Comments on: Decade :: Sonic Youth, Murray Street (2002)

By: dave

dave — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:17:39 +0000

I think the SY trilogy Murry/Nurse/Ripped is the finest of the decade. My copy of the vinyl had awful sound quality (flat mix, static) and the album itself is definitely missing the major label muscle of some of their other releases (which is not necessarily a bad thing). I am trying hard to figure out whether Iike this or Sonic Nurse better- Nurse is the return of Kim Gordon in a big way, where here she is strong here on Murray but, unfortunately, seems pushed out of the way to the end so the boys can make lots of racket up front.

But the jaw-dropping urban exuberance hits home and balances Nurses’ upstate autumnal appeal.

*Sigh* Which do I choose?

By: marty

marty — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:42:38 +0000

I think you’re totally right, Josh. For that reason, Goo, of all things, is my favorite SY record (and really the only one I can get the whole way through), though I love me some “Empty Page”.

By: j. neas

j. neas — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:05:19 +0000

Sonic Youth has been around long enough, and been good long enough, that they have a unique position in rock - it really matters when you grew up and when you came to them as to how you might interpret their work. Growing up when I did, I was first exposed to them via Washing Machine and it and A Thousand Leaves actually remain in my top five SY albums. Heresy alert: I've never been extremely fond of Daydream Nation, though I can appreciate and do enjoy it on occasion. Same with Sister, Evol and the other early classic records. All that said, I had honestly tuned out a bit when Murray Street dropped and it made me completely re-evaluate them as a band. This album is just ridiculously good and while its follow-ups have been excellent as well, I'd call it their best album of this decade, hands-down.

By: marty

marty — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:43:22 +0000

Beautifully done, sir.