Thurston Moore
Demolished Thoughts
Matador / Playground

Demolished Thoughts is sort of Thurston Moore unplugged. If that's a possible thought or option. This is Moore showing his acoustic side, aiming for the sound of silence. Thurston Moore paired with Beck Hansen can't be nothing else but golden. Midas touch typing. With the key being silence is golden (not that noise can't twinkle and shine).

I was wrong when I some two moonths ago (with Benediction) stated Demolished Thoughts to be Moore's 3rd solo album. It's actually his 4th (if not counting 1998's Root, Lo Recordings [a multimedia project based around one-minute guitar pieces improvised by Moore, of which the samples were sent out to musicians/bands, among them Mogwai, Blur, Stereolab, Add N to (X), The Third Eye Foundation, Merzbow, Stock, Hausen and Walkman, to name a few - as well as to visual artists, resulting in a CD, plus a vinyl box-set, and as an exhibition]) according to Matador. His first, Psychic Hearts (Geffen), came in 1995. The Promise (1999, Fruit Tree) is said to be his second solo. Well, I count that one as a collaboration project result, as Moore's credited together (or side by side) with Evan Parker and Walter Prati. Anyway, the tuneful Trees Outside the Academy (2007, Ecstatic Peace) saw the light of day some four years ago, and now here's Demolished Thoughts.

Thurston Joseph Moore has been an innovative guitarist and artist for decades. Mainly dealing with improv-rock and noise-pop. All of a sudden he delivers an acoustic album like this - with airy (not eerie) songs and sounds, delicately and carefully orchestrated. Strings attached, which means: violinist Samara Lubelski and harpist Mary Lattimore. Beck's probably added some of his many skills (besides producing the platter). Rhythms are taken care of by bassist Bram Inscore and drummer Joey Waronker (a Beck regular). Opener "Benediction" is quite lovely and splendid, as I said 2 moonths ago. "Circulation" is a rocking piece, despite its acoustic boost. This is a song up the "Sugar Kane" alley. Smashing. "Orchard Street" is also very Sonic Youth-ish sounding. But it's quite fascinating to get SY songs presented in soundscapes being as gentle as these are. Epic. The 9 tracks are pushing close to the 50 minute mark, which I usually find a bit too long. Maybe not this time, even though it could have been edited. That said, Demolished Thoughts (a titled taken from D.C. based, mid-80s hardcore band The Faith) is music more of the meditative kind. Check the exotic and transcendental "Mina Loy" and the spacious "Space". The closing "January" puts a perfect cool (like January can be chilling, without being freezing) end to the album.

Thurston Moore and Beck Hansen for sure have made a fruitful collaboration come through, probably coming up with Moore's best solo album to date.

Copyright © 2011 Håvard Oppøyen