It seems a strange moment to reissue this iconic album, just a year before its 20th anniversary. It does arrive, though, just in time to prepare us for the band’s full performance of probably their best-loved work at London’s Roundhouse Theatre this autumn.
It’s difficult, even almost two decades on, to step back from such an alternative rock staple: its fuzzy guitar layers and aggressive screes sound so familiar, having influenced so many, but yet so perfectly fresh and self-contained. More than anything, though, it still sounds like one of the most hugely exciting guitar records ever. Equally influenced by Glenn Branca and Madonna, Sonic Youth knew the importance of the balance between experimenting and rocking, and on their fifth record, they hit it perfectly, from the desperate, thrilling aggression of Cross The Breeze to the alternately blessed-out and abrasive meanderings of the closing trilogy.
Disc Two supplements with contemporary live tracks, beginning with a raw, charged version of The Sprawl, Kim Gordon’s urgent growl as sexy and scary as ever. There’s a version of every track drawn from various venues, and each is almost as exciting to listen to as it must have been to be there. What a way to relive your Youth.
