As a result of my falling head-over-feet intoDavid Browne’s new-to-paperback biography of Sonic Youth, Goodbye 20th Century, I’ve been seriously digging into the fucking weird and absolutely wonderful super-old Sonic Youth back catalog. That might also have something to do with this year’s SY album, The Eternal, being a bit..rote. Lackluster. At least Rather Ripped was surprising and yielded layer after layer of tough underpainting as the flakes peeled away.
Ciccone Youth:Into The Groovey
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
As I wrote over at BabyGotBooks (in an article which may or may not be live on that site as you’re reading this), the thing fascinating me most in Browne’s book on Sonic Youth is his treatment of their early, highly-experimental but also surprisingly fun and accessible years. To wit, their Ciccone Youth project, about which Browne writes: “[Sonic Youth’s] Madonna phase crystallized during the EVOL sessions.” Recorded for a split 12″ with Mike Watt’s solo cover of Madonna’s “Burning Up”, Sonic/Ciccone Youth’s “Into The Groovey” is both totally sarcastic and an utter love-letter to a woman who, at the time, was doing what Sonic Youth wanted to do-make challenging, interesting music that was also immediately accessible. Did they succeed? Over at BabyGotBooks I mention the psych-dub freakout “The Burning Spear”, which would work in a Progressive House set today, and then this-this version of “Into The Groovey” is ripped, mixed, from Cut Copy’s FabricLive DJ mix. What you’re hearing is the blending of the Tiga remix of Soulwax’s “E Talking”, “Into The Groovey” and Justice’s “Waters of Nazareth”. Sonic Youth on the dancefloor? Yeah, I think so. And it’s a bit shocking, but not really-at best, Sonic Youth’s noise is hypnotic and redemptive-the verysame qualities that make great dance tracks.So, basically, that girl in Juno can shut up, thanks.
Related Entries