Thurston Moore
Demolished Thoughts
(Matador)

Demolished Thoughts by Thurston Moore, who is known for his success with iconic act Sonic Youth, is another gorgeous album in Moore’s lengthy repertoire.

The album reminds me of numerous artists that Moore helped to inspire, such as Elliot Smith, Jakob Dylan and Bright Eyes. “Mina Loy” is a haunting, gorgeous track, with instrumentals that play up an eerie feeling. Other tracks, like the opening to “In Silver Rain With A Paper Key,” continue to play up a more ominous tone. The song later moves into a more optimistic rainy day song. The forefront of the album continues to be Moore and his guitar. This trait of the album is best illustrated in “Benediction,” a quiet track about love and the process of loss. Lyrics like, “whisper I love you one thousand times into his ear/kiss his eyes and don’t you cry girl he won’t disappear,” suck the listener into the story of the song. Is the couple in the song happy or just wanting something more? Are they on the outs or are they already out? One of the most encouraging parts of this album is how easily Moore draws listeners in by developing an honest interest in what he’s singing about.

So many times we look for albums that are gorgeous or on their way to being chart toppers. We try to force it. The beauty of this album is how peaceful and passive and effortless it is. If you’re looking for an honestly good album from a guy and his guitar, don’t look any further.