June 7, 2004 by A.S. Van Dorston

People talk about Sonic Youth being in a slump, but Murray Street wasn’t chopped liver. It equaled if not surpassed Washing Machine. Sonic Nurse may not be another notch in an ascending arc, but it’s pretty close in quality to their last one. I was hoping they would rock out in a way they haven’t since Daydream Nation, but they’re not spring chickens anymore, so we’ll have to settle for the tidbits of restrained abandon, which is about one can expect from a band that’s been active for 23 years.

The attraction on this album is the groove and melodicism. The second track (the titles are all messed up on my copy) sounds like a Marvin Gaye rhythm track, with Thurston Moore’s vocals actually sounding pretty and melancholy. Kim Gordon is still doing her screechy riot-gramma yowl which can grate at times, but we love her just the same. Tracks three and five have some alluring chiming guitar tones, with the latter threatening to break loose at five minutes with some crazed solos, though they’re reigned in within twenty seconds. It’s nice to hear Lee Renaldo’s voice on track 8, on possibly the most raucous, noisy track. It was so good I played it twice. The album closes with an appropriately long build-up, with gentle picking and Thurston sounding all soft and pretty again (we can tell who wears the pants in his family), before the guitars take over. Right around four minutes they reach a peak and pause. While last album they emulated Television’s Marquee Moon, this one more recalls the crystalline sounds of Adventure. While the songs are shiny and fresh, it’s still comforting to hear their voices and signature instrumental styles. I couldn’t imagine hearing this group any other way.