Steve V. wrote:The best of later Sonic Youth, except for maybe Murray Street.
I think that
Sonic Nurse was better than
Murray Street. For me,
Sonic Nurse was the crowning achievement of the Jim O'Rourke thrillogy. They were absolutely fantastic in concert during this period, too.
I couldn't even listen to
Rather Ripped.
AAAAAAARGH wrote:So boring. People actually feel compelled to listen to this record?
To be fair, I haven't listened to this record in forever. When I was younger, it was very important to me. Sonic Youth was never as exciting after discovering the wider world of anger management rock.
FuzzBob wrote:SN, to me, is their "comeback record" after a few dismal albums. However, between Experimental Jet Set, after which they lost me, and SN, an awful lot of phoned-in lethargy has crept in. "Peace Attack" and "Unmade Bed" sound like Sonic Yacht Rock, lacking much of the urgency their best stuff had. [dons flame suit]
Who needs a flame suit? I don't see the album as "lacking urgency" necessarily as I see it as an instance of aging gracefully. It's like what Jay Ryan said about Stephen Malkmus...some bands/brahs don't age as well as others. You can't express yourself like a twenty-five year old forever, right? Sonic Youth is just about the most confusing mixed bag in rock history with respect to the notion of rokken over 40.
They were certainly spellbinding/urgent on tour at the time...I saw
Sonic Nurse as being pretty powerful, well-thought out stuff...even if it wasn't outwardly pissed off.