Okay. I didn't get the memo. Because Sister made my ears hurt. I don't think it really helped that I was listening to it in the car. I don't think Sonic Youth is meant to be listened to while your driving. Because I drove over the median and smashed head first into an oncoming Prius and walked away, bloody from the scene and crawled home to write this review.
Well, that's what I WANTED to do.
This is the first time that I might dump out of a Listening Post before the halfway mark. Except for the Aerosmith reviews (I didn't get to the last two) I have slogged through some horrible shit to get to the end. (Bon Jovi, anyone?)
But, this could be the nadir of all for me. Because with Sister being listed as the 14th best album of the 80s by Pitchfork (I fucking hate Pitchfork.....) and NME rating it 80th of all time, I really think I'm missing something.
Okay. Screed out of the way. Truth is, Sister started out promising. I really thought the one-two of Schizophrenia and (I Got a) Catholic Block was pretty tight. And then it fell to shit for a while. In fact, the template of nausea/headache inducing odd guitar tuning, wall of noise is getting stronger and more concrete as a "sound" and I'm not getting it.
Certainly no one sounds like SY. I think that's good. Rating this highly mediocre melding of the move toward songs on Evol and dystopic dischordance of Confusion is Sex as a masterpiece is off. It's got moments. It's not brilliant.
I'm giving them one more. (It helps that the next one is Daydream Nation, their most heralded)
Grade C-
A Side: Schizophrenia, (I Got A) catholic Block.
BlindSide: Stereo Sanctity
DownSide:Beauty Lies in the Eye, Pipeline/KillTime, Cotton Crown
2 comments:
In the early 90s they start to sound better, from what I remember ... you know, songs and radio play and all that. Like the Pixies taught them a lesson or something.
Sister is their best, IMHO. Daydream Nation is great, but beyond and before, nothing is as good. Get out of your car, get some headphones and lose yourself.
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