On my old, long defunct blog Music Insanity, I remember writing a post about all those bands that I’ve respected and tried many times over the years to ‘get into’ but ultimately, failed. The list at that time included The Ramones, Skinny Puppy, Husker Du, Bon Iver, Destroyer, Broken Social Scene*, and of course, Sonic Youth. I later wrote about this difficulty to fully enjoy Sonic Youth and anything more than a handful of their singles on this very blog, when one of these singles, “Kool thing”, appeared at number twenty four on my Best tunes of 1990 list. And today, we’re here to consider another of the tracks that appears on their ‘best of’ compilation, “Hits are for squares”**, and my 26th favourite song of 1994: “Bull in the heather”.
Sonic Youth was formed in New York City in 1981 by Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals), and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar). This trio remained a constant in the group throughout their thirty year history and were complemented during that time by a series of drummers. For their first decade of existence, they toiled in the underground, toying with art rock, punk, and noise, making a name for themselves with their use of alternative guitar tunings, feedback, and generally changing the way we think about guitar rock. Indeed, their influence on alternative and indie rock is unfathomable, counting Teenage Fanclub, Slowdive, Pavement, Swervedriver, Sleater-Kinney, Dinosaur Jr., and Superchunk amongst their fans. Sonic Youth broke into the mainstream around the time that alternative rock was being crowned as the music of choice in the 90s before fading back into the background in the 2000s. They called it quits in 2011, around the time that Moore and Gordon divorced after a 27 year marriage, and all three members have had relatively active solo careers since.
“Time to tell your dirty story
Time turning over and over
Time turning, four leaf clover
Betting on the bull in the heather”
“Bull in the heather”*** is track two on Sonic Youth’s eighth studio album, “Experimental jet set, trash and no star”, was released as the album’s lead single, and its video was notable for featuring Riot Grrl icon and Bikini Kill vocalist, Kathleen Hanna dancing and generally hanging around the set while the band performed the song. It has an instantly recognizable intro, the band as usual playing with guitar effects, a guitar pick screeching down a guitar string like nails on a chalk board and fingers tapping on strings feeling like running a wet finger around the rim of crystal glass. In true Sonic Youth fashion, there’s lots of feedback and avant garde noise, a raunchy mess, oddly tuned guitars screeching and ringing, but there’s some play here with straight ahead guitar rock, like they are allowing mainstream to creep into their consciousness just slightly. What makes this song for me is the funky beat, the drummer using a maraca shaker as a drumstick and of course, there’s Kim Gordon’s vocals, as if under duress, each line pained and forced. She’s singing like she’s just run 10 laps around the high school track.
“Bull in the heather” feels completely of its time and place: slacker angst at its best. But sorry Sonic Youth fans, I’m still not one of you.
*I have managed to get into Broken Social Scene since that time, largely helped along by seeing them perform live.
**Sonic Youth’s only representation in my Apple Music library.
***I’ve read that the song title was the name of a race horse known around that time.
For the rest of the Best tunes of 1994 list, click here.
My (life in) music lists 