Thurston Moore - The Best Day

Thoughts on the new album?: http://www.npr.org/2014/10/12/354284493/first-listen-thurston-moore-the-best-day?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=2036

I've been enjoying the title track more than I expected to. Just really solid classic-style rock guitar playing imo. Even though there's not that much to it melodically, the simplicity of the line grew on me. I'm still working out what I think of the album as a whole. The vocals seem to let things down sometimes but it could just be a matter of time.

(I'd prefer for this thread to focus on the album. There are other threads to discuss Moore's personal life and PR/media issues.)

Is this the closest Moore has ever come to 'good' rock lead guitar playing in the traditional sense?

first song - awesome.
the rest - ok. but nothing new.

pretty cool, guitar sounds very 'homebreaker' to me.

Me from Twitter
T. Moore The Best Day Gtr cld use edits, but sweet title track, Jim Morrisonic opener, Mark E phrasing on autobio "Detonation" & "Germs Burn"!

"Edits" because mid-tempo predictability at length, between exciting bits

Apparently, I've been starving for new SY material or something because I've been listening to this like crazy, as much as I recognize its limitations and realize that I'd probably be critical of this kind of singing or these kinds of melodies in someone else's work (over different music?). I even started going back to Demolished Thoughts, which I only ever listened to once or twice before.

definitely like this more than Chelsea Light Moving and there were a few really nice-sounding guitar passages but for the most part the first listen didn't grab me much. none of the post-hiatus projects have been as enjoyable to me as the last few SY albums but i'd definitely take Lee's and Kim's over Thurston's.

Loving this. Agree with pfork review about it being a bit front-loaded, but that's nitpicking. First side as good as anything post Sonic Nurse imo

Yeah, I completely agree. (Sonic Nurse was the last SY album I really loved, although I started coming around on Rather Ripped recently.) There are a couple of punky songs in the second half that don't really hold my interest as much but otherwise this has grabbed me in a way that SY and SY-related things haven't in a little while.

I need to listen to that Body/Head thing again! I remember hearing it once and liking it.

"grace lake" could be on murrary street

"germs burn" rules

Really loving this more on each spin.

dude is milking that wildflower interval to death

http://youtu.be/5BE1KRj5iiM

solo on "germs burn" recalls solo on "sappy"

Guitars on "Forevermore" get so dissonant/'microtonal' (without actually using a systematic alternate tuning system afaik)! The bass is really holding things together there, isn't it?

I feel like the "Germs Burn" solo seems like more of a traditionally 'good' solo than the "Sappy" one, though, in comparison?

This interview is somewhat interesting, not just for the throwaway Tarkus reference, but also for his fairly humble attitude about some things:
http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148476-my-next-record-will-be-my-tarkus---dis-meets-thurston-moore

I feel like I've had my day in the sun in a way with Sonic Youth, so whatever I do now will always be seen as this add-on to that. I'm not trying to compete, that would be frustrating. It's just not going to happen... I don't think about reaching that pinnacle again.

he does a lot of interviews

love this record tho

man, this dude is on autopilot.

http://youtu.be/10K074bs5hk

I really like this album despite my desire to dislike him incredibly. This is much better than the awful Chelsea Light Moving album.

Some pretty cool versions of these songs + one new song

This should start at the beginning.

Killer set. I liked The Best Day okay (not as much at CLM) but am ready for the new record (which I believe has been recorded).

New song sounds good to me.

Is that Debbie Googe on bass?

Who's the new Lee?

it is DG on bass. New Lee is a guy called James Sedwards, the main force in l Nought and with Ben Wallers The Devil.

Not directly on the topic of the new album but I did not expect Moore to guest with Lucinda Williams.

New album Rock n Roll Consciousness on April 28:

1 Exalted 11:53
2 Cusp 6:33
3 Turn On 10:17
4 Smoke Of Dreams 6:04
5 Aphrodite 8:07

"Smoke of Dreams" video (two mins shorter than the album version). Bluesy solo halfway through.
https://youtu.be/8c0pR02pv9k

Long songs = good sign

I'm a stan but "Smoke of Dreams" feels pretty empty to me. The intervals are different but the rhythm and contour of the main three-note riff/hook remind me of "Illumine" right away; the vocal line mostly just follows the riff. The most engaging element is Sedwards's solo, which is OK but not earth-shattering.

Is this new one actually pretty fucking good? Or have I just not listened to Sonic Youth in so long that I'm picking up long lost nostalgia vibes?

"Cusp" and "Turn On" sound really great right now. "Cusp" in particular sounds like its mining slightly new ground.

I've listened a few times and, unsurprisingly, enjoyed it. Sedwards's leads are the best parts, on the whole, but, overall, it has a good solid classic rocking feel. I sort of questioned why I would need something like this when I have a lot of Nels Cline albums but it's comparatively a lot more stripped-down and straight-ahead rhythmically, which has its own appeal.

oh is this Sedwards fellow taking the leads on these songs? I just assumed it was Thurston. there is a lead bit early on in "Turn On" which kinda bugs me, but the rest of the composition is so strong its not that big a deal.

I think any of the melodic solos on The Best Day and this new one are by Sedwards? I've never seen any evidence that Moore could play lead guitar like that tbh.

I don't know about The Best Day, but most of the lead parts on this album don't seem that flashy. I say this as a person who can barely play guitar and has no idea what might go into any of this stuff. I guess I should pony up the $20 and go see him in a couple of weeks and find out.

When there are melodic leads on SY songs, they're usually, but not always, by Ranaldo. In any live clips I've seen of this band, though, Sedwards plays the solos, which Moore has also talked about in interviews. Not saying they're Allan Holdsworth or anything.

I mean, I could be wrong. If some of them are Moore, I'm happy to be corrected.

Hm, he's playing Montreal in July for what looks like a reasonable price.

no way that's TM soloing on "Smoke of Dreams"

TM has publicly confirmed that that one is Sedwards.

I just listen to records, I have no idea who was doing what on SY records. I have seen them live a couple of times, but I guess I am terrible at focusing on things. I believe you when you say Sedward is soloing on all these tracks, but at the same time, none of these solos seem like something that wouldn't exist on any SY record I have heard.

It is very possible I am not listening closely enough.

It still seems like a really good album though. I spent most of the morning listening to it on repeat, and its the most enjoyable SY-related thing I have heard since The Eternal, although I don't really keep a close ear on any of this stuff these days.

none of these solos seem like something that wouldn't exist on any SY record I have heard.

Idk what to tell you. I can't think of a time when either SY guitarist played solos like ones on "Exalted" or "Smoke of Dreams". For one thing, I've never heard them do such precise on-pitch bends and vibratos. (Compare the intonation in Ranaldo's bends on "Purr", which is probably as close as they ever came, let alone "Pacific Coast Highway".) The way the melodies are developed and phrased just seems a lot more informed by traditional blues-derived rock lead guitar playing. It's technically harder to play imo, which doesn't mean it's better, but it is different. Sedwards is a guy who taught guitar for a living and won guitar playing competitions; to my ears, the difference is pretty evident.

For one thing, I've never heard them do such precise on-pitch bends and vibratos. (Compare the intonation in Ranaldo's bends on "Purr", which is probably as close as they ever came, let alone "Pacific Coast Highway".)

i defer to you completely. This isn't even the kind of stuff I would notice, just melodically it seems pretty SY to me. I am sure I am terribly wrong. I'll try to keep an ear out.

listening to the first track on this ("Exalted"?), and the solo sounds p basic/competent, but it doesn't sound more technically complex than any of the virtuosic playing (soloing) on Dirty..? regarding the music (riffs, phrasing etc.), it's as if Thurston stopped progressing some time around 2000 and has been mining the same idiosyncratic terrain over and over again. I used to love these guys, but can't help thinking that they've become so hackneyed, almost to the point of parody. "Cusp" is nice.. I'll try to see this through.

https://youtu.be/10K074bs5hk

also, he kind of milked the Wildflower Soul/Rain on Tin intervals to death.

The point Mark Prindle made of latter period TM milking the vocal melody with the riff has kinda semi-seriously put me off 00s and beyond TM stuff

I thought the solos on Dirty were by Ranaldo but it's possible that I overstated the point about Sedwards's solos being harder to do. I should listen back-to-back.

I don't find these songs as memorable as those on The Best Day, for the most part.

Before pulling the CD out, are you mainly thinking about "Purr" and "Chapel Hill"? "Sugar Kane"?

So, listening, "technically harder" was the wrong thing to say but I do think there's a real difference in style. I'll stand by the point about the intonation in the bends and vibratos (even more noticeable on "Smoke of Dreams"). Also, though, I just can't think of a time when one Sonic Youth guitarist developed a lead melody on his own for 1.5 minutes over a steady beat and chord progression. In fact, at a time when I was listening to a lot of guitarists who did that, one of the things that was exciting when I first heard SY was that they took a different approach to developing instrumental passages. Any solo-qua-solo passages on Dirty are pretty short.

"Cusp" in particular sounds like its mining slightly new ground.

The Ex have been playing like this for three decades!

also, he kind of milked the Wildflower Soul/Rain on Tin intervals to death.

― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Saturday, May 6, 2017 8:05 PM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Rain on Tin is the best SY song ever... but i agree.

xpost. i think that's how this works.

I guess I should listen to The Ex. Although, I was mostly just referring to Sonic Youth/Thurston Moore stuff I was familiar with when saying "Cusp" sounded like it was mining slightly new ground. I should have been more clear. Now please tell me about all the Sonic Youth/Thurston stuff that sounds exactly like "Cusp".

Brontosaur, I was only kidding. You´re right, it is something new for SY/TM. Great track too.

Rain on Tin is the best SY song ever... but i agree.

yeah, it's got a great vibe/feeling, but the jerky-mechanical quality of the arpeggiated riff (at the very end) is kinda wack (minor quibble). it's reminiscent of the bit at 5 minutes into Karen Coltrane (ATL), which is nicely fluid in comparison.

oh man, that pulse they get going at the end when the drums drop out? i love that shit... they really nailed it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCf3gfKou60

Wasn't taken with the weak burn of "exalted " but "cusp" has some nice life to it. I just wish it was an instrumental.

totally willing to concede that it's just the Deb Googe factor that has tricked me into thinking this, but anyone else getting a vaguely MBV-ish vibe from "Cusp?"

also, this album feels short

"Aphrodite" video might make me like the song more, which rarely happens.

Just showed up to catch him on WNYC Soundcheck: https://www.facebook.com/WNYCSoundcheck/videos/vb.15655753179/10155288755113180/?type=2&theater¬if_t=live_video_share¬if_id=1495476031329589

Lol @ Thurston realizing how much easier it is to not have to change tunings between every song.

Digging into Spirit Counsel a second time. This is a definite change of pace: three disc-length instrumental compositions, featuring a celebrated ilxor on electronics. I really liked it the first time through and am trying to listen more critically for form now. Definite echoes of Branca, GYBE, Dreyblatt, but also some rocking/grooving moments, even some psychedelic lead guitar on the first piece.

(This should probably go in a new thread but we've been using this one so far. If there's enough interest, I'd be happy to start a new one.)

excited to hear this — instrumental thurston is a good idea. his lyrics in recent years have been a little phoned in.

Cover of the only New Order song I love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=sXJnKf4bBEU

Definitely liking Spirit Counsel lots! I'm usually very wary of three-hour albums, but Thurston is in the "Diamond Sea"/"Elegy for Dead Rock Stars"/"Wildflower Soul" zone here

Got me at spring st

I'm usually very wary of three-hour albums

You don't say?

"8 Spring Street" alternates between sounding like a wilder krautier Roy Montgomery and resembling the ending of "Female Mechanic on Duty" xxp