EVOL (Sonic Youth album)

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EVOL is the third studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me Now, a film by Richard Kern. The album is notable for Steve Shelley replacing Bob Bert and the band showing signs of transition away from their noise-rock past and towards 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," which may or may not be about the second woman to survive an attack by the Yorkshire Ripper. "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".

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 raucous but surprisingly faithful take on the Kim Fowley tune "Bubblegum," which Kim Gordon kicks off by shouting "hit it, girls."

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.

Track listing

All tracks were written by Sonic Youth, except where noted.

1. "Tom Violence" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 3:05
2. "Shadow of a Doubt" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 3:32
3. "Starpower" (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
10. "Bubblegum" (Kim Fowley, vocals Gordon) (bonus track on later CD versions) – 2:49

EVOL is LOVE spelled backwards

Personnel

• Lee Ranaldo – guitar, vocals
• Kim Gordon – bass guitar, guitar, vocals
• Thurston Moore – guitar, vocals, Moog Synthesiser
• Steve Shelley – drums, programming
• Mike Watt – bass guitar