I don't know who the heck died and made me some sort of expert on Sonic Youth, but... oh, wait, I'm not expert on Sonic Youth. I do know what I like, and I like Sonic Youth. I am currently the proud owner of four (4) Sonic Youth albums; "Dirty" is probably the most "normal" "pop" sounding of the group. Don't get me wrong, it is still decidedly Sonic Sounding, with its bizarre guitar sounds and whining obscure vocals, but it sounds very clean, especially compared to the follow up album, "Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star." This may be partially the fault of big wig "alternative" producer Butch Vig (who did, among others, the seminal Smashing Pumpkins album "Siamese Dream"). Of course, Vig also produced "Jet Set," so maybe I am full of it. But my point stands--all these tracks have single potentiality.
From the opening strains of "100%" -- "I can never forget you" -- in full anthemic style, to Kim Gordon's sardonic utterances of "I love you/I love you/I love you/What's your name?" Youth never fails to deliver lyrically diverse and melodically competent vocals. I was humming along to every track the first time I heard it. Released as a single, "Youth Against Fascism" fully embodies this very cleverly guided absurdité -- "It's the song I hate." This then dumps us into the one minute thrashy track "Nic Fit" which features scratchy guitars and equally scratchy and undecipherable lyrics. It's a kick.
While clearly not the cream of the Sonic Crop, "Dirty" does demonstrate that even the milk rocks the house. This is definitely worth listening to, and is one of the more accessible Sonic Youth discs; a little Sonic Speed mixed in with Butch Bud, just to get the listener hooked. A must for and Youth fan, of course. "Last night I dreamt I kissed Neil Young." Nuff said.
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