[Johnny American]

... 'cause it's over?

[dionysusundone]

Yeah it sure most suck to get old and lose yr hearing.

[atsonicpark]

Yeah really.

[Sonic Youth 37]

Wow, that's a lot of red.

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Are we listening to the same album? I think this album is super tight and very energetic, whereas you think the complete opposite.

Also: fuck the Fiery Furnaces and Animal Collective.

[summer]

While I also dislike The Eternal.. there is no way I am reading all of that sorry.

[alteredcourse]

I appreciate your effort to describe your opinion here.. (not that my praise means anything).

You sound really burnt out. Sorry for that .

What albums have actually inspired you lately ?

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Also just because Massaging the History has acoustic guitar on it and is a relaxed pretty song by Kim does not mean it = Trees + I Love You Golden Blue. It sounds nothing like Trees Outside the Academy or like I Love You Golden Blue to me.

[atsonicpark]

Originally Posted by Johnny American

Listen to interesting stuff that blows your mind; go for Dirty Projectors or Fiery Furnaces or Animal Collective's more adventurous stuff

Too funny. What the hell are you talking about? Thurston and Lee already listen to stuff way more "mindblowing" and "adventurous" than any of those bands.

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Animal Collective makes adventurous music?

[Johnny American]

Originally Posted by dionysusundone

Yeah it sure most suck to get old and lose yr hearing.

Hey, you're a year younger than me! Thoughtful reply, 24 year old. Wanna try again?

[exploding plastic candle]

I think it's really tight, energetic, and definitely a step in a new direction, but I do have to agree that at times it's a bit unengaging. I know where you're coming from, but I still enjoy the album. Why must you be so critical? They've been around for over 25 years, I'm perfectly happy with a release like this.

[pantophobia]

i disagree completely but atleast he put it in paragraph form

if it's one thing that bug me, is when some body starts a rant and forgets to press the return key every 4 to 5 sentences

[Sonic Youth 37]

He has a cohesive, well-thought out point that is rare on the internet. I am in total disagreement with it.

[Moshe]

didn't listen to the album yet but most sy albums need a few spins before i can make my mind about them. i remember i used to hate nycgf on the first few listens/months and now it is one of my favorites. allow the album some time so it can sink...

[Johnny American]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

Too funny. What the hell are you talking about? Thurston and Lee already listen to stuff way more "mindblowing" and "adventurous" than any of those bands.

You're definitely right that you could take the view that any of the awesome free improv stuff or noise stuff or any of the great bands that they've sort of devoured and re-coded into their own DNA is way more mindblowing than the stuff I mentioned; I was just trying to bring up newer stuff that, despite the antipathy directed towards it for dubious reasons, actually tries to create an identifiable, singular musical identity that does not sound like much else, which is a lot more than you can say about almost any other band that has become internet-famous in the last six years. I'm not even that much of a supporter of Animal Collective; I think they're lazy songwriters and producers who create tedious albums sometimes, but they've also made some really wild, moving tunes from time to time. The Sonics have got Ornette Coleman, Patti Smith and Led Zeppelin and Glenn Branca and the Sparks, and their SST-era "peers" and god knows what else long coded into their DNA. It's what they've been listening to lately that seems to be, uh, less than tasteful, adventurous or moving.

[Johnny American]

Originally Posted by Moshe

didn't listen to the album yet but most sy albums need a few spins before i can make my mind about them. i remember i used to hate nycgf on the first few listens/months and now it is one of my favorites. allow the album some time so it can sink...

Moshe, you are the king of bringing us all much needed updates, and a devoted follower, so I'll have to respectfully submit that I have heard it three times and was just shockingly disappointed each time. I've always really enjoyed Sonic Youth albums on the second listen if not the first; maybe there's something unusual with me in that aspect. (Opening myself up to easy insults with that there, but hey ... I'm trying to make a larger point about the band and how they interact with each other and the musical world these days, not just bash some of your guys' new favorite album).

I've definitely had strong favorites shift over time and found new things to love about albums that I thought were less than strong like everyone else, but this is just, like from-another-band, first-time-ever bad to me. Hopefully you'll disagree and enjoy it!

[summer]

You Talk A Lot.

[Theremin]

It's true, The Eternal is not their most innovative work and it'll probably get panned for that by pitchfork and the likes. But really, there's some pretty good stuff on this album, a well-executed refinement of the influences they've gathered & developed themselves over the years. I guess that's usually about the best you can expect from bands > 20 years into their carreer.

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

What kind of sound system are listening to it on?

That can have a big effect on enjoyment.