Search - Sonic Youth :: Silver Session

Similar to Brian Eno's "On Land"

10/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The liner notes talk about how the band plugged every guitar they owned into every amp they had and turned everything up to 10 and recorded the ear-splitting oceans of feedback in their Tribeca studio one day in a fit of frustration over an upstairs band that was drowning out their attemts to put vocals on what would become "A Thousand Leaves". Apparently they then took the tapes of this apocalyptic noise assault and mixed them down into something very, very different from what you would expect from such a description.I am very familiar with the band's side projects so I thought this might sound like something along the lines of "Terry's Carrot" or Thurston's "Barefoot In Your Head" w/Borbotomagus.The "Silver Sessions" EP is unexpected! The result is gorgeous and very, very soothing. What a beautiful album! Grating, ear-splitting and annoying? Nope. Minimal? Yep. Dense? Yep. Ambient? Weirdly... yep. The sounds on this CD sound like distant airplane or dolphin noises far off on a breezy Summer day. Like something out of a wonderful dream. A beautiful, beautiful CD that I listen to again and again... and I think is as transcendant as Brian Eno's "On Land" album.Also... recorded as a tribute to a troubled fan (Jason Knuth) who commited suicide... and all prodeeds go to the suicide prevention hotline or something."

The best of the SYR releases

Pen Name? | 04/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sonic Youth has been experimenting alot with guitar/feedback style noise for awhile and have used their own SYR label to release a lot of these endeavors, none really come through like Silver Sessions. Out of the madness of their blaring amplifiers and a broken beat box, the band mixed and mastered a smooth, sonic soundscape that perhaps fulfills this side of sonic youth more than any other recording. Other SYR releases have offered some very interesting material, but this one is the most consistent piece. It's not for everyone and is a big departure from the structured rock of their Geffen releases. Silver Sessions is actually quite un-abnoxious compared to SYR3, or Thurston Moore's side projects like "Barefoot in the Head". If you are just getting into sonic youth, this probably isn't a representative introduction, but it is the perfect intro into the band's independent noise outings."

Cosmic lullabies

Micah Newman | Fort Worth, TX United States | 06/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Granted, this isn't actually music. But the sound etched onto this CD is a glorious one, like stars conversing to each other across space. It sounds reverent, glistening, and multidimensionally spacious. And all it is is guitar feedback and amp noise. This is the only CD I can actually fall asleep to; actual music keeps my attention and thereby keeps me awake, but this stuff just streams out of the speakers and flows over you like radiant waves. Not for everyone, sure, but I like it a lot."