Disco de Sonic Youth: “E.V.O.L.”

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.

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

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.

A nice dose of inner-city mindtripping that takes you along on a slowly meandering subway of catharsis, love, confusion, and violence...basically good ol' Sonic Youth...a band with the fullest potential to take you on a journey of self-experience...

It starts out with "Tom Violence", a song about going away from home to get experience, finding the contradictions in one's anarchic philosopphy ("My violence is a number/Find it in the father/Find it in a girl")...it then proceeds to a great moodpeice "Shadow Of a doubt" which conveys imagery of a pre-ordained destiny from many years ago to meet a person, then using spiritual methods to explore each other, all this beside eerie and exploding guitars..."Starpower" is a beautiful punkish love ballad, it's other romantic equivalent "Green Light" is shadowy and sensual, when Sonic Youth do love songs they make it curious and beautiful...

"In The Kingdom 19" is the best track, as well as the most talked-of and most known track, a fast spoken-word narration of a man crashing and going to live off in the woods with an animal he almost killed, thrown together at the speed of someone actually crashing, it's a classic..."The Boy Who Can Enjoy Invisibilty" (which I don't think is the actual name)is more stripped-down, gleeming in claustrophobia with faint pianos and paranormal lyrics (always gives me a mental picture of a girl levitating in a dusty attic)..."Marilyn Moore" is as well a more eroded arrangement, but more chaotic than the latter, imploding with desperation and confused anger...

"Espressway To Your Skull" (a.k.a. The Crucifixtion Of Sean Penn) is the best song, an apocalyptic masterpeice as another reviewer said. makes you wanna kill Cliafornia girls and find the meaning of feeling good...there's also the so-so strait-ahead rock song "Bubblegum" and the instrumental which eludes me of its name, but is radical nonetheless...

Every Sonic Youth is meant for taking existential aural and mental pshychadelica trips. Get all of their albums.

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.