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Im about 4 songs into it now, and man......I'm caught way off guard here. These songs are beaming with "pop" and "hooks", and are very very straight forward. So far, theyve done a fairly decent job crafting the songs, but I cant help but feel very caught off guard how poppy the material sounds, and how many "hot licks" they keep throwing in.

Just my initial reaction though; I'll have to hear the whole thing through a few times before I can formulate a solid opinion.

Just had to put it out there though, because Im sure others are feeling the same.

- Chet

OK, I've only heard 'Reena' (the lead off). Before getting to it, I was expecting all sorts of things, but most of all for some reason - The High Back Chairs.

Basically, it sounds like Sonic Youth editing themselves into a poppier format, not strictly pop. The guitarists do keep throwing these licks in that are a bit cheese, but I like it. The open tunings are there, the drums are all Shelley's trademark clatter, the voices are nice and untutored. I like it.

i have to hear it then. i fucking loved the high back chairs.

along with three, jeff nelson's finest band.

Loved High Back Chairs.

I guess I'd better have a listen too then.

Just listened to it. It's pretty damn good.

I will wait for the release of this record.

My girlfriend thought that it was going to be "The Whitey Album"!

i'm waiting for the cd. i heard some very negative opinions so im a bit worried. btw, mark ibold (ex pavement) is probably going to play bass on the upcoming tour.

hmm probably waiting until the day of the release. Its always great to get a new record the day of the release, listening to it while you see the booklet.

Longtime fan. I like it a lot, though it's far from innovative or challenging. "Reena" seems like an obvious single -- Kim and Steve in full effect, and I love the little riff-thing that leads into the verses. Catchy! Cool! Fun! Summertime!

It's kinda Sonic-Lite, very easy to listen to, though better than Dirty for the most part and WAY better than Experimental Jet Set. There are definitely bits of Goo sticking to it. I do prefer this to some of their more Grateful-Dead-esque moments of the late 90s and early 00s. O'Rourke's departure must've had something to do with sending them back to Rock Basics. They helped reinvent American rock as we now know it and never abandoned it altogether, so it's not surprising that they can still do it, but who knew they'd want to at this point?

Basically, it sounds like Sonic Youth editing themselves into a poppier format, not strictly pop. The guitarists do keep throwing these licks in that are a bit cheese, but I like it.

Yeah, though I'd probably say "mainstream rock" rather than "poppy." For me the song on Sonic Nurse that this new album seems most linked to is "New Hampshire," if that tells you anything. I can imagine hearing much of this stuff on FM rock/pop radio in the mid-to-late 70s.

Bet they sell a fucking lot of records with this one.

I remain fairly appalled that they did a Clear Channel tour in '04, but that's a whole nother can of worms.

It'd be cool if they found some new ground this late in the game, rather than doing refinements and recyclings, but the odds are against it -- they're never going to AMAZE me again, and I look elsewhere for that now. Meanwhile, it's a new Sonic Youth album that does not suck, and I'm happy.

So far this is a snorefest. Perhaps I have downloaded the wrong album.