Evol (Sonic Youth album)

Untitled

Evol is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records, and recorded and mixed by New York recording icon Martin Bisi. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me, a film by Richard Kern. The album is notable for being the first with new drummer Steve Shelley, replacing Bob Bert, and for showing signs of the band transitioning away from their noise-rock past and toward a greater rock sensibility. It was the first album by the band released on the SST label. By 1986, label founder Greg Ginn was anxious for SST to move away from its American hardcore roots, and signing Sonic Youth was an undeniably important step for the label, as well as for the band.

The record marks the second straight for the band in which it had worked with New York singer/performance artist Lydia Lunch. Lunch had shared vocal duties on Bad Moon Rising's "Death Valley '69" and on this record she co-wrote the tune "Marilyn Moore". "Shadow of a Doubt" takes a great part of its lyrical imagery from the Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train: "Met a stranger on a train/you'll kill him and I'll kill her/swear it wasn't meant to be".

Mike Watt played bass on the track "In the Kingdom #19". The band encouraged him to play it shortly after the fellow bandmember D. Boon of Minutemen died in a car crash. Coincidentally, the song is also about a car crash. Watt had entered a severe depression following Boon's death and was considering leaving behind his career in music. He credits the time he spent with the members of Sonic Youth during the recording of Evol as a major factor in his deciding to re-enter the music world.

On the vinyl format of the album, the time length for "Expressway to Yr. Skull" was indicated by the symbol for infinity; the final moment of the song featured a locked groove, making it theoretically endless. The CD format added a bonus track: the band's cover of the Kim Fowley tune "Bubblegum". According to Mike Watt, he and Steve Shelley played the basic rhythm track over the actual Kim Fowley record, which was afterwards removed when the other members added their parts.

One single, a radio edit of "Star Power", was released from the album, with "Bubblegum" and an edited "Expressway to Yr. Skull" as B-sides.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Blender	link
Robert Christgau	(B+) link

Track listing

All tracks written by Sonic Youth, except where indicated.

1. "Tom Violence" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 3:05
2. "Shadow of a Doubt" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 3:32
3. "Star Power" (lyrics Thurston, vocals Gordon) – 4:48
4. "In the Kingdom #19" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo) – 3:24
5. "Green Light" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 3:46
6. "Death to Our Friends" – 3:16
7. "Secret Girl" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 2:54
8. "Marilyn Moore" (lyrics Lydia Lunch and Moore, vocals Moore) – 4:04
9. "Expressway to Yr. Skull" (aka "The Crucifixion of Sean Penn" / "Madonna, Sean and Me") (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 7:19

CD bonus track

10. "Bubblegum" (Kim Fowley) (vocals Gordon, Ranaldo) – 2:49

Personnel

• Lee Ranaldo – guitar, vocals
• Kim Gordon – bass guitar, guitar, vocals
• Thurston Moore – guitar, synthesizer, vocals
• Steve Shelley – drums, programming
• Mike Watt – bass guitar on "In the Kingdom #19" and "Bubblegum"