JAW ON THE FLOOR: Starbucks to Release Sonic Youth Celebrity Compilation (WTF)

cover is funny

lolz at Sonic Basketball

I can't believe Hurting 2 had to resort to explaining the cover like that (which he/she did exceptionally).

Do you think they requested the Parental Advisory sticker on there? I can't think of any objectionable content in any of those songs (though I don't usually filter stuff that way mentally, so I'm probably forgetting something).

Do you think they requested the Parental Advisory sticker on there?

Maybe for this:

he's got a hard tit killer fuck in his past
- "Tuff Gnarl"

"Parental Advisory : Kids might turn out like Juno"

EURGH

haha

You probably seen this, or linked to it, but for those who do not leave here, ever...

Pitchfork: Is Sonic Youth working on any new material right now?

Thurston Moore: No, no. We kind of need to record a song for this Starbucks record that's coming out.

Pitchfork: For, uh, Starbucks?!

Thurston Moore: Yeah. We sort of devised this idea of a Sonic Youth record where we asked all these different people to choose their favorite song, people like artists and actors and other musicians and what have you. So all these people, from Jeff Tweedy to Beck to Marc Jacobs to Portia de Rossi to Michelle Williams [laughs ], they all chose their favorite songs and wrote a little thing about it. So it's a compilation record of artists choosing songs of Sonic Youth. There's going to be one exclusive song of ours that we'll record, so that's something we have to record.

Pitchfork: So it's going to be one of those things up at the counter along with the biscotti and the disc of Elton John's favorite Christmas songs?

Thurston Moore: [laughs ] Yeah, something like that. I wish Starbucks would ask me to compile a mixtape record.

Pitchfork: That would be ... interesting.

Thurston Moore: I love doing that stuff. But you know, it's so funny, because Starbucks is the new record store, right? [laughs ]

Pitchfork: Yeah. I guess if you're in there buying a four dollar cup of coffee, the idea of throwing down a few more for the CD seems like no big deal.

Thurston Moore: Exactly, or getting the Paul McCartney gift card, you know. It's attractive, in a way [laughs ]. I like these underground bands that only make records and stuff that they sell only at gigs, and it's only available if you go to the gig to their merch table and they advertise it on their site and at different blogs and they'll list all these things like "edition of 50, only available on this little tour we're doing." So if you're a fan you kind of got to go to get the merch.

Well, there you have it. A Sonic Youth album... for Starbucks.

[laughs ]

[all the way to the bank]

I agree that the cover art is making fun of the phenomenon. What I don't get is why. Sonic Youth contracted with Starbucks to produce a CD of their songs to be sold (and not inconceivably, played) in Starbucks. Why does the cover art mock the Starbucks/Sonic Youth customers? Similarly:

Michelle Williams [laughs ],

Sonic Youth asked her to lend her name to this project. Why is he laughing at her? This isn't just sly irony, they're showing a smug sense of superiority and entitlement. The cover art is clever. It's also obnoxious.

There's this new artist Andy Warhol that's becoming really influential these days perhaps you've heard of him

There's nothing mocking, disingenuous, nor revelatory about the cover art that I see. Looks like just some kid after a late night shift inside a huge-ass Starback's that's about to close. It looks just like a Starbuck's ad.

I know it's hard not to see this as high art because of how low album art standards have become in 2008, but christ.

What's the source of the (very top) cover anyway? I initially thought the cover was a fake.

high art you say

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/50827-sonic-youth-reveal-starbucks-ihitsi-comp-details

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Makro's right. It looks like a Starbucks ad. It looks EXACTLY like and (let's face it) actually IS a Starbucks ad. It shows a typical customer in typical environment actually enjoying the product. Yes, there is an element of urban ennui and alienation in the image, but not to any "subversive" extent. Just enough to associate Starbucks with the basic iconography and aesthetics of the band.

The only people who will see anything subversive or "ironic" in this image are those who insist on viewing it solely as Sonic Youth's commentary on the economics and social significance of the arrangement. Even viewed as such, however, it's basically no commentary at all. And that's the wrong way to see it in the first place. It's a freaking STARBUCKS AD. Period. This isn't any more subversive or artistically interesting than Martha Stewart putting her name on a gravy ladle for Target.

No one said it was subversive

SONIC YOUTH ROCK BAND ON GEFFEN RECORDS PERHAPS YOU HAVE HEARD OF THEM

JAW ON THE FLOOR

isn't geffen a subsidiary of in the red?

ok I'm one of the last remaining "I hate it when good music gets used in commercials" fuxx and even I don't see what's the big deal about this

-- J0hn D., Saturday, June 16, 2007 7:11 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark Link

otm

i don't know if it's 'subversive', but i think it's a good joke, and that both SY and Starbucks are in on it

Michelle Williams [laughs ],

Sonic Youth asked her to lend her name to this project. Why is he laughing at her? This isn't just sly irony, they're showing a smug sense of superiority and entitlement. The cover art is clever. It's also obnoxious.

-- dad a, Friday, May 23, 2008 5:00 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

jesus, project much??

dad a is Jesus?

******JAW ON THE FLOOR*****

SOMEBODY CALLED MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL. JAW ON FLOOR ATTRITION

There's nothing mocking, disingenuous, nor revelatory about the cover art that I see. Looks like just some kid after a late night shift inside a huge-ass Starback's that's about to close. It looks just like a Starbuck's ad.

It is... but do you not see any irony at all in putting the title "Hits Are for Squares" above this image (when putting a Starbucks ad on your album cover)? I'm not sure what I think of the statement but I do agree with Hurting's reading.

That was Maximum Rock N Roll by Jaw on Floor Atrition Records.

Unfortunately, the title reminds me of a Huey Lewis song.

i got it! it's kinda like saying "hay is for horses." hits is another word for inhales. one inhales smoke, as from a cigarette. another name for cigarette is a square. hits are for squares! sy, you always tell it like it is!

..which is not "Heart and Soul" (xp)

Sundar, I do see the irony, but it's razor thin irony lite that isn't particularly noteworthy.

It's Ironique(TM)!

All that said, this is a good Sonic Youth compilation.

Message Board Poster: Starbucks Sonic Youth Compilation Fails to Effectively Critique Capitalism

No one said it was subversive

-- Hurting 2

Because they're already disappointing and confusing fans by doing a Starbucks comp and they go and actually put a Starbucks on the cover - something that even Norah Jones would never do. And the guy on the cover kind of embodies a certain kind of aging indie kid turned corporate man.

-- Hurting 2

There's nothing wrong with that on any level. But it's the least interesing and challenging image possible. Andy Warhol, I get it. But kind of thing stopped meaning anything long before he died.

Message Board Poster: Starbucks SY Comp Isn't That Interesting

you're a jack-ass and a snob

"It's an introduction aimed at the Starbucks customer base as a while, aimed mostly at people who know very little about the band as an artistic entity and are just going to see the cover as a pleasant image that relates to the place they bought it. It's a Starbucks ad."

Serious question: what do you think those folks are going to think when they go home and listen to this?

HI I AM CORPORATE DRONE I NEBER HERD OF SONIC YOUTH WATS DAT IS IT CLASSIC GENIUS LIKE RAY CHARLES OOH PRETTY PICSHURE

The CD will only available in metro areas (NYC/SF/LA/CHI etc.)

I think the sleeve is funny. I think its ironic and yes maybe ironic lite, um, ironically enough. I like the one with the basketball players on too

I like the song that Michelle Williams chose.

I hope Thurston Moore wasn't laughing at Michelle Williams, hopefully he didn't considering she is involved. On the other hand Michelle Williams and Thurston Moore are considerably richer than me so I probably shouldn't worry too much about that.

Did Starbucks make some 'world music' cds for their branches once? I don't go to Starbucks because I don't like coffee too much

Is it really true that Starbucks pioneered having multiple branches very close together? saturation something? or was that another company?

Serious question: what do you think those folks are going to think when they go home and listen to this?

-- Alex in SF, Friday, May 23, 2008 12:17 PM

I think people will like it! I think people tend to like most things when it is presented to them in a certain context