Sweet sixteen is quickly approaching for Sonic Youth — June 9 will mark the release of the band’s first LP with new label Matador, their sixteenth career album, The Eternal.
The album (with cover art by the late guitar great John Fahey) was co-produced by John Agnello, who also co-produced the band’s last album, 2006’s Rather Ripped. The heavily-Twittered recording process saw a few firsts: former Pavement member Mark Ibold also joined the band in the studio for the first time after playing and touring with the band for a good while, and for the first time, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo share lead vocals on a few tracks.
Even with a new album coming out, they’re not resting on their laurels. Besides Gordon’s fashion endeavors, the band also recently got together with former Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones and composer Takehisa Kosugi to write the soundtrack for a dance piece for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, debuting at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in April. Matador is releasing a 7″ single of SY and Beck covering each other as part of Record Store Day festivities on April 18, and they’re performing at the No Fun Fest at Music Hall of Williamsburg in May.
If you buy the album through Matador’s Buy Early Get Now program, you’ll get some bonus features. Check out the track listing below.
The Eternal track listing
01. Sacred Trickster
02. Anti-Orgasm
03. Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)
04. Antenna
05. What We Know
06. Calming The Snake
07. Poison Arrow
08. Malibu Gas Station
09. Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn
10. No Way
11. Walkin Blue
12. Massage The History
