SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-Sonic Nurse (2004).
After the glorious Murray Street, SY return with an even better disc: Sonic Nurse. This is probably their most overtly catchy (and therefore in my opinion wonderful) record since the Goo/Dirty period of 1991. (Can it really be 13 years between these discs?).
This disc features Jim O’Rourke as well. I’m led to believe that he has been playing bass with the band in order to free Kim up to do other things. Although what she is doing I can’t really imagine.
“Pattern Recognition” opens with the most catchy guitar line in Sonic Youth memory. Such a great and easy guitar riff. Kim’s voice is sultry and wondrous. And Steve Shelly really gets a chance to shine with some fun drum parts. And, as is typical lately, the catchy songs get some lengthy end treatments, so this song ends with a 2-minute noise fest. But it’s a good one. “Unmade Bed” is one of Thurston’s special mellow-singing songs but the guitar solo is weird and wonderful.
“Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream” was originally called “Mariah Carey and the…” (and I have no idea if the original was different). Is one of those noisy Kim-sung jams that SY are known for. But it also features a “Hey hey baby” sing along chorus too.
“Stones” continues this midtempo catchiness with another amazing guitar riff that runs throughout the song. While “Dude Ranch Nurse” is another mellow Kim piece that has a great riff and wonderfully noisy bridges. And of course, Lee is awesome on “Paper Cup Exit,” yet another fatastic song. The cool breakdown in the song is a nice unexpected twist.
“I Love You Golden Blue” may be the most beautiful song the band has ever done. Kim’s voice is delicate and delightful as she whisper/sings over a gorgeous guitar line. The final song is another of Thurston’s beauties: “Peace Attack” a slow builder, complete with verse ending guitar solos.
Sonic Nurse is a beuaty.
[READ: Week of September 14, 2009] Infinite Jest (to page 949)
Flying in the face of potential spoilers, I was looking for any evidence of there ever being a “unedited Director’s Cut” version of Infinite Jest. There is, supposedly, one copy of the full text floating around, and I’m actually quite surprised no one has tried to capitalize on DFW’s death by releasing it (I’d rather see that than another “This is Water” type publication).
But while looking around, I got this pleasant surprise from the Howling Fantods–these are comments on a first draft of IJ (without too much unpublished work shown). But there’s also this disturbing (to me) item:
(N.B.: Wallace made numerous corrections for the paperback edition of 1997, so that edition is the one scholars should use. Put a Mylar cover on the pretty hardback and leave it on the shelf.)
Great. So I read the wrong copy? Twice??
I haven’t said very much in any of these posts regarding DFW himself. I don’t feel it is my place to comment on the man or his situation. However, through a nice shout out to me, I found this really cool site: The Joy of Sox. It’s primarily about the Red Sox but it has a delightful side venue in DFW information. There’s not a ton, and he quotes extensively from others who have done more research than he–he’s a fan of DFW, but this is a sports blog after all. But it is a delightful collection of miscellanea. And he pointed me to this article, “Democracy and Commerce at the U.S. Open“, which I had never read (so thank you!). So, do check out the site, he’s not doing Infinite Summer, but he’s likely going to read IJ again in the fall.
As this almost-final week opens, the book is flying downhill like an AFR wheelchair, paralleling Gately’s literal inability to talk with Hal’s metaphorical? literal? we’ll see? one. But it really is the Gately show. We learn more and more about him, and his back story makes him more and more likable. Who ever would have guessed? (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: REGINA SPEKTOR-Far (2009).
Regina Spektor has reaffirmed my faith in female singers. Back in the 1990s, during the height of Lilith Fair craze, there was an embarrassment of cool, hip, interesting women singers releasing discs. Since then some have sold out (Liz Phair), some have gone away (Shirley Manson), and some have just, well, matured (Tori Amos). Maturation is a fine thing, but when you are known for doing interesting things, by the time you get to doing standard piano ballads, well, yes, we all mature, but we don’t all lose our quirkiness, right?
SOUNDTRACK: BEN FOLDS-Stems and Seeds (2009).
I enjoyed Way to Normal, although not as much as previous Ben Folds CDs. I was listening to 
SOUNDTRACK: THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES-Don’t Know How to Party (1993).
I’ve always had a thing for ska (although even I got sick of it when No Doubt took over the airwaves, thanks Gwen). When ska gets added to blistering metal, well, it’s hard to resist. And so we get Boston’s own Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
I’ve also decided that, since the story is steamrolling to an end, and since so many of the end days are coming along, I’m going to update my own calendar (but just the November info). I’m putting it at the end of the post to include this week’s information.
This week’s reading is almost entirely focused on Gately in St Elizabeth’s Trauma Wing. He is stuck staring at the ceiling which is breathing at him. It reminds him of a holiday in Beverly, Ma in which the beach house that they rented had a hole in the roof. The hole was covered by a plastic sheet which flapped and pulsed with the wind. His crib was placed under the hole and it freaked him out (although what is a 4 year old doing in a crib? Well, Gately’s mom is clearly not the best parent.) 
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000).
In the midst of all of the experimentation with the SYR discs. Sonic Youth released this “proper” release.
of 1996, when the book was published, she had barely played any pro tournaments.
SOUNDTRACK: GARBAGE-Garbage (1995).
I was thinking about how IJ reminds me so specifically of a place and time (I instantly think of the apartment I was in when I started reading it). And there are also some discs that I was crazy about at the time too.
It is incredible serendipity that I did the JOI filmography during this week as this week’s readings actually count on knowing a bit about it. And since I had just reevaluated it, I was aware of a thing or two during Hal’s viewing scene.
Week 10 starts off seeming like a lot of nothing is happening. There’s a few post-Event scenarios. Until we get to November 14th, and a whole lot goes on. A whole lot! 
[READ: August 27, 2009] “Perfect Match”
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-SYR 4: Goodbye 20th Century (1999). 
This SYR recording consists of Sonic Youth’s interpretations of 20th century composers’ works. Some of the composers are obscure, but a few are more or less household names: John Cage, Yoko Ono, maybe Steve Reich. I knew a few of these composers from Kronos Quartet, but for the most part the pieces are all new to me. Since I don’t know the original pieces I have no idea how faithful they are.
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH: A Thousand Leaves (1998).
This CD actually ties to the book because the crossed out title on the CD is “mille feuille” and the first song is called “Contre le Sexism.”
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star (1994).
“Bull in the Heather” is one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs. I love everything about it (even if I haven’t got a clue what it’s about): the simple opening, the switch to harmonics, and, my favorite part, the drum break that leads to the chorus (who ever heard of getting a drum break stuck in your head?).
every IJ book jacket/promotional material designed in a sort of cloud motif. Well, in the section we lean that Uncle Charles’ office is decked out in an unsettling cloud wallpaper (which is coincidentally the same wallpaper as Hal’s dentist). It has only appeared briefly so far, so it seems odd that it would take on such an iconic feel. But we’ll see if it comes back.
I Just Read About That... 