Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star

About

Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock band Sonic Youth, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Record. It was produced by Butch Vig and recorded at Sear Sound studio in New York City, the same studio where the band's 1987 album Sister was recorded. Unlike its predecessor Dirty, Experimental Jet Set features a more low-key approach and references the band's earlier work on the independent record label SST Record. The album contains quieter and more relaxed songs that deal with personal and political topic. Upon release, Experimental Jet Set reached No. 34 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It was the band's highest peak on the US charts until their 2009 album The Eternal reached No. 18. The song "Bull in the Heather" was released as a single and as a music video featuring Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critic, who highlighted the band's ability to create both noise and melody. However, some felt that the album's anti-commercial style was difficult to appreciate. Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is the follow-up to Sonic Youth's 1992 album Dirty, which was released by DGC in the wake of Nirvana's breakthrough into the mainstream. Dirty became one of the band's most commercially successful album, selling around 500,000 copies worldwide as of May 1994. The album also reached No. 83 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. After Dirty, Sonic Youth decided to step away from major-label alternative rock act, which singer and guitarist Thurston Moore thought the media associated the band with. Touring with indie rock bands like Pavement, Sebadoh, and Royal Trux inspired Sonic Youth to write a quieter and more subtle album. Like its predecessor, Experimental Jet Set was produced by the band and alternative rock veteran Butch Vig. According to the band, "The idea this time was to cut as much of it live as we could, and not labor over polishing and overdubbing in the usual big-rock manner." Similarly, guitarist Lee Ranaldo explained that the band wanted to achieve a more lo-fi approach: "None of (Experimental Jet set's) music was labored, some of it was done in people's bedroom, even. (... We wanted) to write the songs and record them simply and basically." Additionally, the band ordered Vig to refrain from his desire to apply a buzz remover to several track. The album was engineered by John Siket and recorded at Sear Sound studio in New York City, the same studio where the band's 1987 album Sister was recorded. The band claimed that the album was recorded over the master tapes of Sister to save cost, and it is possible to hear some parts of Sister during quiet sections of the final recording. The album was recorded on a two-inch 16-track analog tape recorder through antiquated equipment. Unlike Dirty, which features a loud and "dense blast of noise", Experimental Jet Set was considered warmer and more relaxed. Singer and bassist Kim Gordon described the sound of the album as "art-core" and Bradley Bambarger of Billboard noted that the album references the band's earlier work on the independent record label SST Record, stating that it features "a sparse, bracingly dichotomous work of 'quiet noise' that, with its wayward tonalities and laconic groove, speaks to the future while thinking of the past." In fact, the song "Screaming Skull" is about the band's nostalgia for their days on SST Record, which is mentioned frequently throughout the song. It also references fellow bands Hüsker Dü and The Lemonhead. The song was inspired by a conversation Moore had with film director Dave Markey about the SST Superstore, a shop located on Sunset Strip which supplies SST records and skateboard-related product. Most of the lyrics on Experimental Jet Set deal with political and personal topic. Gordon explained that the song "Bull in the Heather" is about "using passiveness as a form of rebellion—like, I'm not going to participate in your male-dominated culture, so I'm just going to be passive." Similarly, the song "Androgynous Mind" addresses traditional gender role, while "Self-Obsessed and Sexxee" is an observation on an anonymous riot grrrl. Moore explained that the latter is not about Courtney Love of Hole or Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill; it is about "being attracted to somebody who's obviously out of control with self-obsession in the high-profile alternative-rock world." The track "Quest for the Cup" deals with a person who desires more than it is needed. The opening track, "Winner's Blues", alludes to the pressure of fame and has been described as an acoustic and sad lullaby. The song was originally intended to be an outtake designated for the compilation DGC Rarities Vol. 1, but the band ultimately decided to include it in the album at the last minute during the mixing session. Another outtake, "Compilation Blues", was instead included on the compilation. Experimental Jet Set was also the first Sonic Youth album to feature a hidden track on the CD release; just over a minute after the closing track "Sweet Shine" finishe, there is 1:30 of "bonus noise" featuring a looped speech of a Japanese gas attendant. Unlike on previous Sonic Youth album, Ranaldo did not write or sing any songs because he did not like how his compositions were treated and assembled for Dirty and its predecessor Goo. David Browne, author of Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth, remarked that "a sense of ambivalence and impermanence hung over (Experimental Jet Set), even down to the cover", which "for the first time since Sonic Youth in 1982, featured their faces instead of a piece of art." To promote the album, the song "Bull in the Heather" was released as a single in April 1994. The single features an outtake, "Razor Blade", which was recorded at the same sessions as "Winner's Blues" and "Compilation Blues", and an alternate version of "Doctor's Orders" as B-side. The song reached No. 13 on the US Modern Rock Tracks and No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart. The track "Self-Obsessed and Sexxee" was intended to be the second single from the album. A promo CD was issued, but plans for a regular release were eventually canceled. The remaining copies were sold off through the Sonic Death fan club magazine. The CD includes the same B-sides as "Bull in the Heather". A music video featuring Kathleen Hanna was made for "Bull in the Heather" under the direction of Tamra Davi. .

via Last.fm

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