In Defense Of: New York City Ghosts & Flowers

In 2000, a short time after the release of Sonic Youth’s eleventh studio album, New York City Ghosts & Flowers, Pitchfork released a review of the record by Brent DiCrescenzo who had been contributing to the publication for two years at the time. The review is considered to have been one of the most infamous of all time amongst Sonic Youth fans and music forum users, for good reason. The review is incredibly scathing, mixed between a strange Chicago v. New York debate [if Steve Albini can get over it, so can you] and hyperbolic, absurd claims and insults directed towards the member’s age.

Though Pitchfork’s retrospective look at the review claims that DiCrescenzo is a “superfan,” the review really comes across as though DiCrescenzo has never sat through a Sonic Youth record proper. If you’re a fan of SY, you’ve come accustomed to their long, spiraling, up to 15min long Branca-esque escapades and at times cringey or questionable lyrics. You’re also used to at least one or two tracks that could be scrapped entirely, as well as sparse soundscapes made up solely of repeated treated guitars and krautrock-esque percussions creating a meditative sense of consistency. To critique these things as extreme negatives warranting the score DiCrescenzo gave the record would be to denounce all of Yo La Tengo’s influence because their new LP has a 7min long mumble filled guitar oriented track. [If it isn’t broke, don't fix it right, Ira?] The score, by the way, was one of PItchfork’s first ever’s at the time, a resounding 0.0.

DiCrescenzo has since discussed that with time, he has grown to appreciate the record more and more and that it is certainly now one of his most frequently listened to Sonic Youth records. Besides, the article was written six months before I was even born, you can’t hold the guy to his 22 years old opinions. All is well in love and war.

Except that the review was written during a period wherein Pitchfork, as a rising influence in music culture, had a considerable sway in the reception of records and was growing in popularity with readers. It did have a part in gaining ‘New York City Ghosts & Flowers’ its unfavorable reputation. It isn’t the end of the world, it wasn’t career ruining [Sonic Youth would go on to release some of their most beloved later career records just a few years after in ‘Murray St’ & ‘Rather Ripped’], whatever. And I agree !

But I want to take a stab at the record myself. As a devout Sonic Youth fan with a small collection of memorabilia, I have a plethora of meaningless opinions about nearly every era and LP down to my favourite eras of Thurston’s bowl cut length [1989, btw]. Re-reading the review today it evoked a sense of curiosity in the record again, one I haven’t had since I bought the LP a few years ago. So that’s something we can thank the review for ~!

“New York City Ghosts & Flowers” is a record which crawls out of the era of Sonic Youth’s mega-fame in the age of MTV, Lollapalooza, and flannel t-shirts. After the decidedly not-so-great “Experiment Jet Set …,” Sonic Youth returned to their roots of spacious, idly decorated soundscapes and disorienting tuning - turning out one of the best graphic tees of all time in “Washing Mashine” and the seriously underrated “A Thousand Leaves.” “NYC” follows this lineage, allowing for the whisks of decades lived in a city renowned for its breath of culture and experimentation to float and wander across the album. This record joins “A Thousand Leaves” in a return to spoken-word Sonic Youth tracks in the title track wherein Lee Renaldo reprises his role from Evol’s “In The Kingdom #19” - the surveyor of mishap and masochist craver of all things cheap. The song pokes underneath the skin of what made the Bowery “stars,’ stars; questioning their legitimacy as such and somewhat probing at the concept of what it means to make it in a city as big and self-important as New York. At many points the record swells up from minimalist twinkling of guitar strings into pulsating walls of spinning metallics. Lyrically, this record is one of Sonic Youth’s most mediocre - most lyrics are hanging on meaningless syllables using words like ‘renegade,’ ‘blood,’ & ‘fight’ on tracks like “Renegade Princess” to convey some sort of strong conundrum but offers nothing in terms of musicality nor lyrical substance to expand on these wartorn sentiments. There are phrases which are plucked from beat-like stylings which are incredibly unique, and as we know from the LPs produced during their 80s period those can be enough to carry an entire track [Catholic Books, Brave Men, etc ..] however those are not utilised in that hypnotic way on this record.

At worst, I feel this record leaves a lot to be desired from the themes brought up in the tracks. It is reflective in an uneasy way, sort of teetering between love and anxiety for the city the band hails from. Like all Sonic Youth records, it is incredibly influenced and driven by an unconventional approach to guitar. Especially after almost a decade of not relying upon prepared guitar techniques, the return to form from Lee and Thurston may feel a bit strange to people who jumped on from the “Goo” or “Daydream Nation” period, but are well welcomed for more in depth listeners. Personally, this record feels like a comforting modernisation of their 80’s period - brought into the early 2000’s indie landscape which they helped create. Later on, particularly on “Murray Street”’s “Karen Revisited,' ' you see ideas like the ones beginning “sideside” and other such tracks are fully realised. There is no excuse for “StreamXSonik Subway,” though.

“Dead poems for the living gods of America”