Sonic Youth - NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000/2016) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

"NYC Ghosts & Flowers" is Sonic Youth's thirteenth album, and yet manages to sound fresh and familiar at the same time – probably largely due to the theft of an extensive amount of their gear directly prior to the album's composition. It's also their shortest record in years, a fact that shouldn't be interpreted as lack of new ideas – instead, Sonic Youth offer a fury of chaotic, melodic, and psychotic soundwaves that leave you wanting more, more, more…..!

Continuing in the mellow vein of 1998's „A Thousand Leaves“, „NYC Ghosts & Flowers“ starts on an introspective note with the gently winding "Free City Rhymes" which waits patiently for almost three minutes until Thurston Moore's unmistakable light gravel voice eases in beside the guitar noodling. The album's high point comes a couple of songs later on the lightly infectious "Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)," with Kim Gordon singing as powerfully as ever, followed by the potent poetic rambling rant of "Small Flowers Crack Concrete." While obviously not as experimental as releases on their own and other indie labels, NYC Ghosts & Flowers proves that an indie band can survive a decade on a major label and retain its integrity.

Tracklist:
1 Free City Rhymes 7:30
2 Renegade Princess 5:47
3 Nevermind (What Was It Anyway) 5:33
4 Small Flowers Crack Concrete 5:10
5 Side2Side 3:32
6 StreamXsonik Subway 2:48
7 NYC Ghosts & Flowers 7:47
8 Lightnin' 3:50

Personnel:
Thurston Moore, guitar, vocals
Kim Gordon, bass, guitar, vocals
Lee Ranaldo, guitar, vocals
Steve Shelley, drums
Additional musicians:
Jim O'Rourke, bass ("Free City Rhymes", "Small Flowers Crack Concrete"), electronics ("Side2Side")
William Winant, percussion ("Side2Side")
Rafael Toral, Spacestatic guitar ("Renegade Princess")

Recorded August 1999 – February 2000 in New York City, United States
Engineered by Wharton Tiers; Jim O'Rourke
Produced by Sonic Youth, Jim O'Rourke

Digitally remastered