Sister

Certain Songs #2346: Sonic Youth – “Tuff Gnarl”

April 16, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Sister
Year: 1987

. . .

Of course when I say that Sister is the beginning of Sonic Youth’s great four-album run, it wasn’t anything I thought about in 1987, as I was still on the fence about Sonic Youth at that time. So much so that while I know Cindy & I drove down to see them and Firehose at the Scream in Los Angeles in September 1987, I didn’t even mention it in my journal, maybe because I thought I would remember all about it for the rest of my life? (Once again future Jim is hampered by past Jim’s weird method — or lack of method, really — of chronicling things). Though I did mention that we saw the Miss Alans that weekend, so priorities, I guess?

Certain Songs #2345: Sonic Youth – “(I Got a) Catholic Block”

April 15, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Sister
Year: 1987

. . .

If “Schizophrenia” started Sister off on a relatively calm note, then the mood was totally broken by the next song, Thurston Moore’s “(I Got a) Catholic Block,” which roars out of the gate at a punky speed and has not just what is recognizable as a catchy riff, it’s a riff that matches the melody of the the song, making it for all of us lapsed Catholics to sing along.

Certain Songs #2344: Sonic Youth – “Schizophrenia”

April 14, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Sister
Year: 1987

. . .

OK, here we go. One of the tests of all-time great artists is the “four albums in a row” test, which is exactly what it sounds like: did that artist release four albums in a row that are amazing. Yes, I know it’s all kind of wrong, but it’s also all all kinds of fun.

And in retrospect, I think that Sonic Youth begins their four-album run right here and now with 1987’s Sister, an album where they were consciously trying to write more structured songs.