Daily Staff Writer

“A Thousand Leaves”

Sonic Youth

I don’t think any alternative band has maintained their integrity quite like Sonic Youth has, which is probably why they never made it big.

They expand in all directions at once while maintaining their musical center with certain themes, such as their own special variety of discord and disharmony coupled with distinct vocals and moody lyrics.

This is a direct response to the sweetness and lightness of most pop music and pop culture in general. They are the kind of band other musicians talk about when asked who is their favorite artist or greatest influence.

With “A Thousand Leaves,” their fourteenth album, they seem to have gone slightly hippie (but only just a little), singing about kittens and wildflowers and the way Sundays are “a perfect time for a quiet friend and you.”

On the band’s official Web site at www.geffen.com, Sonic Youth describes “A Thousand Leaves” as “an instrumental album with some words thrown in,” but goes on to state that there is “no need to get tied down by definitions.”

This band’s music is made more complex by the contradictions they embody. They are quiet but full of noise at the same time. They repetitiously build tension to a feverish level before they snap it back at you or let it dissipate. Each song is like listening to a metamorphosis.

The first track, “contre le sexisme,” sounds like the band had their speakers turned on while they plugged in with defective cords (but in a good way) while Kim Gordon goes on about some kitten like she’s having a fever dream. That’s typical Sonic Youth.

The song is a good counterpoint and makes a nice intro for “Sunday,” which is a more traditional offering and gets my vote for best track. I would also give a nod to “French Tickler” and “Female Mechanic Now on Duty,” a response to Meredith Brooks “Bitch.”

If you have never bought a Sonic Youth album, this isn’t a bad place to start. If you are a fan, well, you were gonna buy it anyway.

Do so without fear!

It’s light compared to older albums, but still raw enough to satisfy.

4 stars out of 5

— Greg Jerrett

“Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas”

Various Artists

The soundtrack to “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas” is exactly what it should be. It features plenty of sixties and seventies hits that are combined with snippets of dialogue culled from the movie.

Of course, only the best pieces of dialogue are used, but they don’t seem quite as funny on compact disc as they do in print or on the big screen.

But the songs are really good. Among the best are Big Brother and the Holding Company’s (featuring Janis Joplin) “Combination of the Two,” Brewer and Shipley’s hokey “One Toke Over The Line,” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and the three-part “A Drug Score” composed by Tomoyasu Hotei and Ray Cooper.

But pay close attention and compare the soundtrack to the book. There are some missing and changed songs here. Wonder why.

5 Stars out of five

— Ben Jones