Sonic Youth - NYC Ghosts & Flowers
(DGC)
"Free City Rhymes," the opening track, sets the tone for this record:
subtle, off-kilter guitar lines burble and weave around each other,
relaxing into a laconic melody reminiscent of the introductory passage of
the magnificent "Teen Age Riot." Eventually, of course, it all falls
apart. An electric buzz overtakes the chiming guitars, which fall
into clangs and groans as their rhythms fall out of sink.
NYC Ghosts and Flowers strikes the perfect balance between the
extremes that Sonic Youth have spent the last decade exploring. Since
their oft-lauded (and deservedly so) masterpiece Daydream Nation,
there has been much speculation about how it has since all gone wrong.
Goo, Washing Machine, and Experimental Jet Set, Trash and
No Star were too criticized by the old-hand stalwarts for being too
pop. The SYR series and A Thousand Leaves were knocked by indie
kids with sweet-tooth ears as too avant garde. Granted, each of these
records may seem unbalanced when considered in isolation, but none are out
of place in the overall Sonic Youth oeuvre.
Sonic Youth are at their best when they find the beautiful song within all
of the texture and noise. The best moments of Bad Moon Rising and
Evol were the parts when the chaos burns off revealing the clear
instant of inspiration. By keeping it simple on NYC Ghosts and
Flowers, Sonic Youth hones in on the essential elements of each
track. "Renegade Princess" is all lo-fi guitars stuck on simple riffs,
tuff punk, and no-wave. "Side2Side" is a rich collage of ringing notes,
muted plucks, and amp woosh riding between layers of Kim Gordon's whispered
chants. "Nevermind (What Was it Anyway)" rolls along with simple drums
and a clean noodling guitar floating on top of weird space noise before
erupting with the declaration that "boys go to Jupiter get more stupider,
girls goes to Mars become rock stars." Once the moment has been found
and spent, that song ends and the next one starts. Like a perfect pop
record made by mole people (and Jim O'Rourke, their emissary to the world
of surface dwellers).
NYC Ghosts and Flowers is sonically more reminiscent of their
earlier work than most of what they did in the 90s, but that is not
necessarily what elevates it above the post-Daydream Nation
releases. What makes the record work is the repaired fusion of
Sonic Youth pop group and Sonic Youth pretentious NYC art rockers. That
is to say, the elements that made them great then are again present in
proper measure. Couple that with more experience, talent and dedication
than any other rock band I can think of and it makes for one damn fine
record.
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