Release Date: May 24, 2011
In the post-Bon Iver world, everyone must adapt to be a multifaceted folk artist. As much sonic good as Justin Vernon did for the folkie world, attaining a level of ubiquitousness not seen since Simon & Garkfunkel, he also did irreparable harm to the chances of any folk artist desiring to be, well, just a folk artist. Kurt Vile branched from his Springsteen Nebraska-era references to create blissful folk-pop, Fleet Foxes made the word pastoral cool and Joanna Newsom reminds all that pop is a malleable word. But for those non-innovators, the landscape has become increasingly craggy, fraught with steep climbs to credibility. It’s a dangerous world, folkies, better wear extra flannel.
In a way, Thurston Moore should be exempt from this. Not only has the 54-year-old (FIFTY FOUR!) been the frontman for one of the most influential guitar bands of the past 20 years (Sonic Youth), his solo folk discography goes back to 1995. He is already 20 times more accomplished as the pioneers stated before. His most recent record, Demolished Thoughts, is evidence of this: breathy vocals, ribald guitar work that skews awfully close to Sonic Youth Unplugged, and dark, vaguely sexualized lyrics that have become a selling point for true fans of the man’s work. Demolished Thoughts is, more than likely, exactly what it should be. But in a world where the standard has been raised for great folk-pop, exactly what it should be frequently doesn’t seem like enough.
Which is not to say Demolished Thoughts is bad. Quite the opposite, actually. Moore frequently uses his gift for arranging caterwauling guitar lines on Sonic Youth songs in a moderately unique way here, employing different strings as substitutes for overhung acoustic guitars, which could muddle the mix. Fiddle, violin, harp and cello all play key roles here, with the acoustic guitar frequently serving only to ground everything in a sense of folk purpose. Mystical teeth-bearer “Circulation” gets away from just being an Eddie Vedder-style pounder through the dark inclusion of minor-key violin and mandolin, adding an air of depth to a record that, in another’s hands, might have seemed slight, frail.
Moore’s breathy vocals are a sticking point for any folk explorer; while his characteristically slacker intonation gives Sonic Youth a measure of tongue-in-cheek confidence, here they contribute the same slacker feeling to different effect. Instead of seeming cocksure, Moore seems spindly, hard to grasp, especially given his frequently sexualized-for-barely-any-reason verse.
“Orchard Street,” for instance, starts out with talk of semen and demons, the former informing the latter. He doesn’t do a lot of singing on many of the songs here, however, letting the songs build their instruments and their tone before entering with his morbid poetry. “Blood Never Lies,” in its first two wordless minutes, has all the markings of slow-tongued balladry; Moore throws his verse at the song with casual ease, not letting his turns of phrase get in the way of a beautifully set of chords.
Which raises the biggest problem with Demolished Thoughts, the issue that keeps it from achieving the kind of transcendence young musicians like Vernon and Robin Peckinold are achieving currently. At nine tracks, the album can seem appropriately short. But because the instruments used are largely the same (a smattering of strings, a plaintive acoustic guitar, some form of percussion), the lack of powerful or enticing lyrical flair blends all the songs together into a somewhat innocuous amalgam. While minutes of the album seem ripped from Will Oldham’s discography—appropriate for minor key indie movies about growing up in the sticks, the disc on a whole is catch and release. Again, not necessarily a bad thing—getting to choose a few of the fantastic tracks from Moore’s latest can seem like a delightful gift, and it is. When taken as a full album, however, Demolished Thoughts is nothing to write home about.
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts Tracklist:
- “Benediction”
- “Illuminine”
- “Circulation”
- “Blood Never Lies”
- “Orchard Street”
- “In Silver Rain with a Paper Key”
- “Mina Loy”
- “Space”
- “January”
