It's better to not burn out and not fade away.
Now almost viewed as a legend and influence as opposed to a current concern, Sonic Youth show no sign of stopping and their latest release, 'The Destroyed Room' gathers up some B-sides and unreleased tracks, along with some rarities from just over the past decade and manages to make a cohesive record. There will be many who feel that a proper Sonic Youth album contains enough sprawling moments and may approach this collection with caution but it holds together rather well.
Opening with a couple of instrumentals, the tempo is set quickly and the groove builds right away. 'Fire Engine Dream' manages to live up to its title with some ringing in the background but at times, the bleeping and spaced out sounds conjures up images of The Clangers on acid. Were The Clangers the ones on acid anyway? Either way, the chugging rhythm that allows the spiralling overlay to meander is pretty solid and even after repeated plays stand up rather well.
With track lengths ranging from just over one minute to the final track's 25 minute plus stomp, the time for money ratio can't be faulted but it's in the overall quality and consistency that the album survives. Nowadays with mastering and remixing it's not as hard to piece music together but the ten years that spanned the recording of these tracks saw some big changes in the world of Sonic Youth both in line-up and outlook.
With a song from 1994, just when Britpop was about to wage war over here, Sonic Youth were coming to the end of what is seen as their grunge era, with 'Bull In The Heather' possibly surviving as the band's biggest hit, if a band like Sonic Youth made hits in the traditional sense. This track's B-side 'Razor Blade' survives here and is the short song, a quick buzz in and out number.
Since then, their popularity waned a bit, different styles and genres were developed before a critical return to form over the last few albums. Unlike the prodigal sons The Pixies, Sonic Youth would be unlikely stadium rockers these days in the UK but their influence and talent stands as testimony and tribute to them.
For all that, the album is still an acquired taste, there is a reason that Sonic Youth don't play stadiums or have number one albums, but what there is lacking in chorus or snappy interludes, there is shading and depth and drawn out passages which rock and you just want to keep going. Thurston Moore has stated that "if there was no Can, there would be no Sonic Youth", and if you see that as a compliment, then this collection will be pushing your buttons. The atonal intro to 'Beautiful Plateau' (an out-take from 2004's 'Sonic Nurse') has all the sense of menace that you could wish from Mogwai at their best but with a warmer feel, messing with your head but jagging away enough to remind you why this music is important.
And by god that sounds pretentious, even to me that sounds pretentious....it's just the way it is. Sonic Youth aren't for everyone, they've got a moment for everyone but with a back catalogue as vast as theirs, it would be worrying if they didn't. And if this review has put you off from it, then fine, leave the record but perhaps check out 'Goo', 'Experimental Jet Set', 'Trash' and 'No Star' or at least check out the wonder that is 'Teenage Riot.' For everyone else, this collection is pretty deserving of a place in your collection beside the last three Sonic Youth records and the knowledge that some bands don't burn out and fade away, some remain as timeless and as graceful as ever.