Search - Various Artists :: All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1: Sonic Youth Curated

Stephen Malkmus is quite good on this

Lawrence | 02/20/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like most records endorsed by Sonic Youth, this is too long, mind-numbingly loud and annoyingly avant garde. The high-point of the album is by far the ironic, high-pitched stylings of Stephen Malkmus. During the last 1/4 of the album I found myself wishing it was already over and wondering if I would be evicted for listening to it. Overall, I recommend this for a good time with your family."

Uneven

A. Smith | New York | 03/03/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Some reviewers of this title might have had higher expectations than one can possibly have of a compilation. The simple fact this album flows from beginning to end, that Sonic Youth has decided to establish some sort of collective aesthetic, albeit relatively similar to their own, is admirable.
Unfortunately, not all of the bands here have lived up to the standards set by others; they're not all that good. As a compilation intended to showcase youthful, emergent talent in the independent scene, ATP2 does have some hot new diddies. But the bottom line, the fact of the matter, the end of this stick is-- ... some of [these bands] are attempting modes and forms employed by Sonic Youth years ago. Does Sonic Youth know that? Is a Sonic Youth sound necessarily bad for a band? Perhaps not, perhaps the Youth has created a new school of musical thought, perhaps they aren't given enough credit as propelling such music and sound into the mainstream, however short lived this phenomenon was.
Nevertheless, as the album stands, as something to listen to, I'm forced to skip around too much. And despite some strong tracks by some lesser known performers (espeially in the hip-hop and matador areas) pumping out some quality stuff, this album is uneven and imperfect, even for a compilation."