Sonic Youth Springs “Eternal”

Updated:

June 29, 2009 1:07 pm

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Sonic Youth…they’re not getting any younger.

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It may seem like Sonic Youth take their precious time in between records, but the truth is, they’re never far from our periphery. Whether it’s churning out a steady stream of side projects such as the free-form supergroup Original Silence, baking up yet another installment of their limited SYR experimentations, or launching unknown acts through indie label Ecstatic Peace!, the members of Sonic Youth are about as tirelessly prolific as they get.

Still, for all their artsy noodling done on the side, nothing can quite appease like a legitimate band release, and come June 9th, the wait will be over when their 16th album, The Eternal, hits shelves. Their first release on New York label Matador Records after the band completed their long-standing contract with Geffen after 2006’s Rather Ripped, early previews of the new material suggests the album will be a virtual magpie of Sonic Youth styles. Encompassing both the anti-pop anthems that made Dirty a popular crossover in the early ’90s, and their signature wall-of-noise, blown-speaker rants, as well as a nod to their meandering experimentation for the album’s 10-minute closer, “Massage the History,” The Eternal looks to justify all the hype it has generated.

Ex-Pavement bassist Mark Ibold, who has supported the band since their 2006 Rather Ripped tour, has officially joined the SY lineup and filled the vacant fifth spot left by Jim O’Rourke in ’05. Also, co-producing with the band once again is John Agnello. For all their indie mystique, the band has kept fans updated via Twitter, as they have mixed and mastered the project, as well as dropped promotional tidbits on Kim Gordon’s latest Urban Outfitters fashion line that his earlier this week, or a Matador 7″ single swapping covers with Beck as part of Record Store Day’s nationwide bash next in April. After nearly 30 years, Sonic Youth don’t seem to be slowing down and all is better for it.

The Eternal Track Listing:

1. Sacred Trickster

2. Anti-Orgasm

3. Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)

4. Antenna

5. What We Know

6. Calming the Snake

7. Poison Arrow

8. Malibu Gas Station

9. Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn

10. No Way

11. Walkin’ Blue