NYC Ghosts + Flowers - Sonic Youth
Their first Geffen LP since "1,000 Leaves" back in 1998 finds Sonic Youth further evolving musically past any kind of recognizable style into a amalgam of every current underground style. "1,000 Leaves" saw them trying this, but it was more like they were switching styles song to song instead of within one. "NYC Ghosts + Flowers" sees SY absorbing the lab-style experimentations of both their extracarricular activities and SYR EPs and putting them into goddamned engaging SONGS.

In a lot of ways, "NYC Ghosts + Flowers" reminds me of EVOL. Both records are eight tracks and around forty minutes, but those are where the superficial details end. Maybe it's the attitude the band brought to the project that's readily apparent in both cases.

A song like "SteamXsonik subway" shows a return to combining futurist imagery and grating guitars with punk rhythms to try and create (and in this case succeed) pop songs.

Combine the occasional futurism with the Beat-derived quasi-poetry that has become modern Sonic Youth lyrics, as well as ever-exquisite guitar work outs and quiet maturity, and you get this downright great record.

Lee Ranaldo turns in the centerpiece titular track "NYC Ghosts + Flowers", a piece that must be heard to be believed.

The thing is, Sonic Youth have reached the point where their fans are their fans, and it's not going to change. If you're a fan, you either have this or you're planning on getting it. If you're not a fan (or at least respect what they try to achieve), you're just a stupid fuck who's missing out on the best True music major labels put up $$$$ for these days.


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Mike Keegan
5.29.2000

Dairy Farmers For Quebec's Independence