They don't mess around, starting off the album with their single, "Sacred Trickster". This is a fuzzy, deshevled rock song not unlike the "prime" of Sonic Youth that I mentioned previously, the one that I missed out on. This song is imperfect, in a good way. It is raw, and it's what rock today should be.
This leads into the second track, "Anti-Orgasm". This is in the same style as the opening track, a tad bit more polished but the same sound. The slight polishedness doesn't last long, the shredding starts soon along with the keyless vox. The guitar riffs explore areas of the traditional guitar neck that I did not know were existant. This song as a whole sounds like some crazy Satanist nightmare, and I don't mean that in a bad way.
Then we have "Leaky Lifeboat", which starts out cute, but very spotty and untuned, in an almost mocking way. The verse transitions from the raw, keyless sound into a more perfect sound in a very drifty way. The chorus gets a tad quieter and a bit more pizzacato in a way that reminds me of sad modern indie rock. This shows that Sonic Youth are themselves, but they try other stuff too.
After that, "Antenna" comes on, which has stood out as the most popular track throughout the last couple days. It starts quiet with slight drifty fuzz in the background. It builds up to a pounding rock verse. The vocals of Thurston Moore come in deep and distant. This track is fogged with feedback, making it seem farrer-off. The verse makes you want to pound your head...a feeling that hasn't come along in alternative/indie rock for years.
The next track is "What We Know", which begins with some interesting drug patterns and a cool bass riff. Then the signature fuzzy distorted guitars cue in. The male vocalists begin singing with voices that are half-keyed and half-talking into the mic. The drum work stands out on this track a bit more than on the others.
"What We Know" fades into "Calming the Snake" which starts with light, sort-of scary-ish guitar. It then comes in with ting-ting like drums and bass, and then, go figure, some distorted guitar. Cue untuned riffage. Cue untuned wailing vocals. It's not that this song isn't good, it just seems like it's the same as the past few tracks. I'm liking the sound, but it seems like they aren't doing enough with it.
After this we have "Poison Arrow", which has a couple different riffs coming over each other and contrasting in a way that fits. This song probably has the longest intro out of any song on this album so far. The vocals come in surprisingly close and clear, mirroring the guitar in the background. It has a chorus with soft vocals being repeated, and then the same riffs from the beginning come in.
Then there's "Malibu Gas Station", which starts differently from the other tracks. It's soft, and there isn't really any major guitar pounding or fuzz. Don't get me wrong, there is eventually riffing guitar and rock drums, but it isn't the same raw distortion that all of the other tracks have, which, at this point, could be a good thing. The guitar goes up step by step before going back down...there are some good female vocals on this track. This one stands out for me.
Next is "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn". The vocals come in fast with the guitar...the soft, surly vocals go on and off with the speedy verses and choruses. Not a bad track, but really not special.
After that, "No Way" comes on. You may think it's going to be another drifty soft one at the very beginning, but that same guitar and voice come in. This one has one of those choruses that takes you a bit by surprise...exploring notes and chords that weren't previously explored in the verse. Probably the outstanding of the not-very-outstanding tracks.
Then "Walkin' Blue". The guitar that comes on is not too imperfect...a refreshing sound. The verse is reminiscent of simple grunge rock of the 1990's, which is a sound that many rock bands are afraid to explore these days. I like this track for it's simplicity of a sort...I can really respect all of the artists on this one.
It finishes off with "Massage the History". The intro is simple enough, calmer than other tracks. Then, believe it or not, a guitar comes on that is not at all affected by anything, just a guitar being strummed, which is a great thing to hear. It surprises the ears after listening to a majority of "The Eternal". The intro is strummy and backed up by drum patterns that remind you sort of Led Zeppelin intros. The vocals come on and the closeness makes it sound like Kim Gordon is singing through a paper towel roll directly into your ear. The repetition and softness of this song is good.
Overall, it's a good sound, and it's pretty refreshing, but I can't help but sprout the thought that Sonic Youth just pulled out the same bag of tricks on all of the tracks. Of course, there are other things that are done, but it seems like it's always just some oddly tuned guitar, distorted with high levels of foggy feedback, playing desheveled riffs. For this reason, I wouldn't buy the whole thing.
Key tracks: "Sacred Trickster", "Anti-Orgasm", "Leaky Lifeboat", "Antenna", "Malibu Gas Station".
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