Sonic Youth Gossip - naked on the vague

wow. incredible sensation with this record at its most trebly, the vox, what i assume are organs or keyboards or sumthin, cymbals and guitar all blend together in and kind of shimmer over the surface but murkily to the point they slip into partial distinguishability. it makes perfectly clear sense in its own vision of downheaded weird, lax to the point of a slur/inflection taken up by a ingenuine stoner exchanging pleasantries with someone in public. gives the impression of a depth which is just echo, everything seems to slip around in position but this only becomes noticeable after its moved. or maybe its just because im so hungover. its striking what has been acheived here and how much seems to be happening with a minimal set up. the interplay and production really congeals into something great, noone's playing here ever sounds as if its disconnected from anyone elses and just sticking out when its not needed for the sake of it. but its also weirdly relaxed and simplistic.

anyway an incredible record that +++ yes yes go get it recommendation etc.! now! go! do it!

i can't see anyone here not enjoying this.

the vocals are like if one of the vivian girls depressed cousins started babbling blurry moans alone in an echoing church but didn't really know what she was singing but kinda just skipped about enjoying the duhh-ed out quality of her voice for the sake of it. then got older and decided to talk like that forever because everyone was being a dick and she couldn't be bothered saying fuck all to any of them.

i don't know what you would call this kind of style, its of the siltbreeze fold of course. thematically it seems to be using a kind of minimalist weird realist perspective to flush out great depths of strange beautified sickness drawl in the music. its not as frenetic or tightly wound as something like eat skull and is kinda bored out and huffy at times - in the best way possible.

no filler, nothing extra that doesn't need to be here. its just great to hear a post punk record of such stroppy disinterestness and weird emotions that are better if you don't get what they're about, but that aren't some sort of aggressive statement about anything. great textures, everything seems to be on top of itself like a patchy coat. i love it.

the opener "mysterious oven" reminds of a raincoats opening track, and there are traces of gina and anna in lucy's delivery, the album is like an exploration in reverb based on listening to "the void" over and over again. it does seem like the earlier tracks are at first apparently almost upbeat but leave a residual stain of bloaty misery that you miss because you're to much of a self absorbed mess to notice all the blatant emotions a female is clearly expressing to you and are too busy getting off on your own conversation dominance skills to care that you are missing. things get slightly sinister towards the end, from "the joke" onwards, when whatevers bothering her is told to shut up, (that tracks probably the highlight). in that creepy because you're caught slipping between ironies and don't know what the fucks up but have been alerted to something way. then "bad lettuce" seems to be a gnarly stomach ache bugging out your system, and closer "blank minds" suggests everyones back to fuckin empty in the end anyway. only in a shit way because they're all well aware that the lack of some serious problems and worries in their thinking means they can't work out what it is that's so bad and is now too far off the periphery to be grasped and they're walking omniously into something yet have no other option but normal mild cheeriness about it.

perhaps what is being expressed is one of those stupid emotional intensities that you think are real and threatening some times but do you no use to pursue in actuality so you just kinda drift about and shop and feel ok. its a record for moments alone in your room waiting for someone to shout at you to come down because you're all leaving to go somewhere and you can't be bothered and are kinda anxious and hyped at the same time. it sounds more knowing than trying to prove and is just... well, cool as i've already said. go listen to it. everything comes together well here and it will be a pleasure to hear where they go next. this is the first thing i've heard by them and i'll be looking into everything else keenly to see how they arrived here. if they ever move on from the loose intensity they show in certain songs on this album i'd like to see them take it to more confused places and focus on the sense of dumb/clear haunt and spaceyness they do so well.

on their myspace they are taking donations to make a pyschedelic movie about the apocalypse in the australian outback! so if you download instead of buy the record at least go there and donate. i'll have to chuck them a tenner next time i get some cash in.

there is also a great review from an australian site here and an interview hear http://www.messandnoise.com/articles/3959464