The Eternal (album)
| The Eternal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Sonic Youth | ||||
| Released | June 9, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | November–December, 2008 in Hoboken, NJ | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 56:25 | |||
| Label | Matador Records | |||
| Producer | John Agnello | |||
| Sonic Youth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Eternal | ||||
The Eternal is the sixteenth and final studio album by Sonic Youth, released by Matador Records on June 9, 2009, their first on that label. It is their first studio album in three years (since Rather Ripped), making it the band's longest delay between studio albums. The album peaked at #18 on the Billboard 200 making it the band's highest charting album of their career in the United States and highest charting album since 1994's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, which reached #34. The album was released digitally, on CD, and as a double LP, in both a standard and a "Buy Early Get Now" (BEGN) edition.[1]
The cover art was painted by John Fahey.[2] The album is dedicated to Ron Asheton.
Contents |
[edit] Background
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. |
After Rather Ripped, the band left Geffen Records. They signed with Matador in 2008, and began working on new music.[3][4]
[edit] Tracklist
All songs written and composed by Sonic Youth except for "Pay No Mind" which was written by Beck Hansen.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sacred Trickster" (Vocals Gordon) | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Anti-Orgasm" (Vocals Gordon/Moore/Ranaldo) | 6:08 |
| 3. | "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)" (Vocals Gordon/Moore/Ranaldo) | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Antenna" (Vocals Moore/Ranaldo) | 6:13 |
| 5. | "What We Know" (Vocals Ranaldo/Gordon) | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Calming the Snake" (Vocals Gordon) | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Poison Arrow" (Vocals Ranaldo/Gordon/Moore) | 3:43 |
| 8. | "Malibu Gas Station" (Vocals Gordon) | 5:39 |
| 9. | "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn" (Vocals Moore) | 2:38 |
| 10. | "No Way" (Vocals Moore/Ranaldo) | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Walkin Blue" (Vocals Ranaldo) | 5:21 |
| 12. | "Massage the History" (Vocals Gordon) | 9:43 |
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Total length:
|
56:25 | |
[edit] iTunes bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Burning Shame" (iTunes pre-order exclusive) | 3:54 |
[edit] Japanese and Brazilian[5] bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Pay No Mind" | 3:04 |
| 14. | "No Garage" | 3:48 |
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Clash | (8/10) link |
| Drowned In Sound | (7/10) link |
| Gigwise.com | link |
| NME | (8/10) link |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.8/10) link |
| PopMatters | (7/10) link |
| Robert Christgau | (A-) link |
| Rock Sound | (8/10) link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
| The Skinny | link |
| Spin | link |
| State | link |
| Uncut | link |
An early review by Clash said "the album shows signs of life and heart-wrenching vitality that secures its makers’ position at the forefront of American rock music".[6]
In a "Critic's Choice" review for The New York Times, Ben Ratliff compared the album to two of their albums from the 1990s,Washing Machine and A Thousand Leaves; he pointed out that the album demonstrates Kim Gordon's continued rise as a singer, saying she "sings all the best stuff" on The Eternal, particularly the album's last song, "Massage the History", a song he calls the "record's sleeper stunner".[7]
The addition of Mark Ibold in the studio was praised by Monday Field of Frank Booth Review, likening the album's basslines to "a 1AM, alcohol-soaked punch in the gut".[8]
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Tastemakers | 1 |
| Top Independent Albums (US) | 3 |
| Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums (US) | 6 |
| Top Rock Albums (US) | 7 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 9 |
| The Billboard 200 | 18 |
| European Top 100 | 27 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 28 |
| Finnish Albums Chart[9] | 34 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 38 |
| UK Albums Chart | 42 |
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 52[10] |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 90 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 92 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Buy Early Get Now information for The Eternal, from the BEGN website
- ^ "Sonic Youth's The Eternal Album Art & Tracklist - Album Art". Stereogum. 2009-02-12. http://stereogum.com/archives/album-art/sonic-youths-the-eternal-album-art_052291.html. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Sonic Youth Confirm New Album: The Eternal". Pitchfork Media.com. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/149133-sonic-youth-confirm-new-album-the-eternal. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ Gerard (2008-09-09). "Matablog: Sonic Youth To Release New Material On Matador in 2009". Matador Records. http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/2008/09/09/sonic-youth-to-release-new-material-on-matador-in-2009. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ The Eternal - Saraiva.com.br
- ^ ClashMusic.com Album Review
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (June 8, 2009). "Review of The Eternal". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E6DD103EF93BA35755C0A96F9C8B63. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ Frank Booth Review: Sonic Youth- The Eternal (2009)
- ^ Suomen virallinen lista
- ^ ARIA Charts : Australia's Official Music Charts
[edit] External links
- "Sacred Trickster" at Stereogum
- "Wonder Town: Thirty years of Sonic Youth", album review and band retrospective by Sasha Frere-Jones at The New Yorker
