Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation (Reissue)
Geffen (2007)
When I first heard Sonic Youth, I didn't know about their formidable New York hipster cachet: Glenn Branca confederates, initially hated by Village Voice snob Bob Christgau, ex-No New York alumni (at least before Steve Shelley got behind the skins), etc. I had no idea that this was the band that bridged hardcore and the downtown gallery scene - how many punk bands get written up in Artforum? (Don't answer that.) And at the time, I probably couldn't have cared less what a bunch of turtleneck'd gallery patrons thought. And I still don't. Because the fact of the matter is the band's much-heralded early efforts were valuable but ultimately dead end excursions into post-PiL NYC downtown turmoil, like chopping through the bush only to reach a sheer precipice. People have been jerking off over No Wave more and more in the last few years, but in the final analysis it looks like most other attempts to shoehorn the logic of the art gallery into rock and roll: easy to lionize if you're got an agenda, but not very listenable unless you're into self-deception. But even at the beginning, Sonic Youth already had a boatload of great ideas that put them … Read more
Andrew Bird
Armchair Apocrypha
Fat Possum (2007)
With the over saturation of the industry, technology making the ability to record a feasible option for anyone who has … Read more
Six Parts Seven
Casually Smashed to Pieces
Suicide Squeeze (2007)
I'm having real trouble introducing this band. How could I set up a band that's been covered by Isaac Brock … Read more
Napalm Death
Scum (Reissue)
Earache (2007)
Surely by now, almost everyone within the underground music community has heard of Napalm Death. If you have not yet … Read more
Tokyo Police Club
Smith
Paperbag (2007)
Back in 2006, a small post-punk quartet from Newmarket, Ontario hit the club scene and blew people away with their … Read more
