I’m sorta gratified that the response to the new Sonic Youth has been so positive. Convinced that those noise-musos had lost both their humor and the plot with NYC Ghost & Flowers, I was surprised when Murray Street reminded us (and them) that textures and tunes aren’t irreconcilable - and should never be. I’m not sure how the hell Jim O’Rourke affected the band dynamic; maybe he’s got a better-than-average shit detector.

Regarding Sonic Nurse: it’s definitely their best since A Thousand Leaves, and maybe their best songwise since Dirty if not Sister. Every track vibrates with a luminous hum. What with Lee Ranaldo honing his crap beat-poetry into an anti-war anthem you can believe in (”Paper Cup Exit”) and Kim Gordon showing real empathy for “Glitter” grrl Mariah (Kim’s right: Mariah’s next vision of love should be of a sexy emo boy), Sonic Nurse reminds us that what broke SY in the Daydream Nation days was the sea of possibilities their feedback and dirty boots and tuff gnarls promised. Anything was possible. And “I Love You Golden Blue” - wow. My pick for song of the year. The arc of a love affair traced in seven minutes, in which bliss, pain, and weariness all finally blur into the nicotine-stained crags of Kim’s voice and the now Velvets-worthy guitar interplay.

Now I know what effect O’Rourke’s had: he reminded SY they were human.