Fender to release Sonic Youth guitars tomorrow

From the Fender site:

"Thurston Moore + Lee Ranaldo. Jazzmaster guitars slung across seminal shoulders. In the hands of both men, the sound of Sonic Youth is the sound of that guitar used as part paintbrush and part cluster bomb. Introducing the new Thurston Moore Jazzmaster and the Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster guitars from Fender, releasing July 1st.

Lee and Thurston have always heavily modified their Jazzmaster guitars- removing all extraneous controls- simplifying and stripping them back to their essence, leaving just a 3 way switch and a volume knob. In many ways these 2 instruments are similar, yet in almost every major way (pickups, bridges, frets, pickguard) they are totally different. "After playing and slaying Fender Jazzmasterz for the last 20+ years we are totally PSYCHED and HONORED to have our very own signature axes.



"When Fender came to us with an offer to make signature models of our Jazzmaster guitars we jumped at the chance. These are the guitars that have defined the sound of Sonic Youth for more than 20 years. Although we love all guitars, Jazzmasters are the ones we've modified and perfected for our uses over the years. With massive input from our great road crew we've come up with a Thurston Jazzmaster & Lee 'Jazzblaster' that fully reflect the current state of the guitars we play in 2009. In fact, we couldn't wait to get our hands on these axes - the prototypes of our Fender models have already been thrust into action during the recording of our latest album, 'The Eternal', and have already begun to acquire the scrapes and scarz of live performance. These guitars rock Sonic style!"
- Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo

The Thurston Moore Fender Jazzmaster and Lee Renaldo Fender Jazzblaster are out tomorrow.

Sonic Youth's The Eternal is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

New Sonic Youth video Sacred Trickster

Here's the new official video for Sacred Trickster from Sonic Youth's new album The Eternal.



The Eternal is out now through Matador/ Remote Control.

SONIC YOUTH ON LETTERMAN

Check out last week's Sonic Youth performance on David Letterman.
Playing the first single Sacred Trickster from their latest album The Eternal, the 'Youth well and truly prove that after all these years they can still rock out like it's nobody's business.



The Eternal is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

SONIC YOUTH WEEK ON PITCHFORK

The folks over at the 'fork have decided to celebrate the release of Sonic Youth's new album The Eternal by dedicating a whole week to them!

Over five days, Pitchfork TV will be featuring interviews with the band, video selections currated by SY and a knockout performance as part of Pitchfork's A>D>D project.

Sacred Trickster

Monday June 8 - A>D>D session, part one
Tuesday June 9 - A>D>D session, part two
Wednesday June 10 - Sonic Youth: The Pitchfork Interview, Part One
Thursday June 11 - Sonic Youth: The Pitchfork Interview, Part Two
Friday June 12 - Sonic Youth curated the videos on Pitchfork TV. Some incredible selections.

Be sure to jump on to the Pitchfork website to check it out.

The Eternal is out now through Matador/Remote Control.

More Sonic Youth live on Jools Holland

33 more sleeps til The Eternal is released, but hey whose counting?

There's plenty to keep us excited til then.

Here's more footage up at YouTube of Sonic Youth's performance on Jools Holland last week.

First up here is the single Sacred Trickster with Kim on the mic plus the Thurston fronted Antenna:


And if that's not enough, why don't you sign up for a direct hit from the band by following them on TWITTER?

Sonic Youth's The Eternal is out June 6 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Sonic Youth perform What We Know on Jools Holland

Another teaser from the forthcoming Sonic Youth album The Eternal, out in Australia through Matador/ Remote Control June 6.

Here is their performance on BBC's Jools Holland show earlier this week. It's the Lee Renaldo sung What We Know:

New Sonic Youth mp3 Sacred Trickster

Ever since we announced details of the new Sonic Youth album The Eternal, everyone's been asking for a listen.

Well, other than this dodgy YouTube video of a live performance of Calming The Snake, here's your first 'official' taste.

“Sacred Trickster” is a 2:10 out-of-the gate hardcore matinee track with Kim singing salutes to French painter Yves Klein and Western Massachusetts noise artist Noise Nomads. It sets the tone for ‘The Eternal’, which comprises twelve tunes that are a fireworks display of Sonic Youth touchstones. From the primal no wave attack of its earliest days, to the radical chording and song structures of its ’90s period, to the more focused and contemporary explorations of the last five years. This their 16th album, and their first for the Matador label, consolidates their move to a more lush, sensual sound as displayed on last album ‘Rather Ripped’ - but if anything punchier and cleaner, and now backstopped by the addition of Mark Ibold (Pavement, Dustdevils) on bass. - Matablog

Relish it!

Sacred Trickster [mp3]

Buy The Eternal on iTunes.

The band has also just been confirmed to play at the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP Nightmare Before Christmas to be held at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead from December 4th - 6th, 2009.

sonicyouth.com

The Eternal is out June 6 through Matador/ Remote Control.

Looking for mp3s?
Check out our free mp3 download page here!

New Sonic Youth - Calming The Snake live video

Can't wait to hear the new Sonic Youth record 'The Eternal' due out in June?

Well this video of Calming The Snake shot by a fan in Chile should help wet the appetite:


via Stereogum.

The Eternal is out June.

Preview Sonic Youth's 'The Eternal'

Sonic Youth's 16th album, The Eternal, is due out early June. Recorded in November and December of last year, the first few snippets of the tracks can now be heard here:



[mp3]

Sonic Youth Return

Sonic Youth's 16th album, The Eternal, will be released on vinyl, compact disc, and digital album by Matador Records on June 6. Produced by John Agnello and the band, 'The Eternal' not only marks Sonic Youth's return to the independent label sphere (titles on their own SYR label excepted) after a long association with Geffen, but more importantly, ranks as one of their more inspired efforts in a 28 year career.

Recorded through November and December of last year at the band's Echo Canyon West studio in Hoboken, NJ, 'The Eternal' features many firsts for a Sonic Youth album, including a number of shared vocals between Kim, Thurston, and Lee, and the studio debut of former Pavement/Dustdevils bassist Mark Ibold, a member of Sonic Youth's touring band for the past few years.

The band's current extracurricular activities are particularly interesting. The Kunsthalle in Dusseldorf, Germany is now hosting the touring museum exhibition SONIC YOUTH ETC.: SENSATIONAL FIX, which focuses on the band's multidisciplinary work since the band's formation in 1981, including their collaborations with visual artists, filmmakers, designers and musicians. Kim Gordon launches a clothing line, Mirror/Dash, at Urban Outfitters on February 16, and is showing at The Armory Show in NYC March 5-8. Lee Ranaldo, with co-conspirator Leah Singer, just opened installations at the Konsthall in Stockholm and the CNEAI in Paris, and he has a piece in the travelling exhibition "Bad Moon Rising 3", currently at Boots Contemporary Art Space in St. Louis. A Beck/Sonic Youth split 7" is being released by Matador on April 18 for Record Store Day. And the band recently collaborated with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (along with former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and mixed-media sound composer Takehisa Kosugi) on a work celebrating, and being performed for, Cunningham's 90th birthday on April 16 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Upcoming SY shows include April gigs in Austria and Germany (including the closing of SENSATIONAL FIX in Dusseldorf) and May 16 at the No Fun Festival in Brooklyn. The will be touring throughout the summer in support of 'The Eternal'.

More information on these and the many, many other activities since the 2006 release of their last album, 'Rather Ripped', can be found here.

Of The Eternal, Matador's Gerard Cosloy says, "We've not had a record in our recent history that's been the subject of nearly as much speculation and anticipation. Suffice to say we're pretty amazed at the way the band delivered something this neoteric while still sounding like, well, themselves. Less of a reinvention and perhaps more to do with a particularly awesome dozen songs."

Matador will shortly announce a Buy Early Get Now opportunity for the album with some very interesting bonus material.

Sonic Youth are:
Steve Shelley
Lee Ranaldo
Kim Gordon
Thurston Moore
Mark Ibold

Track listing:
1. Sacred Trickster
2. Anti-Orgasm
3. Leaky Lifeboat(for Gregory Corso)
4. Antenna
5. What We Know
6. Calming The Snake
7. Poison Arrow
8. Malibu Gas Station
9. Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn
10. No Way
11. Walkin Blue
12. Massage The History

Sonic Youth on Twitter

Be sure to keep up with all of Sonic Youth's adventures
Twitter style!

The voyeur in all of us can now get our fix with updates on what the band are up to and how album number 16 is coming along.



Sonic Youth are due to release their new album The Eternal in the middle of the year through new label Matador.

Sonic Youth and Be Your Own Pet unite for Gossip Girl

It seems that Thurston Moore will be taking a little time out from working on the new Sonic Youth album to team up with Jemina Pearl, front woman of now defunct band Be Your Own Pet.

They'll be covering Ramones' track Sheena Was A Punk Rocker for cult teen trash show Gossip Girl. Thurston revealed the little tidbit to Rolling Stone following their New York appearance for ATP's Don't Look Back series (which they performed in Australia earlier this year).

"Kim [Gordon]'s gonna show up soon, and my friend Jemina who sings in Be Your Own Pet is coming up with her, and she's gonna come up with me tomorrow to Ma and we're gonna record "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" for Gossip Girl. So you know, the fun never stops."

Be Your Own Pet's sophomore album Get Awkward is out now.

Be Your Own Pet - Becky


myspace.com/beyourownpetmusic | myspace.com/sonicyouth

Remote Control Go Sonic

After rampant speculation, Remote Control can confirm that we will be releasing in Australia a new studio album from Sonic Youth sometime in 2009 through Matador Records. Having fulfilled their contractual obligations to the Universal Music Group, Sonic Youth recently reached an agreement with Matador to release the band’s 16th album of new material.

While Sonic Youth’s status as one of the more innovative and influential bands of the past 30 years needs little explanation, the group’s most recent recordings for Geffen — 2006’s ‘Rather Ripped’ being their final for the label — rank amongst the current decade’s best.

Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley will commence recording the new Sonic Youth LP/CD this American autumn and we look forward to sharing further details in the very near future.

Check out sonicyouth.com for details of their many recent and upcoming pursuits, including the travelling museum exhibition Sonic Youth Etc.: Sensational Fix, which focusses on the multidisciplinary activities of the band since 1981, and the recently self-released CD Andre Side Af Sonic Youth.