AphexSliter's Full Review: SYR 1 [EP] by Sonic Youth
This is the first of three Sonic Youth EPs put out between their 1995 album "Washing Machine" and the amazing 1998 "A Thousand Leaves" on their new record label aptly named Sonic Youth Records. SYR1, as it's usually referred to as, departs from the traditional concepts of "rock and roll" records, relying heavily on instrumentals and improvisation as opposed to anthemic lyrics and catchy riffs. The sound of SYR1 and the subsequent EPs SYR2 and SYR3 are hinted at on the epic last track off "Washing Machine," a twenty minute jam session entitled "The Diamond Sea." This EP also marks the beginning of Sonic Youth's work with producer Wharton Tiers, who lends his talent to the EPs and "A Thousand Leaves"; the latter seems to be a compromise between the long improvisations of the EPs and the (in comparison) ordinary SY stuff.
SYR1's first track, "Anagrama," is the longest of four songs coming in at just under ten minutes, and is also the most rooted in the guitar sound. While some subsequent tracks, like "Mieux: De Corrosion," may be experimental to the point of aggravation, the first song could almost be lifted off a regular Sonic Youth album. To any seasoned Sonic fan, this and the the subsequent EPs will not be hard to swallow. To many others, however, one listening may alienate, and instill feelings of guilt for paying $10 for twenty minutes of music.
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