Sonic Youth have always seemed one of those impossibly cool bands – partly I suspect due to their New York connections and being seen as a latter day Velvet Underground. They now stand as (dare I say it) parents of the grunge scene - older and wiser and considerably cooler than their younger counterparts.
This collection of videos from their more commercial period in the 1990s (it starts with “Dirty Boots” from 1990's "Goo")shows that while budgets may have gone up they’re never going to blow millions on some “Thriller” type extravaganza when they can get a mate to do it for a few dollars.
OK – so they’ve spent more than “Addicted To Love”’s $20 (from their Ciccone Youth alter ego) but the arthouse leanings are still there – and all the better for it.
I’d personally watch hours of cheaply produced imaginative stuff like this than five minutes of a Britney Spears video with her prancing around half naked (OK this bit’s a half truth – but you get the idea!)
You get the feeling while listening to the commentary voice overs that they were especially impressed with any budget that hit 3 or even 4 figures!
There’s lots of pretty cool live action in opener “Dirty Boots” with a little love interest played out between real kids form their audience who volunteered to appear – wearing Thurston's T-shirts – bless!
There’s cheap sign holding in the start of “Tunic” and it’s played out literally from the lyrics there. In fact the most imaginative and best pieces of video come from the more abstract tracks – laced with feedback and noise – allowing the directors to develop ideas further.
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You can see the budget growing a little – especially around the time of “100%” telling story of the death of Joe Cole (played by Jason Lee)- a friend of the band and Black Flag's Henry Rollins and “Sugar Kane” with Chloe Sevigny posing naked down a catwalk, and the oddness factor goes up and down during the run – “Little Trouble Girl” starring Kim Deal from The Pixies is especially compelling, while Sofia Coppola stars in "Mildred Pierce."
The band seem to not take themselves too seriously – often having themselves replaced in the shot with stand ins.
The commentary that comes with the vids is informative and funny in places and the extras such as the “Spike Jonze sonic photo memory montage” add to the value of the package for fans as do bonus videos of "Drunken Butterfly", "Disappearer Director's Cut", "Swimsuit Issue" and "Ono Soul."
As an introduction to the bands more recent career it’s certainly a winner – and it’s recommended viewing for fans obviously.
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