Thurston Moore: Trees Outside the Academy

Label: Ecstatic Peace

I was a little nervous about this one. Sonic Youth has been on a terrific roll lately, and I feared a Thurston Moore solo record just wouldn’t measure up. Add the fact that he released this on his own Ecstatic Peace label and Thurston’s own propensity to engage in guitar-noise wankery, and you have a recipe for trouble. As it turns out, Trees Outside the Academy is a pleasant surprise, a thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs, revealing Moore once again in top form. What makes the album such a treat is the way it sounds very much like a Sonic Youth album and Thurston Moore solo album at the same time. The pieces are quieter, more acoustic in tone, but the structure of the pieces is unmistakably the work of the Sonic Youth frontman. Moore shows a deft songwriting touch and a some real melodic chops here, and his guitar playing is, as always, raw and exquisite. Moore is a national treasure, and Trees Outside the Academy is terrific addition to the Sonic Youth canon. (James)