[rating=3.50]
Thurston Moore took a lot less time between solo albums (4 years instead of 12) and brought in a high profile producer to help things along this time around. Instead of mining his art/noise rock tendencies Demolished Thoughts plays totally acoustic without a crashing crescendo or drum fill anywhere to be found.
Moore instead ops for soothing instrumentation throughout the majority of the album with Samara Lubelski on violin and Mary Lattimore on harp playing major roles alongside Thurston’s strumming/plucking acoustic guitars. Beck acts as producer here and remnants of his breakthrough Sea Change are all over the final sound of these songs. While despair and bleakness were more prominent with Beck’s lyrics, Moore’s tone and lyrical focus seems to revolve around lost lovers with chaos seeming to lurk just under the surface. “In Silver Rain With A Paper Key” are one of the many tracks that fit this mold as does “Blood Never Lies” and the closing “January”.
All of the songs are long (most floating around 5 minutes plus) and feel lazy in a sitting-in-the-backyard sort of way that melds expertly with Thurston’s detached vocals. “Space” contains a 3 minute intro, minor poetic verse and 3 minute exit; never feeling rushed if a bit dull. Where the album gets a freaky (and more interesting) is in the off kilter tracks such as the scratching, Sonic Youth-light “Circulation” and building “Orchard Street” with its wind like effects and rising tide.
The opening “Benediction” may just be the best of the bunch using layers of plush strings and individual, warped guitar notes to wrap the listener into a lover’s abduction story. Blessings, curses and obsession seem to mingle with tied up lovers and a stalking vibe that’s at once creepy and hopelessly romantic. A feeling many can share and one that raises this effort above a mere acoustic offering to pass the time into one that should be explored.
