Eternally Bad

Recently, Sonic Youth bass player Kim Gordon attacked Radiohead’s hugely successful and innovative digital release of their last album, “In Rainbows,” which allowed listeners to download the album for whatever price they chose, even $0.

Gordon explained that all musicians who couldn’t afford to release their own music for whatever price the listener chooses come off as greedy corporate sellouts.

Nothing could be more disingenuous. Maybe Gordon was disgruntled because she knew that Sonic Youth’s latest album, “The Eternal,” was not even worth downloading, even for free.

“The Eternal” sounds how Gordon feels: disgruntled, insincere and abrasive.

From the opening track, “Sacred Trickster,” heavily distorted guitars chug along for a whole half-minute before Gordon’s mediocre, acidic vocals kick in, singing, “I want you to levitate me / Don’t you love me yet? / Press up against the amp / Turn up the treble, don’t forget.”

Sonic Youth’s sad excuse for lyrics comes off as trite and obnoxious. This quickly fading band’s strength used to lie in its members’ ability to function cohesively to bring songs alive with a genre-crossing style and creatively tuned instrumentals.

In “The Eternal,” none of these superlative characteristics are present.

From the first song to the last, the album sounds the same: utterly and irritatingly repetitive.

Simple bass lines, accurate but unoriginal drumming and heavily distorted guitars incessantly repeat themselves, as if on a mission to wear down a discerning listener into submission.

Essentially, “The Eternal” comes off as a duplicitous grunge album.

All the parts are present: distorted guitars, contrasting dynamics and whining angst-saturated lyrics.

Yet, after spending a large portion of their career on major label Geffen Records, Sonic Youth  return to indie rock, and their album seems like a shallow, superficial attempt to return to their wholesome ideals. 

The album’s most telling song, “Massage The History,” explains the downward spiral Sonic Youth’s talent and vanishing genius is taking.

In this nearly 10-minute-long song, Gordon reveals the truth: “All the money’s gone, all the money’s gone / Funny, it was never here, it was never here / Here’s a song, here’s a song / To massage the history.”

So Sonic Youth completely sold out, writing and recording music to regain their former wealth.

Sadly, they will likely never regain the respect they once garnered by countless avid fans and listeners.