Sonic Youth – Hits Are For Squares

Album Review by Austin Tasseltine | 24 Oct 2011
Album title: Hits Are For Squares
Artist: Sonic Youth
Label: Universal
Release date: 31 Oct

Hits Are For Squares sees a gallery of pop culture's most credible Generation X-ers chipping in with their nomination for Sonic Youth's most killer anti-classic on what was formerly an exclusive release to Starbucks customers frequenting shops in eight major US cities. As such, there are numerous notable omissions (Silver Rocket, Candle, Sunday, Wish Fulfilment) that any inductee to SY's cynical and almost accidentally anthemic art-punk really can't afford to miss and presumably (with the exception of obligatory exclusive new track Slow Revolution) most die-hards will already own 95% of what's on offer.

So really, all that remains is a game of trivia; matching up famous faces with specific tracks. Thus, cutting to the chase: Beck claimed driving slacker anthem Sugar Kane and Eddie Vedder took the career-defining Teenage Riot whilst The Flaming Lips went for the predictably unpredictable esoteric trawl of Expressway To Yr Skull (sadly shorn of its infinite vinyl running time- much to TFL's annoyance no doubt).

Basically these are all great songs, and their role in redefining and reclaiming guitar music for the non-mulletted masses is never in any doubt, but the tracklist could perhaps have been published as a feature in Rolling Stone rather than this full-blown exercise in posterity. Unless, that is, the band intended to exploit their loyal customers... Nah!

Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore plays The Arches, Glasgow on 28 Nov http://www.sonicyouth.com