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Retrospective Review: Sonic Youth – ‘Confusion is Sex’
25 DecImage Source: Discogs.com, http://bit.ly/1YigbJD.
Overview:
- 1983 debut album from Sonic Youth on no-wave/post-punk label Neutral Records (headed by Glenn Branca). Neutral Records would later go on to release records by the Swans;
- The only song that Lee Ranaldo plays bass on is the second track ‘Protect Me You’, a gothic-like, haunting drone melody that lingers on Gordon’s vocals ‘Protect me from ravagement/I’m ten years old/ I don’t know what I do/ Protect me myself’. The song is around six minutes in length;
- The front cover of the album displays a sketch of guitarist Thurston Moore by bassist Kim Gordon;
- Parts of the song use a ‘prepared guitar’ technique, which lends the screeching, metallic tones, grounded by the bass.
Review:
The first official studio album from Sonic Youth was put out on nu-wave, post-punk outlet Neutral Records in 1983. Arguably one of their best albums (certainly so, if you compare with every subsequent album between 1985-1988), ‘Confusion is Sex’ is littered with grunge, prepared-guitar riffs that sometimes thrill (cover of The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’) and sometimes haunt (‘Protect Me You’). The album was initially released following Sonic Youth’s first tour with label-mates the Swans.
CD. Image source: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp01k.jpg.
Cassettes. Image source: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp01x.jpg.
Back Cover for ‘Confusion is Sex’ Source: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp01n.jpg
‘Protect Me You’ Lyrics:
Protect me from ravagement
I’m ten years old
I don’t know what I do
Protect me myself
I’m fourteen
There’s nothing to do
Protect me yourself
I’m sixteen
Protect me from starving
I’m eighteen
Protect me you
I don’t know what you do
Protect me demons
That come at night
I don’t know what they say
They’re whispering over
Sends the night air away
And makes me forget
I hope they come
Again and again
Huh they come
Again and again
I hope they come again
Again, again
Lyric source: Sonic Youth – Protect Me You Lyrics | MetroLyrics .
Listen here:
Copyright disclaimer: Crash Music Blog does not own rights to any of the material published; all content is published out of mutual admiration only. Any copyright queries/requests-for-removal-of-content, please contact crashmusicblog@gmail.com. Thank you.
Verdena – Il Suicido dei Samurai
30 NovImage source: https://www.facebook.com/verdenaofficial
Il Suicidio dei Samurai is the third album by the Italian alternative-rock band Verdena, released in 2004. In total, Verdena, an Italian alternative rock band originating from Albino, Bergamo have released six full-length albums, no less. Brothers Alberto (guitarist) and Luca Ferrari (drummer), unsurprisingly, had been playing together for ten years. With the addition of Roberta Sammarelli (bassist), they formed the band and in 1999 had their debut ‘Verdena’. Appearing on the Il Suicidio del Samurai (which translates as “Samurai’s Suicide”) was also Fidel Fogaroli, a keyboardist, though he would later leave in 2007 to pursue his own projects. The album’s second record “Luna” has been one of the band’s notable releases.
Verdena’s songs are always sung in Italian, with the exception of some covers, such as (“Reverberation” by 13th Floor Elevators, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream), “(His Latest Flame) Marie’s The Name” by Elvis Presley, “Harvest” by Neil Young and “Creepy Smell” by Melvins), as well as an original song called “Perfect Day”.
A mixture of rock, grunge and psychedelia, they are well-known on the Italian music scene. With influence drawing from the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana (Il Suicido dei Samurai is a nod toward Nirvana/Fecal Matter’s ‘Samurai Suicide/Anorexorcist’)) and Yuck, this is some good shit.
Listen here:
Slint – Spiderland
26 AugOkay, not gonna lie. It was the album cover that first attracted me to ‘Spiderland’, by Slint. But okay, hey! Music-lovers alike will be familiar with the influence of iconic album/vinyl art. FYI, I am not implying that ‘Spiderland’ is iconic. Musically, I wouldn’t state that it is. Actually, ‘musically’ (okay, so defining this with respect to music theory) it’s fairly juvenile. Listening back to it, it’s what I would ‘classically’ (again, another over-used phrase, I know) refer to as a ‘stoner’ album; that is, in no more complex terminology, an album to get ‘stoned’ to, or hook up with someone, or fall in love to. It’s an album that can be enjoyed when you don’t really want to think too much (that is, assuming you ever want to think too much); but it’s not an album for those looking for musical complexity.
‘What do you think defines ‘Spiderland’ then?’, I hear you wonder in the depths of your subconscious (or not, as the case is more likely to be). What makes me listen to the album again? Well, the first response I would give is: the album-cover? NSS. After all, this is the first thing that got me listening to it at all. What else? Not the complexity, but it’s light-heartedness. From moments of quiet, slow melody, it blasts into unexpected (albeit simple) riffs that set my soul on fire. It’s awesome. Everytime I listen to it, I get emotional. My point? Music doesn’t haven’t to be complicated to be good. I love complicated music, but sometimes also music doesn’t need mental dissection. For that purpose, ‘Spiderland’ is well worth considering.
As always, sharing the link, where permissible.
With love from London,
Victoria
Crash Music Blog
Copyright disclaimer: Crash Music Blog does not own rights to any of the material published; all content is published out of mutual admiration only. Any copyright queries/requests-for-removal-of-content, please contact crashmusicblog@gmail.com. Thank you.
Wand – ‘Golem’.
27 MayThe second album from LA band ‘Wand’ is better experienced live (i.e. at the Old Blue Last in London, Sunday 24th May 2015). Still, well worth a good listen.
Image Source: http://bit.ly/1exi54c.
Image Source: http://bit.ly/1LKPpzx.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcvmk1TGeH4.
Hookworms – ‘The Hum’.
18 Jan‘Tis a beautiful record.
Image source: http://parasiticnematode.blogspot.co.uk/
More info here: http://parasiticnematode.blogspot.co.uk/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/Hookworms.
New Music: Bad Grammar.
4 Aug
Image Source: bit.ly/1ug80e0.
So, in my inaugural trip to Birthdays, Dalston last week, I had anticipated seeing the ubiquitous Love Buzzard. Instead, I found Bad Grammar, a lesser-known-but-just-as-mighty duo from Manchester. Playing to a crowd of no more than thirty people, the two young’uns – aka Ben Forrester and Lucy Brown – excited with their loud, brash riffs and drum sequences. Recounting their experience travelling down to London, Ben (electric guitar) talked about the boy on the train who apparently shit himself, before launching with no-nonsense into some skilled music mastery. Wicked.
Bad Grammar is better appreciated live, but listen here, if you so care:
CRASH 
Suicidal Tendencies (1983)
15 JunSource: http://bit.ly/1sH0MVk
‘Suicidal Tendencies’ was the debut album by American thrash band of the same name. Released in July 1983 through Frontier Records, it was a bestseller at the time. Standout tracks are: ‘Suicide’s an Alternative/You’ll Be Sorry’, ‘Suicidal Failure’ and, of course, ‘Institutionalized’ (the only single released on the album). The cover features an image of the band members (at the time, Mike Muir, Mike Ball, Carlos Egert on drums and Mike Dunnigan on bass) hanging upside down.
Listen here:
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