Catshanghai

I’ll always be young, because I’ll always be younger than Sonic Youth and Madonna.

I’m really happy today. I’ve just heard from Msittig that Sonic Youth will play Shanghai at the Concert Hall on April 24th. I will always love Sonic Youth even though their recent albums have been rather dull. Sonic Youth were wonderful in the late eighties and early nineties. “Sister”, “Daydream Nation” and “Goo” were full of blazing tracks that totally changed the landscape of underground rock guitar. At the time, you had a choice between plastic pop and spandex metal, but Sonic Youth made made rock music cool, edgy and arty. Sonic Youth were Indie, grunge and post rock before any of these labels were invented. They were kingmaker’s of the underground picking and sponsoring winners like Babes in Toyland, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Junior and Nirvana. They helped independent music cross into the mainstream, but they still epitomise good taste.

Sonic Youth are most exciting when their music blends noise, pop, melody and tightly structured verse chorus verse that resembles rock music, albeit highly detuned and warped. “Cross the Breeze” from 1988’s “Daydream Nation” album is the perfect rock song. Their free jazz noise thing is far too sprawling and indulgent for my taste so they can veer between amazing and awful. I thought Sonic Youth had gone off the boil in recent years, although last year’s “Rather Ripped” is tight and edgy showing they have form again. Let’s hope that the cultural ministry give this tour the thumb’s up. It will be good for China’s burgeoning band scene.

Links:
upcoming.org,
sonicyouth.com