[Rupert 'Stiles' Stilinski]

I wrote a really long blog entry about the album--a track by track review.

So this one is about two weeks overdue. The Eternal has leaked online--the new album from my favorite band of all time! Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth.

I've been once again geeking over the awesomeness of this band. Quoting quotes from The Year Punk Broke in my head (because no one I know is kool enough to have seen it).

"You are not a duck--YOU ARE HUMAN!--so go forth and thrash!"

I always debate the best approach to the album review. Since I only generally do it with highly anticpated releases, I'm not top notch in this regard. I'll give a song by song review a whirl-e-ball here.

Cover Art: I guess it's supposed to be something celestial. Celestial Seasonings? Not so much. I guess the red swirl could be a large cup of tea. Overall, I'm not impressed. Much more a fan of their photographed album covers. Though Daydream Nation is my favorite (painting by Gerard Richter). C-

1. "Sacred Trickster": Wow, this is a great album opener! Quite a statement they're making with it clocking in at around 2:00. Most Sonic Youth tracks go on past the five minute mark. It's fucking hot, sexy, and to the point. Kim seems to be singing about Thurston--a common theme through the album. Does she call T-Bone her Sacred Trickster? I'd like to think so. This one will thrash in concert. This one shakes off the duldrums of the past six albums and will get the crowd acting like the crowd in the "Dirty Boots" video--minus the gratuitous making out (probably). B+

2. "Anti-Orgasm": Wow, again! All three singing members take a vocal in this one. For a Sonic Youth nerd like myself, this is quite exciting. Some great and witty lyrics here. Just when politics seemed to be abandoned in indie rock--well, I guess not quite yet. "Anti-war is anti-orgasm." Yeah, that makes sense. Some classic sarcastic smirky lyrics. Lots of "uhn uhn uhns" throughout. Again, this one will totally slay live. The noise bit in it is pretty fucking heavy. I'm already exhausted two tracks in. "Mission control to brain police" is my favorite lyric. With all that being said, I often skip this guy. Many on the message boards call this their favorite, but I'll wait until I shit my pants while hearing it live. B-

3. "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso): They take it down a notch here. I really like it, but it hasn't quite worked its way into my brain yet. Sounds like it would work perfectly on Washing Machine. This would have been a favorite song on most recent releases, and it works really well on this album, but I simply haven't tasted its love yet. Seems like Kim is helping T. with backing vocals, but I'm not really sure. Lots of layered vocals on this album. C+

4. "Antenna": Here we go. This one is perfectly mapped out. Starts with a beautiful little robotic drone that sounds like an antenna drawing a signal from beyond. Thurston sings this one also--and very well I might add. His vox are really tight on this album. The simple bass riff to draw the song in along with the simple melody--god, this is exactly the kind of thing I want from this band! I can't wait to jump up and down and sing along like a fucking maniac come June. This one is cool and sharp; it will definitely be a summer song for me. Oh, I get the feeling T. is singing about his favorite honey--Kim. It's a nice love song. This and "Incinerate" from the last album are giving me faith that Thurson has a really endearing sweet side along with all his other wonderful sides. What can this man not do? The middle noise breakdown is pure hyperspace--then the nicest lyrics I've heard in a long time--"Every day I feel more like her; Street magik in the burning dawn; out for blood my selfish lover; forever hers and then she's gone". Aw! A

5. "What We Know": Oh, holy fucking shit! Lee wrote his best song ever--and this man has quite a track record. This somehow has better lyrics than "Skip Tracer" (and I've written those lyrics on every notebook I've owned since I was 19); thumps harder than "Mote" (well, actually probably not); and is more captivating than "Eric's Trip" (hmmm). Well, it's acually my fourth favorite Lee song of all time. Those three are unfuckwithable, but so is this one. "Heaven's not about your reputation!" Really, Lee? To quote a teacher-catch-phrase, "Can he say that?" Again, some really sweet lyrics about Lee's sweetheart. "Our bodies vibrate so slowly! Yeah, that we know! Bound together heart and soul!" I can't believe my Sonic Youth are being so sweet. I can't stop listening to this cockknocker! A

6. "Calming the Snake": I was most curious about this song before the record dropped because of the title. One of the best titles since "Dude Ranch Nurse" and "Paper Cup Exit". This is a perfectly quintessential Kim song. She rhymes "river" with "shiver" and "quiver" over and over again majestically. This will be a great song live. It has a great interlude that reminds me a lot of "The Ineffable Me". The scream in the middle with the shrieking high note! Oh god, I can't wait another month and a half for these concerts. This song might make me vomit if I drink too much. A-

7. "Poison Arrow": This one can't leave my brain. Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" used to be my strutting song (the song that I'd have in my head when something happened to make me feel like strutting), but this one is quickly replacing it. Another love song--again, I'd have to imagine about Kim. There seems to be a sweet story included here, maybe about how T and Kim met, maybe not. This is catchy and perfect. Layered very well, like Rather Ripped's best tracks. I'm hoping I don't tire of this song because I really really like it. A-

8. "Malibu Gas Station": Kim sings very well on this one. I was a big fan of songs like "Jams Run Free" on Rather Ripped, and this one is sort of in that vein. Neat little intro and a finely layered pop song. Cool title and a well-crafted song. I have a feeling this one will continue to grow on me, though there's nothing too outrageous about it from the get go. B

9. "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn": This one was my first love on the album. I played the fuck out of this the first week I got it. A nice tribute to Darby Crash with some really cool lyrics. It feels like it belongs in the seventies, and though it's nothing revolutionary, it is just a really catchy, cool song. "Trashcan Canterbury Hollywood Blvd!" My beard is a circuit to amplifiers, too! A-

10. "No Way": I saw this one performed live on LIVE WITH JOOLS HOLLAND, so I am slightly biased in saying that this guy is going to be a real high point in the concert. It didn't stand out too much early in my listenings, but now I can't get enough of it. This one and "Thunderclap" really feel like great seventies punk songs. They just have so much momentum and vim and vigor. God, I haven't mentioned my beloved Steve Shelley yet in this review. He totally fucking destroys on this song. If I were in a band, this is the kind of song I'd want to write, sing, play, and perform. I love the way T-Bone sings, "NO!" in it. This song is flawless and will totally melt my entire being when I see it live (hopefully three times) this summer. A+

11. "Walkin Blue": Another great Lee song. It's not nearly as good (well, close) to "What We Know", but it's very nice. It's consistent with his recent work, has some great lyrics, and is a nice predecessor to the album's closer. This really reminds me of some high points on Washing Machine. It's just pleasant and warm. Cool layering in the vox also. Nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't grab me by the nuts like many of the other tracks. B

12. "Massage the History": Yay, another epic Sonic Youth track. "Pink Steam" was really good, and I called it a favorite for a while, but it was nothing new. "Massage" compares a lot with "I Love You Golden Blue" for me. It has a vibe much like that, though it doesn't do it as well as that one. People are jizzing themselves over this one, but (though I really like it) I can't quite totally immerse myself in it. It's slow ans space-ish. It will blow my head off as it's played probably at the end of the main set. Oh, it's got a vibe like "Sympathy for the Strawberry". There's a really great fucked up part in the mid to late range. Kim's vocals have definitely not sounded much better than this. Maybe she did better on "Sweet Shine"--this is a quality love song--as sexy as fuck! "You're so close, close to me!" I'm really inspired by Kim and Thurston's love for each other. They wrote practically every song about each other on this one. It's fucking beautiful. I know this will eventually be the cat's pajamas from the album (again, need to hear it live), but for now, I'll wait for it to grow on me. B+

Yeah, I know I'm a total fanboy dweeb. But this album makes me feel like I did when I was 16 and they were releasing Experimental Jetset. It's good to stay excited about things.

I'm chomping at the bit to go see them in June. Once again, I'll stand in line all day with a big Taco Bell cup full of happy juice. Maybe some of the old degenerates that I used to see in line will be there. Seems like most of them have moved on. I'd be really happy to run into Nicole again, and I even thought of inviting her to one of the shows, but I doubt that would go well. I really embarassed myself the last time I saw her.

Overall, this album gets a big fat fucking A!