Dirty | Loppylugs

Submitted by Neil Hornsey on 4 September 2015 - 8:59pm

Cover:

Artist:

Sonic Youth

album-ID:

a_175

Nationality:

USA

Year:

1 992

Release-year:

0000

Num-of-tracks:

Track-listing:

100%*Swimsuit Issue*Theresa's Sound-world*Drunken Butterfly*Shoot*Wish Fulfillment*Sugar Kane*Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit*Youth Against Fascism*Nic Fit*On The Strip*Chapel Hill*JC*Purr*Créme Brûlèe

Length-in-mins:

Nominator:

Bean

meeting-ID:

m_67

Now-num:

2 015

Spotify-URL:

3vZQVeesxkzSRPtVLsrXKn

Short-title:

Dirty

nominator-ID:

u_13

Meeting-date:

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

MusicBrainz-URL:

30fef5ef-b1d4-36b5-8f75-f45b8e76c545

Wikipedia-URL:

Dirty_(Sonic_Youth_album)

Spotify-link-type:

album

Discogs-URL:

Sonic-Youth-Dirty/master/9844

Allmusic-URL:

dirty-mw0000083186

rdio-URL:

Sonic_Youth/album/Dirty_1

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reviewers-IDs data

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78

reviewed by

Richard Norbury
75

reviewed by

Glyn Lewis

I’m just here for dictation

1-2-4-5

9-12

I’d have to say this is one where I do need to be in the right frame of mind. I’ve had this album for 20 years and teetered on the edge of getting into it a number of number of times but never quite managed it. I played this a few times for Loppylugs and didn't enjoy it so much but suddenly it has clicked and I’ve really enjoyed a lot of it. Certainly the first half is really strong.

It’s an album where the feel / attitude is key, the lyrics I think are great, they’re generally neat constructs – lots of little angsty vignettes, all nicely seen through. Lyrically, I think Shoot might be my favourite: ‘Can I have some money / Don't ask me what it’s for / I wont be asking for your permission to breathe’ etcetera. The sound is good, there’s a nice tension and anger in the pieces. I like the switching between vocal leads, which gives some variety. She’s more convincing than him, I feel, especially when he tries to sing a bit. They are pretty basic song constructs, though, and if you play them quietly or aren't in the right frame of mind, they are a bit gnawingly crude. But, if you can go with it, they are great. I’ve found it a bit difficult to rate because of it being so dependent on my frame of mind. And I think it does really tail off towards the latter stages, largely because it is weaker and maybe also because I’ve had enough by then.

It is the sort of thing which is always going to take on more resonance live, and it does, trust me. I’m always a bit suspicious of albums where you feel you need to be listening to it in another way to that which you actually are but I think that is an unavoidable thought. However it does work well as a studio album, so that’s great news.
62

reviewed by

Neil Hornsey

Where are the tunes?

3-7

10

Nominated with the aim of educating myself about a band that I'd rather missed out on in the old days. Reached the same conclusion that I had decades ago; that they are great at creating a dirgy wall of sound, but somehow rather lacking in good melodies. The album is interesting as far as Sugar Kane but thereon rather drifts and isn't memorable. Not quite a full on noise band, not quite a pop band, stuck somewhere rather inbetween in no band's land.