SOUNDTRACK: SONIC-YOUTH-the eternal (2009).
It was the release of this disc that inspired me to see what they’ve been up to since the 80s. And, sometimes it’s really fun to root through a band’s back catalog to see what kind of progression they’ve made over the years.
There are three things that set this disc apart from many other SY discs.
The first is the dual/harmonized vocals. I don’t recall ever hearing Thurston and Kim split vocals duties in a song before, least of which in a half-line by half-line way. There’s also some points where they sing (sort of) harmonies. It’s a really interesting addition to their sounds.
The second is the staccato playing. In the past I’ve always felt like SY ‘s sounds flowed over everything (even if it was noise, it was a continuous wash of noise). On The Eternal, there’s three or four songs where the band plays a chug chug chug chug rhythm (with everyone playing along). It’s most notable in “Anti-Orgasm,” where the chug chug part is accompanied by Thurston and Kim chanting uh uh uh on every beat.
The third is the bass. The band has added Pavement bassist Mark Ibold to their lineup. And as far as I can tell he does things on bass that Kim never did. He seems to complement Steve Shelly as a rhythm section. I always felt that Kim played something of a lead bass: she didn’t seem to go in for a notable steady bass rhythm (note on “Kool Thing” where her bass plays the main riff). And since Thurston and Lee were often playing noise, it was essential for Kim’s bass to be more than just a rhythm instrument. On this disc you have bass sections playing the song’s rhythm. Its a simple thing, something that all bands do, but it sounds so different for them.
They even mix up the song lengths quite a bit. The opener is a two minute bit (with great lyrics from Kim: “What’s it like to be a girl in a band? I just don’t understand. That’s so quaint to hear. I feel so faint my dear.”) While “Anti-Orgasm” is over six minutes (three of the chug chug section and then three of an extended jam). Lee’s awesome song, “What We Know” runs about 4 minutes. And the final song, the very cool “Massage the History” runs over 9 minutes.
These elements give the band a revitalized sound. And they sound like they’re really having a lot of fun. And boy are they rocking. The band sounds heavy, they sound intense, and they sound great. There’s not a bad track on the disc.
[READ: November 6, 2009] “Premium Harmony”
This story takes a look at a dysfunctional husband and wife on the way to Wal-Mart. She wants to stop at the Quik-Pik on the way, to buy something that he thinks will be cheaper at Wal-Mart anyway. This detour turns out to be significant, and nothing will be the same for them again.
I have to be this vague because saying anything more will give away too much of this rather simple story.
As with many Stephen King stories, I was gripped by it pretty quickly. I was intrigued and somewhat entranced by the story. But when it was done, I realized that it didn’t have any real emotional impact. There wasn’t enough of an investment in these characters for me to care about what happened to them (although i really enjoyed it while reading it).
It reminds me of friends who tell a really great compelling story while you’re hanging out. The story’s about their bosses or whomever (someone you don’t know) and it’s really funny. But you forget them as soon as you start to head home.
You can read it here.
I had to stop reading half-way through because I knew how it would end, and I didn’t like that at all. I guess that’s SK for you. Still, I think it’s a cheap game to play on a reader, and doesn’t raise my estimation of SK. I liked him a ways back, I guess.
I loved his stuff when I was younger. He was my favorite author up through about 1/2 way through high school. (Back when he was high all the time and doesn’t remember writing the books).
I haven’t really given him much time since then. Although I noticed that suddenly he seems to have a lot more “credibility” (being published in the New Yorker, for instance).
He has always been a page churner (and his new one is bigger than IJ!). I’m willing to read his short stories for the reasons I said above, it’s amusing while it’s there, but I’ll not be devoting a lot of time to it.