 "A matter of taste" | 2007-09-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1L8GBY7LR6EQ4 |
This has been my first experience of Sonic Youth -- obviously very much after the fact but so what? Well, this is quite harsh and unrelenting stuff. I'm sure it's first rate in its genre, but I was put off by the consistently aggressive, discordant sound.
It's possible to admire some music without ever feeling the need to listen to it. For me, Evol is very much in that category. No doubt that makes me a philistine.
Meanwhile, look around this web page and you will see very little effort among the customer reviewers to provide a balanced critique of Evol. It's 5 stars, as usual, as far as the eye can see. |
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 "overflowing with emotion..." | 2006-04-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1W3C73X005EUX |
This is not simply a "touching" album that suggests a mood. EVOL grips on from the very beginning, turns you upside down and immerses you in a somber, dark world that no other album can create. And it will keep you coming back for more and more.
The haunting guitars of the opener "Tom Violence" only hint at what is to come. "Shadow of a Doubt" is perhaps the best SY song with Gordon on vocals; her whisper backed by a sudden assault of noise sends chills up your spine. "In the Kingdom #19" (listen for Thurston throwing fireworks in the studio after one minute) and "Secret Girls" are abrasive, ethereal tracks that may take more than one listen to appreciate, but are among the band's best. The heralded closer "Expressway to Yr Skull (The Crucifixion of Sean Penn)" is an epic journey, beginning with Thurston's unforgettable cry "We're gonna kill the California girls," building to a frantic pace and then slowing down into a spacious wall of noise.
This is SY at their height lyrically. Daydream Nation may have more "masterpieces" of feedback but EVOL leaves more of an impression. Each song has its own way of leaving you breathless, and its clear that after the 39 minute adventure Sonic Youth has to be one of the greatest bands of our time, if ever.
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| "Sonic Youth's moody masterpiece" | 2006-04-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3QTSCTRZF3VGY |
Originally released on the wonderful SST label (check out the website), "Evol" was the first really definitive Sonic Youth album. From the ultra disturbing woman on the cover (Lung Leg, whoever that is, apparently from some indie film) to the music itself, we embark on a sonic journey through the nether regions of our minds. This is where nightmares dwell and resurface in the detuned guitars that howl, feedback, ring out and swirl about under and over the songs themselves.
"Tom Violence" is somewhat subtle, at least as the CD opens (I don't think the track listing is correct), with the guitar noize waiting until near tracks' end to take us deep into audio alienation.
A gruesome spoken word piece giving us details of a gory auto wreck, a piano playing a beautiful snippet and a storm of guitar feedback and dissonant tones that closes "Sean, Madonna and Me", or, alternately titled "Expressway To Yr Skull" give us a view of the dark side from a safe distance. Album owners of the original release may recall that at the end of "Expressway To Yr Skull", which closed the album, unlike "Bubblegum" that closes the CD, there is no outgroove to allow the needle to return to its stand. Thus, the drone continues on and on, sometimes nearly hypnotizing you before you realize what's going on. Can't do this with a binary code. A must have for SY fans. |
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 "The nightmare album" | 2006-04-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A257K87KQ1IP28 |
If Daydream Nation sounds like an album made in a semi-conscious state, Evol is made in deep unconsciousness. Some of the songs are as scary as the Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields' and could very well be the soundtrack of depression and nightmares.
Is it therefor bad? Hell no! this album, like all the SY albums in the 80's is fantastic and should be in everyone's collection. |
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| "sonic youth's best work in my opinion" | 2005-10-01 |
| - Reviewed By pipermacenzie |
| i would like to say first off their is not a bad song on this cd, it is all mind tripping bliss. my favorite 2 songs being tom violence and marilyn moore with of course the masterpiece from this album expressway to yr. skull. i do own most of sonic youth's other stuff except work from 98-2003 but ive heard most of this, and i can also say that i think this is the most lyrically strong cd they have also. the two love songs on this cd star power and green light are just amazing they drew me in the first time i heard them sonic youth might be noise punk to the core but they can still make pretty songs. another thing i would like to say is i think this album is much better than daydream nation. if u talk 2 most sonic youth fans they will tell you daydream nation is the best cd but i totally disagree, i think this is musically lyrically and just all around superb to daydream nation. this was their height the prior realeases to this which were "confusioin is sex" and bad moon rising are amazing but arent for everyone.then the realeases prior 2 this are great also but i consider this their height. if u like sonic youth and u already have this cd and not much of the other stuff i would recommend sister which in my opinion was very close 2 this album in being my favorite i recommend washing machine also which goes against some of their medicore early 90's work like dirty and goo |
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| "so perfect" | 2005-07-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A39W4DYKP4Q31D |
| you can't go wrong with sonic youth. their execussion & expression is brilliant. "evol" is yet another masterpiece of theirs. bow down! |
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| "Magical chiming scree; a masterpiece; an aural orgasm!" | 2005-04-02 |
| - Reviewed By mox23 |
Mid Eighties SST indie rock classic! This was the very first Sonic Youth album I owned. I got the vinyl in 87 at the age of 15 and it blew my mind and has ever since! The best song on the album in my opinion, and one of Sonic Youth's best songs period is "Expressway to yr Skull," aka "Madonna, Sean and Me," aka "The crucifixion of Sean Penn." Whatever title you prefer, this song is a beautiful, powerful masterpiece that hits you in the soul every time. It's the most special melodic guitar masterpiece I have ever heard. Chiming scree infused with bliss, It builds to a mind melting crescendo and goes completely over the top, then the way the bass, drums and guitar work together into the mind bending recovery is aural art for sure. If you are lucky enough to hear it live you are in for a religous experience. On the vinyl it ended side 2 with a locked groove, meaning that when your turntable needle reached the end of the song instead of running out and ending it went around in a circle, playing the droning end of the song forever or until you turn it off.
While "Expressway" is a highlight, the rest of the album is awesome as well. Lyrically and sonically one of the things the sonics were into at the time this was recorded was the psychology and mythos surrounding the manson family and that era, but that is only one aspect of this album. Another interesting thing about this album is the atmosphere it creates; many of the songs are different from one another sonically, yet the album is cohesive. Songs like "In the Kingdom #19," with its narrative style and crazy stuff going on in the background evoking thoughts of D.Boon's tragic death, and "Marilyn Moore," and "Shadow of a Doubt" just transport you atmospherically. I have recommended this album to many new listeners of SY, some find that they don't like it as much as "Sister" at first, because many of the songs aren't as "immediately accessible" as the gems of that album, but with more listens it rewards them, it grows on them and they like it as much or more. Bublegum is a cover, I believe of an old Kim Fowley song and was not on the original release, but was a B-side (of the Starpower single if I remember correctly) added in the CD age. It seems somewhat out of place, especially following expressway. In any event, this recording is one of SY's best, and in my opinion one of the best period. Buy it, it's magical.
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| "evol sdrawkcab si love!!" | 2005-03-02 |
| - Reviewed By space_antelope |
| jammin'!! i like these noises and they are fun to listen to buy yourself at earthquaking volumes. |
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| "a defiant statement of purpose" | 2005-03-02 |
| - Reviewed By jakejarmel |
i hesitate to affiliate myself with the blissfully sardonic wit of the misanthrope. but, i'll make an exception in this case. on this album, sy redundantly urges you to collapse into their ostensibly frigid rapture through a smattering of ardently incumbant rhythms. you'll hear lee renaldo make a vociferious attempt at lyrical perfidity on "in the kingdom #19." to add the proverbial fuel to the fire, lee unabashedly implements his predictably dissonant fascination with unbridled guitar terrorism. additonally, thurston moore bristles with abundant carnage as he drags you into the netherworld of mind-numbing fortitude. and who can forget kim gordon's atavistic blather on tracks like shadow of a doubt and star power!
this listlessly sedating compilation served as a blue-print for less advantageous assemblages to pursue. i guarantee you will find this work to be both carniverous and satisfying. make no mistake; evol is a die-hard colonic that will leave you thursting for moore! |
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| "My favorite Sonic Youth release" | 2004-08-10 |
| - Reviewed By broseph |
EVOl is an excellent Sonic Youth release, and my personal favorite. This cd, while preceeding both Sister and Daydream Nation, seem to share qualities from both records. You've got all the abrasive noise breakdowns of Sister, but at the same time you have some of SY's best melodies and guitar work breaking through them like on Daydream Nation. But that's just me. My only complaint: The song titles are hard to discern in many places. Not only do a bunch of them have alternate names then listed on the back of the CD (and here on Amazon), but they are also not listed in order (aside from in the liner notes). It's a bit confusing, but that complaint doesn't really count for anything amidst such good music. My favorites:
Tom Violence (# 1), which is held up by a suddle but consistent guitar riff and melody. Love it.
Star Power (# 3): On a handful of occasions, Kim Gordon has annoyed me ( I wont name particular songs) But she really shines in a tune that is dischordant and melodic at the same time; classic SY, and classic Kim Gordon; reminds me of just how great she can be when not trying to be overly weird or sarcastic.
Bubblegum: (# 10) Quick ending track with a robotic melody and tight, punky guitar work. |
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