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Album Review: Thurston Moore ‘Trees Outside the Academy’

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By: Mozzer | in: Music |

Thurston Moore

Following in the same vein as Sonic Youth’s Rather Ripped, the lights are lowered and the aggression is turned down–what pours forth is a mostly subdued and personal affair. Going along for the ride are Samara Lubelski on violin, and Steve Shelly on drums. J Mascis occasionally steps in with a solo and makes sure things don’t get too somber.

The more memorable tracks are to be found on the first half of this disc. “Frozen Gtr” and “Silver Blue” are mid-tempo and come close to an alt-country vibe. “Fri/End” is the most upbeat and pop-oriented song of the bunch. J Mascis puts the finishing touch on “The Shape Is In A Trance”. “Honest James” is perhaps my favorite; a two minute instrumental preceding a duet with Christina Carter is a brief near-spiritual gem. Moore’s trademark noise and feedback aren’t entirely absent; there are some bits of noise interspersed throughout. The record plays like a tenuous moment of clarity, but in the end, the madness eventually sees its way through.

Solo Album Preview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_Q_2_DTXw

The Verdict: Thurston’s first solo effort in 12 years starts out strong and maybe becomes a tad bit unfocused towards the end. Songs such as “Off Work”, “Wonderful Witches”, and the non-song “Free Noise Among Friends” derail the peaceful, reflective tone of the record. Nonetheless, It’s a very worthwhile listen and a nice look at this legendary, indie rocker’s contemplative side.

The Shape Is In A Trance

Honest James

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Posted on September 26, 2007

Comments

3 Responses to “Album Review: Thurston Moore ‘Trees Outside the Academy’”

  1. Charbarred on October 11th, 2007 12:49 am

    In a sense what I’d really love to hear is Sonic Youth expand their sound. If they can get the violinist on board as well as some other musicians and do a proper Sonic Youth album together that would be a dream. Years ago there was a Sonic Youth song on a Mike Watt album that had a bit more instrumentation and that was amazing. Agreed, the Thurston Moore album starts out great but gets a bit tired towards the end. Still a great listen though.


  2. DThompson on October 11th, 2007 12:49 am

    This is about 180 degrees from what I expected it to sound like. I guess that’s a good thing. Not much point in putting out a solo album if it’s going to sound exactly like a regular Sonic Youth disc. Good review mozz.


  3. Yaya on October 11th, 2007 12:50 am

    Nice review. Must say that both songs are rather boring. I’ll listen to this album, but I expected something else…


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