Listening Post: Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex

When I was in college I had a short lived, Spinal Tap inspired punk band: Yeast Infection. We consisted of an ambient noise inducing guitarist (who is now an esteemed newspaper editor), a pair of dating male and female vocalists; the woman (an investigator of hate organizations now) would wail dischordantly) while the male (now a respected television and film director) warbled almost on tune, despite attempting not to. And me. I was the drummer who pounded on cardboard while shouting, "I'm Phil Collins!".
Why am I telling you this?
Because with just a little more talent, drive and direction, we could have been Sonic Youth.
Unless they are as great as their legacy.
They've been together since 1981 (holy smokes) and I only know their big album for DGC (Goo) and the song, "Teenage Riot" from the Rock Band video game.
Let's learn more, shall we?



Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex - 1983 (iTunes - Amazon)

In the past Listening Posts I have always tried my damnedest to give the benefit of the doubt to any band's debut offering.
Nothing's changing here.
Confusion is Sex is listed in various places as "No Wave". I understand that moniker but it made me start to think about New Wave and it's quitessential poster children, The Cars. I've been playing some songs by The Cars on Rock Band, and I enjoy switching over to Bass to really hear what Orr was playing. The more I think about it, there was nothing truly New Wave about The Cars. Orr's basslines are simple and, heck, rooted in 50s rock n roll. Ocasek's quivery voice and Hawkes' keyboards are the only thing futuristic in the slightest. The Cars weren't New Wave. They were Old School dressed up in neon.
Sonic Youth is the New Wave of waves. Lo-Fi to the point of being obnoxious, every track is strangely hypnotic. SY is the only music I have ever found myself getting lost in AND being able to read a novel while listening at the same time. Classical demands that I pay attention, Rock, jazz, etc, all call on the listener to distract themselves. You can listen to Sonic Youth and love it, or you can put it on as background music. Either way, it works. I've never heard anything like that.
Ambient to it's core, Confusion is Sex is a groundwork, a culmination of the beginnings of ideas.
Tracks like Protect Me You could be the soundtrack to a Killer Orphan Slasher Movie. In a good way. Whereas Shaking Hell ALMOST sounds like a song. But it's not, really. It's an audition to score some NYU Experimental film.
Some songs, like Confusion is Next, are actually worse than Yeast Infection's and that's saying something.
There is a lot of value here, though. Along with Laurie Anderson and Glenn Branca and others, this is what the post-New Wave art sound was sounding like in the early 80s. A great time for music, when you think about it.

Grade C
A Side: She's in a Bad Mood, Making the Nature Scene
BlindSide: The World Looks Red
DownSide: Confusion is Next, Freezer Burn/I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live)