Sonic Youth
The Destroyed Room:
B-sides and Rarities

ITUNES MYSPACE

Odds and ends from those
veteran guitar thinkers

As aging punks who value the album-as-statement, Sonic Youth release anthologies that hang together remarkably well (see their indie-’80s primer and video collection Screaming Fields of Sonic Love). The Destroyed Room assembles various collectors’ fodder from their major-label years: “Bull in the Heather” B-side “Razor Blade” channels acoustic Royal Trux (how very indie ’90s!); “Kim’s Chords” and “Beautiful Plateau” are bonus clang from the Japanese release of Sonic Nurse, while “Campfire” is a blipping Groovebox experiment. Some of the tracks sound pretty tossed-off, but it’s nice to hear such a brainy bunch not overthinking things. JOE GROSS

noir of the Sweet Hereafter is her ticket to heaven. If 2004’s Oh, My Girl sounded like Portishead holed up in a silo, Like, Love, Lust takes over the whole barn, wheeling out Farfisa, handclaps, cello, horns, and what sounds like the piano part from “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” SEAN HO WE

 

Lewis Taylor
The Lost Album
ITUNES MYSPACE
Fan of the classics recreates
the greatest jukebox ever
While some musicians who
plunder the past dilute their
source material (see Lenny
Kravitz), British soul man Lewis
Taylor does the opposite. His
second U.S. release rides a wave
of giddy enthusiasm, unleash-
ing big noises lovingly swiped
from Bee Gees, Jimi Hendrix,
and umpteen others: “Let’s
Hope Nobody Finds Us” would
make a fine addition to the
Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Playing
every multicolored note him-
self, Taylor is an ingenious
charmer. JON YOUNG

Sonic Youth: Oddly,
the grass floor was
in their rider.
Lucinda Williams
West ⁵

Richard Swift
Dressed Up for the
Letdown ⁵
ITUNES MYSPACE
Minnesota-bred troubadour
makes his mark on humble
Breezy yet downcast, Swift is
Rufus Wainwright minus the
operatic streak, crooning tales
of disappointment and stress
without making a spectacle
of himself. While these
elegant tunes easily could
be turned into noisy epics,
modest piano and guitar
(plus occasional flugelhorn)
suit them nicely, suggesting
cabaret pop from the garage.
The tender melodies of “The
Million Dollar Baby” and
“Most of What I Know” are the
stuff of tear-stained dreams,
hypnotic and strangely
thrilling. JON YOUNG

ITUNES MYSPACE

 

Trans Am
Sex Change ⁵
ITUNES MYSPACE
Jumpy dance rock never quite
transcends its influences
Once the Atari ²⁶⁰⁰ of the post-
rock scene, D.C.’s Trans Am
now allow their metronomic
rhythms to loosen up and go
disco when the mood suits.
Primarily instrumental—
with an occasional chanting
vocal—their eighth album never
rests in one spot. “Conspiracy
of the Gods” could be Mission
of Burma recast as prog rock;
“4,738 Regrets” marries a jangly
’80s new-wave riff to a kraut-
rock groove; “Exit Management
Solution” briefly channels New
Order. For kicks, Sex Change
should come with a reference
manual. ROB O’CONNOR

to change all that. Whether it’s Death Cab for Cutie’s shimmering “Rocking Chair,” the Roches’ Cajun-seasoned “Acadian Driftwood,” or Guster’s old-timey vibe on “This Wheel’s on Fire,” Endless Highway does the group proud. Exceptions? Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers’ jazz-lite “King Harvest” and Jack Johnson’s clueless croon on “I Shall Be Released,” which renders the dark, moving classic merely groovy. PETER GERSTENZANG

with hope in his heart, gently
tugging at modest acoustic
melodies alongside tasteful
pianos and strings, easing into
areas previously navigated by
Will Oldham, but finding a more
tangible emotional strength.
Even a spoken-word track feels
enchantingly unforced.
JOSH MODELL

Youth Group
Casino Twilight
Dogs

AMY GUIP/CORBIS OUTLINE

Jesse Sykes & the
Sweet Hereafter
Like, Love, Lust & the
Open Halls of the Soul

ITUNES MYSPACE
Woozy, ghostly alt-rock gems
from Seattle chanteuse
“Those were happy times,”
Jesse Sykes exhales frostily over
tremulous spy-movie guitar,
but her lyrical interest in
clouds, ghosts, and broken
branches raises some doubts.
Regardless, the riveting porch

Various Artists
Endless Highway: The
Music of the Band ⁵
ITUNES MYSPACE
They were much more than
Bob Dylan’s backup band
The Band were roots rockers
before the term existed, but
they often seem more leg-
endary than listened to. This
exquisite tribute to the
Americana pioneers (and ace
songwriter/guitarist Robbie
Robertson, in particular) tries

Various Artists
Music From the
Motion Picture Black
Snake Moan
ITUNES
Gutbucket blues from Samuel
L. Jackson and friends
In the new joint from Hustle &
Flow director Craig Brewer,
Jackson plays a grizzled
bluesman (is there another
kind?) who falls in with loony
abuse victim Christina Ricci
and chains her to his, um,
radiator. The racial math here
is pretty bananas, but somehow
not as odd as a somewhat
on-key Jackson running through
immortal tunes like “Stack-
o-Lee” and the title track.
Meanwhile, the Black Keys
break out big-beat whump,
R.L. Burnside brings subder-
mal drone, and Jessie Mae
Hemphill’s “Standing in My
Doorway Crying” simply breaks
your heart. JOE GROSS

Despite slips, another iconic
world-weary journey
Leave it to Americana’s
favorite fiftysomething enfant
terrible to set her greatest work
against her worst. Producer Hal
Willner weaves organ and vio-
lins through stunning vignettes
like “Rescue” and anatomy-of-
a-teardrop “Mama You Sweet,”
each nudged forward by Bill
Frisell’s jazzy hypno-wheels of
guitar. But then some fault lines
are revealed: “Come On” never
improves from “Dude, I’m so
over you / You don’t even have a
clue,” and Williams’ sub–G. Love
rapping skills get nine very long
minutes in the sun on “Wrap
My Head Around That.” But let
those parts slide into the ocean
and enjoy the remaining hour of
perfectly golden brilliance.
SEAN HO WE

 

James Yorkston
The Year of the
Leopard ⁵
ITUNES
Scottish troubadour goes
lazing on a sunny afternoon
A perfect balance between
languor and beauty can be
almost unsettling: Songwriters
who make wistful soul-mining
feel shrugged-out rather
than painstakingly crafted
occupy a rare air. On his fourth
album, James Yorkston floats
through that sad-eyed realm

ITUNES MYSPACE
Because every generation
deserves its Matthew Sweet
A double-platinum act in
their native Australia and a
cult act here best known for
a cover of Alphaville’s
“Forever Young” on The OC,
Youth Group make civilized,
bracingly lovely pop. Singer
Toby Martin finds the sweet
spot between Pet Shop Boy
Neil Tennant’s plaintive
croon and New Pornographer
Carl Newman’s seductive
bark, and Casino Twilight
Dogs is that most welcome
of albums: a great driving
record that exquisitely sound-
tracks crushes and heart-
breaks. The future mix-tape
hit “Sorry” showers an old
lover with chiming guitar
kisses before saying farewell
forever, and “The Destruction
of Laurel Canyon” ruminates
about California falling into
the sea. Somewhere, Seth
Cohen is freaking out.
JOE GROSS

 

W W W. SPIN.COM FEBRUARY^{2007 13}