Thurston Moore is easily one of the most prolific artists in indie rock history. Having fronted one of the genre's defining bands (Sonic Youth), Thurston has contributed so much influence to the current indie-dominated rock scene that you would think the 52-year-old would finally be showing signs of slowing down. This simply isn't the case. Although he's shown signs of maturity, he manages to create an album that's unlike anything he's done before and do it successfully, but not without the help from another pioneer.
With solo album number four (outside of his film compositions), Thurston Moore calls Beck to producing duties. This is a critical detail, because so much of the life of Demolished Thoughts comes from Beck's production. This production style takes us back to 2002, where on his album Sea Change he expressed heartache and depression through emotionally injected string arrangements and heartfelt balladry. Both of these albums are similar in sound, but between the strings they are very different.
Where Sea Change was sad and reflective, Demolished Thoughts is caring and optimistic. The album has a sense of romance to it, but remains subtle under the mid-morning acoustics and orchestrations. There is virtually no percussion happening anywhere throughout the album; no drums, no drum machines, but as Beck paints his orchestral bush onto Thurston's open canvas, you hardly notice the beatless frame. What is easy to notice is how the album recycles a lot of the same sounds throughout the mix, which at times can sound monotonous, but nearly every track has its own distinct personality to keep the album at a cohesion that's enjoyable and relaxed.
That state of mind makes these songs easy to get lost into, as different emotions quarrel throughout the collective consciousness. "Orchard Street" features an intense orchestral build up that steams up to a high of fevered intensity, "In A Silver Rain With A Paper Key" works from an eerie origin that settles around a ghostly haunt of Thurston's former self, and "Space," the most left track on the field, features sharp synth and drone-noise along the familiar instrumentation of the first seven tracks. Essentially what Thurston Moore manages to do is create an album that stays true to a simple cohesion and context, yet he manages to make it completely his own; as a subtle emotional response to his demolished thoughts.
[Thurston Moore Myspace]
[Buy Demolished Thoughts from Matador Records]
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For an ironic laugh, check out this wonderfully awkward interview clip back in 1994, where Thurston Moore sat down and interviewed Beck for MTV's 120 Minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdzY49xlvdY
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