' I somehow and I mean, somehow got the feel of ABC's 'Poison Arrow' in this song, even though they are both two completely different songs but as Kim skips through the chorus "Who Shot The Poison Arrow?" you should get the feel of the 1980's classic by ABC, but on the song itself, it's a worthy single, it's nothing that's going to 'Wow' Sonic Youth listeners but it's solid enough to please them.

Now, probably the strongest song on the album by a mile would have to be, 'Malibu Gas Station'. Reasons why? Well, it's typical Sonic Youth, the song speeds up and slows down, creating a whirlwind tempo for it's listeners. It's all classic Sonic Youth as well, as it re-creates their sound back from the 1990's and compares to songs like 'Dirty Boots' from 1990's 'Goo' and possibly 'Sugar Kane' from 1992's 'Dirty.

Sonic Youth's 2009 release 'The Eternal' has proved that they are still capable of releasing solid music even in their later stages in life, but it's hardly blowing everything out the water. In conclusion, it's a 'safe' album. Like 2006's 'Rather Ripped' it achieved that Sonic Youth are still 'here' but unlike 'Rather Ripped, it didn't experiment much, as songs from 2006's 'Rather Ripped' like 'Turquoise Boy' and 'Pink Steam' blemished Sonic Youth's hazy and melodic jams. You might be able to criticise the point that maybe Sonic Youth deliberately tried to re-create the sound from 'Sonic Nurse', for example 'The Eternal's' 'Massage The History' sounds bitterly like 'Sonic Nurse's' 'Patter Recognition' with the slow tempo trance like manner. But really, to sum the album up, 'The Eternal' simply struts out in a rock & roll way and a few pop hooks to make you feel this was a worth listen.

3/5



Linus Broadbent.