VZ Magazine

No band in the history of rock has come up with as many consecutive winners as Sonic Youth. Sure, there have been better bands, but the ones that come to mind were either short lived (The Velvet Underground) or suffered a drop in quality (The Rolling Stones). Sonic Youth, however, have released thirteen incredible albums in a row, over the course of twenty-three years. (They also don’t seem to have aged at all… is it possible that they are involved in the occult?) They began their career as an indistinctive no-wave band but, with the release of Evol, they managed to find the perfect mix of melody and noise. Their last album, The Eternal, was among the best releases of 2009, proving that it is possible for a group to seem fresh that late in their career. Certainly they would keep going, right?

Well, last year was marked by two sad events for anybody who loves alternative rock: R.E.M. broke up, and SY’s husband-wife duo Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon separated. The band has expressed doubt over whether they’ll ever record another album again. With R.E.M, it’s a bit easier to take. R.E.M. hasn’t released a really memorable album since New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and it’s very possible that Michael Stipe could put out a better solo album than Collapse into Now. With Sonic Youth, though, it just seems sad. Is it possible that the group that dominated the ‘80s, the ‘90s, and the ‘00s might not record again?

Even sadder is the fact that, judging by what the band members have released, they’re nowhere near as good solo as they are together. Thurston Moore’s Demolished Thoughts, released last year, was an acoustic album that, despite being pretty, didn’t have many great songs attached to it. Kim Gordon (my favorite woman in music, ever) has another band called Free Kitten, a group that is like Wings to Sonic Youth’s Beatles. Meanwhile, Lee Ranaldo has often gone the experimental route, with spoken word and free-jazz influenced noise albums. His latest album, Between the Times & the Tides, is less experimental, however. In fact, very little of the noise that Sonic Youth is known for shows here. It’s really quite bland.

But, it’s more than bland. I didn’t care for Demolished Thoughts (a lot of people liked it), but I listened to it before Thurston and Kim split. While listening to Demolished Thoughts, I wasn’t thinking about it as the only option. It was just a solo album and, if it wasn’t really my taste, I could always wait for Sonic Youth’s next album. Here, any Sonic Youth fan concerned about the group’s future will listen wondering, what if this is all we have? And, in that case, Between the Times & the Tides is depressing as hell. It’s not awful; it’s not even bad, really. But, if this is what we have left, then it’s just not enough. The band needs each other.

But, breakups are tough, and it’s easy to see why ex-spouses would be wary about being in a band together. So, if Sonic Youth never records together again, this is what we’ve got. Between the Times & the Tides is a soft album (like Demolished Thoughts) that is more about sound than songs. In fact, the songs rarely lift off, typically staying in one area. When I played The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s first album for a friend, he said that, although he liked indie music, it rarely climaxed and tended to stay at a nice but sterile level. I disagree with that perception when applied to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart but, when applied here, I can see it. This album is nice, but that’s all it is.

It does harbor one excellent song, though: “Lost,” which does everything correctly, while staying true to the album’s concept. It even has a chorus! So, I’d say that Sonic Youth fans should definitely listen to the album, if only for that one track. Who knows? You may even like the whole thing. Other critics seem to.

What do you think of when you hear the name Foxy Shazam? I imagine a magic trick, or maybe a flashy dance move or perhaps a radical explicative. Foxy Shazam are all of these things as rock and roll incarnate. They are here to remind the world what rock and roll is: a loud boisterous rumpus of emotions.

These guys are clearly inspired by AC/DC, Queen and The Darkness. If you’ve seen live footage it is clear their lead singer Eric Sean Nally is striving to be the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. The myth is that he’ll eat lit cigarettes whole onstage. He howls like a maniac, putting his entire life into his high-pitched squelch. He’s got a voice and knows what to do with his vocal chords: GO LOUD. In fact, everything about this band is loud. The guitars are loud. The drums are loud. Foxy Shazam is like a Michael Bay movie but for music. They fly in fast cars, guns blazing and heads screeching.

Their newest album, Church of Rock & Roll, brings it. They’re not trying to convince you of anything or to be political or to teach a lesson. The Church of Rock & Roll is all about digging in and embracing rock. A lot of it is nonsensical. The lead single’s chorus shouts, “That’s the biggest black ass I’ve ever seen, I LIKE IT I LIKE IT” but through its nonsense a listener can’t help but sing along.

Church of Rock & Roll could be described as a history lesson. It is trudging on a same track traveled before. Theatrical triumph “The Streets” echoes sentiments of positive entrapment in an attempt to garner a streetwise credibility. We’ve heard this song before, written by different artists but declaring the same vibe. And while “I Wanna Be Yours” and “Last Chance At Love” are sentimental and dubiously catchy, they’re rock anthems of yesteryear, still worthwhile but not-so original. The most genuine song on the album is “Forever Today” as a promise from Nally to his son who doesn’t understand the demands of the rock n’ roll lifestyle.

I wonder if Foxy Shazam is real. In many ways Shazam is just a conglomeration of the history of rock n’ roll. They’re not bringing anything brand new to the genre but bringing it back to life. Foxy is a good enough revival. A spectacle and a rumpus and a purely good time.