SONIC YOUTH: “Murray Street” LP

Description

SONIC YOUTH: “Murray Street” LP

Murray Street (sometimes written as Murray St.) is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 25, 2002, by DGC Records. Murray Street is the first album by the band to feature Jim O’Rourke as an official fifth member to bolster the group’s sound.

Recording sessions reached an unexpected halt following the September 11 attacks as the band instead led a World Trade Center benefit festival on October 9. Several other benefits and gigs led them to their rescheduled March 17, 2002, appearance at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Los Angeles, California. By then, recording and mixing for the album was complete and all seven tracks (first revealed on the band website) were played at the festival. The new material was hailed as a return to the style of distorted and complex instrumentals that made the band underground favorites.

Art director Frank Olinsky led the conception of the cover designs. The young blonde-haired girl pictured to the right on the album’s cover is Coco Gordon-Moore, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon’s daughter, picking strawberries with her friend, Stella, who is on the left.

Murray Street received a score of 82 out of 100 from Metacritic based on “universal acclaim”. Entertainment Weekly wrote that, with the album, “Sonic Youth find a balance – between formlessness and structure, melody and cacophony – that’s eluded them for a while”. Playlouder gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and said, “There is just enough balance between the tune, and the unexpected jazz chords, ear-splitting squeals, and lovely harmonic noises to make it forever listenable