Sonic Youth

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Thurston Moore moves on

Demolition man
When Thurston Moore takes the stage at Somerville Theatre on Tuesday, he will no doubt stroll through the wispy cloud-spires of last summer's Beck-produced solo effort, Demolished Thoughts (Matador).
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | January 25, 2012

A talk with legendary producer and musician Martin Bisi

‘Tired of recording’
Since opening BC Studio in Brooklyn in 1979, Martin Bisi has recorded dozens of records on the fringe of the avant-garde scene, including early Sonic Youth, Michael Gira's Swans and Angels of Light, and the cabaret breakout debut record from Boston's Dresden Dolls.
By NICHOLAS SCHROEDER | February 23, 2011

Raymond Pettibon's 'Repeater Pencil'

Last words
"Was he a cynic, an enthusiast, or merely an aesthete of rough seas?" Rhetoric scratched across a cresting wave sets the dissonant tone of "Repeater Pencil," Raymond Pettibon's 14-minute single-screen animation, which wavers between a decorated apathy and dire fatalism.
By ANNIE LARMON | December 08, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

Sound of Silver

Brenda's debut a raucous shade of pop
From Extendo-Ride to Cult Maze to their latest incarnation, Brenda, there has never been any doubt about the songwriting capabilities of Peet Chamberlain and Josh Loring.
By SAM PFEIFLE | June 24, 2010

Legacy act

Mean Creek look forward to a long road
What does it say about the current scene when the standard full rock band of two guitars, bass, and drums can seem novel?
By P. NICK CURRAN | June 11, 2010

The future of brutal

Metal, refined and redefined by Krallice
“I’d like you to clarify a bit more exactly what you mean by ‘go off the rails.’ ” I’m speaking to Nick McMaster, bassist for Krallice — I hesitate to say “interviewing,” because moments like this, where he’s asking me for clarification, make it hard to say who is the interviewer and who is the subject.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | May 21, 2010

Poetic chaos

A Troop of Echoes spend Days In Automation
The melodic noise collective known as A Troop of Echoes will unveil their full-length debut Days In Automation next weekend at AS220, hosting their album release party alongside an impressive gathering of local support.
By CHRIS CONTI | May 19, 2010

Monster math

Nature/Nurture return with EP002
New Bedford-based instrumental specialists Nature/Nurture strike back with a new release and an added guitarist, bolstering their complex yet concise angular jams while continuing the N/N tradition of composing monster math rock by-the-numbers — literally.
By CHRIS CONTI | April 21, 2010

Bands of brothers

'Hislopalooza' is a family affair
I'm living the most local life I've ever lived right now in Dorchester," says Chris Hislop, bespectacled guitarist in the long-running Boston band Piles.
By MATT PARISH | March 10, 2010

Past perfection

The radiant, repressed pop of Neon Indian
Everybody please stop calling Alan Palomo "nostalgic." When I check in with him last Friday, the dude seems far more interested in whatever is on the horizon than whatever's in the past.
By MICHAEL BRODEUR | March 05, 2010

The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack

Kemado (2010)
This Los Angeles foursome first emerged in 2008 as the Muslims, a name they elected to change after they grew disgusted with and exhausted by all the ignorant — and often racist — bullshit that came out of people's mouths during shows/interviews/conversations.
By MIKAEL WOOD | February 03, 2010

Tight but loose

Jangly + angular = Glowkid
I had never come across the adjective "jangular" until I visited the Glowkid website.
By CHRIS CONTI | January 20, 2010

2009: The top 10 in pop music

Music you need to own
Hmm, lots of women, a few old dudes, and some African banjo (not to be confused with Steve Martin's Hollywood banjo).
By JIM MACNIE | December 22, 2009

2009: The year in Phoenix blog posts

Michael Jackson, meteors, WBCN, and one very angry Obama
Our most popular blog posts from 2009
By PHOENIX STAFF | December 21, 2009

Video: Our 10 most popular videos from 2009

Hardcore bands, porn stars, vampires, zombies, and vandals
The most popular videos from the Phoenix in 2009
By BOSTON PHOENIX STAFF | December 28, 2009

High tide

Thrashing surf-rock from Cliffs & Bangers
Newport’s Cliffs & Bangers bring their lightning-rod brand of surf-rock to the 201 this weekend behind their spring ’09 release Short Tracks No Brakes , and the downtown crowd better be prepared for some hair-flailing headbanging.
By CHRIS CONTI | December 02, 2009

Photos: Sonic Youth at the Wilbur Theatre

Sonic Youth, live at the Wilbur Theatre, November 22, 2009
Photos of Sonic Youth on their 2009 tour
By JEROME ENO | November 25, 2009

Dropping by with an old friend

Sonic Youth + The Feelies, live at the Wilbur Theatre, November 22, 2009
Even before there were festivals like All Tomorrow’s Parties to formalize the concept, Sonic Youth have always given off a curatorial air.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | November 23, 2009

By | January 01, 0001

Do over

The Feelies pick up their legacy
I tried hard to be born earlier, but it didn't work. As a result, I've had to contend with an irritatingly positioned cultural blind spot (roughly 1976–1986) that currently occupies all that open space once filled with childhood memories.
By MICHAEL BRODEUR | November 18, 2009

By | January 01, 0001

Glorious bastards

Deerhunter's path from divisive buzz band to indie royalty
Few bands could serve as a better case study on the influence of Internet hype on mainstream media and popular acceptance than Deerhunter. Before the band "broke" in early 2007, to a glowing Pitchfork review of their album Cryptograms , the Atlanta four-piece were virtual unknowns nationally.
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | September 02, 2009

Review: It Might Get Loud

Davis Guggenheim films his essay on the electric guitar
Some guitar teachers will tell you there’s a right way and a wrong way to play the guitar. But Davis Guggenheim’s rousing new documentary, It Might Get Loud, reminds us that that’s not true at all.
By MIKE MILIARD | August 27, 2009

Hail, Deer Tick!

The Providence rockers are poised for a breakthrough with Born On Flag Day
Heady days for Deer Tick.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | June 17, 2009

Music seen: Pixies vs. Sonic Youth at Empire

Sublime musical match-ups
The Clash of the Titans has become a Portland staple over the last three years. Since shifting from the Big Easy to the Empire this year, the Tuesday tradition has lost none of its crowd-pulling potential.
By DAN CLARK | June 10, 2009

Sonic Youth | The Eternal

Matador (2009)
This is Sonic Youth's first release on Matador Records, a retirement home for long-in-the-tooth indie-rockers, after two decades of major-label albums and one celebrity-curated Starbucks hits compilation.
By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY | June 01, 2009

By | January 01, 0001

Magik Markers | Balf Quarry

Drag City (2009)
Before Balf Quarry landed on my desk, I figured the dirtiest thing in Connecticut was Chris Dodd's browser history. Not so.
By MICHAEL BRODEUR | May 12, 2009