Sonic Youth - "'Cross the Breeze" (1988, from Daydream Nation)
Sonic Youth is self-consciously art-rock, and usually the first band that my generation thinks of when the term is mentioned. So it's natural that something off of one of their albums would make the cut on my list. But why this one? If avoiding the obvious demands that I eschew "Teen Age Riot" for one of the deeper tracks from Daydream Nation, why not something more difficult to absorb, like "Candle" or "Rain King"? Hell, why not go all the way and nominate the album-closing "Wonder/Hyperstation/Eliminator Jr." trilogy?
Simple. The Riff. Good enough?
I thought not.
In order to have art-rock work, it's got to balance both. Too much art, and the song spins its wheels trying to get where it's going. Too much rock, and it's pretentious. What you need is a noise that fits your inarticulate desire, your overarching telos "'Cross the Breeze" is that song for this album.
Daydream Nation is an attack, a jujitsu flip over the back of the mannered pop tedium of the 80's, reaching for something grand, sprawling, infinite, a Grand Tomorrow for Music and Culture. Yes, the further away from music it gets, the sillier and more irritating it becomes, but that's just more to the point that musicians should stick to what they're good at.
So: what track is the most running, screaming, explosive? Duh. Just listen to Kim Gordon bellow "I Wanna Know!" at every chorus. That's not just asking for the answer to her questions, she wants to "know" in the ancient sense of the word, to feel and sense and see from the inside out, to grok in fullness, as the Man from Mars would put it. And the way the tune's basic structure is approached over the course of the song's seven minutes, from every concievable tempo and distortion-level, you have the match to this metaphysical quest for fire.
Plus, the riff is awesome. Seriously. It's like Dick Dale on steroids.
#14
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