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THURSTON MOORE

Thurston Moore

Sonic Life : The New Memoir From The Sonic Youth Founding Member

    'Were you there? Well this is as close as it gets! Thurston Moore's compelling and spirited account of the streets, the songs, the clothes, the clubs and the contenders! A sensitive and authentic testimony to Moore's life lived through art and music. Beats with the heart of a true artist and mutineer.' Viv Albertine'Downtown scientists rejoice! For Thurston Moore has unearthed the missing links, the sacred texts, the forgotten stories, and the secret maps of the lost golden age. This is history-scuffed, slightly bent, plenty noisy, and indispensable.' Colson WhiteheadA music-obsessed retrospective, beginning with his childhood epiphany of rock 'n' roll in the early 1960s into an infatuation with the subversive world of 1970s punk and no wave blasting forth from New York City - where he eventually runs off to join a band in 1978.

    By 1981 Moore would form the legendary and notorious experimental rock group Sonic Youth, who proceeded to record and tour relentlessly for almost 30 years, always progressing, always exploring. Along the way we meet a constellation of artists and musicians who colluded and collided with Sonic Youth including Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith, Television, Sex Pistols, Clash, Nirvana, Hole, Beastie Boys, Neil Young and a cavalcade of other musical visionaries, as well as figures from the art world - Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Gerhard Richter. Simply put, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth changed the sound of modern alternative rock music and opened the minds of a generation of artists to new possibilities within the form.

    This is essential reading. 'I thoroughly enjoyed Thurston Moore's trip down the gauntlet of memory lane, dodging beer bottles and pools of blood as he balances the demands of art and survival. Plus I'm a sucker for anyone who name-checks Saccharine Trust.

    A raw, rollicking document.' Nell Zink

    Thurston Moore

    Sonic Life: A Memoir - SPECIAL EDITION

      Sonic Life - Limited Edition

      Edition of 300 copies, 496pp printed 1/1 on 80gsm Munken Premium Cream with 1x8pp colour plate section

      Fine bound, hardback, numbered edition of Sonic Life, signed by the author, housed in a branded slipcase

      Unique, signed Polaroid print, taken by Thurston Moore in a portfolio

      Letterpress print of Sonic Life logo on 330gsm Somerset Radiant White Velvet


       A study of a life lived in an environment of wild music and endless wonder, Sonic Life is the long-awaited memoir of iconic American musician and Sonic Youth frontman, Thurston Moore.

      A music-obsessed retrospective, beginning with his childhood epiphany of rock ’n’ roll in the early 1960s into an infatuation with the subversive world of 1970s punk and no wave blasting forth from New York City – where he eventually runs off to join a band in 1978. By 1981 Moore would form the legendary and notorious experimental rock group Sonic Youth, who proceeded to record and tour relentlessly for almost 30 years, always progressing, always exploring.

      Along the way we meet a constellation of artists and musicians who colluded and collided with Sonic Youth including Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith, Television, Sex Pistols, Clash, Nirvana, Hole, Beastie Boys, Neil Young and a cavalcade of other musical visionaries, as well as figures from the art world – Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Gerhard Richter. Simply put, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth changed the sound of modern alternative rock music and opened the minds of a generation of artists to new possibilities within the form. This is essential reading.

      This is Thurston Moore’s seventh solo album, and features musicians Deb Googe (My Bloody Valentine) on bass and backing vocals, Jon Leidecker aka ‘Wobbly’ (of Negativland) on electronics, James Sedwards on guitar, and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, as well as Jem Doulton, alternating on drums. ‘Hashish’ is the first single from the album to be released and is described by Moore as “an ode to the narcotic of love in our shared responsibility to each other during isolation." The song includes a video with footage from The Thurston Moore Group’s tour in early 2020 in Europe, as well as footage of Thurston quarantined in his home during the past few months “with respect to the sacred healing truth of nature.”

      Prior to isolation during the COVID pandemic, Thurston worked in recording studios in North London until the third week of March 2020 to complete this album for release on September 5, 2020. While the musicians may not immediately tour, Thurston was adamant to release BY THE FIRE in 2020, and with Daydream Library, has released this quote: ​BY THE FIRE is music in flames.

      2020 is our time for radical change and collective awareness and Thurston Moore has written nine songs of enlightenment, released to a world on fire. Taking a cue from Albert Ayler's "music is the healing force of the universe", this recording offers songs as flames of rainbow energy, where the power of love becomes our call. These are love songs in a time where creativity is our dignity, our demonstration against the forces of oppression. BY THE FIRE is a gathering, a party of peace—songs in the heat of the moment.

      Some of the songs feature all of the musicians whist a few are solo guitar and vocals.

      BY THE FIRE is released on The Daydream Library Series record label which was founded in 2018 especially to release London Afro-punk feminist trio Big Joanie’s debut album ‘Sistahs’.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Hashish (5:54)
      2. Cantaloupe (4:44)
      3. Breath (10:54)
      4. Siren (12:20)
      5. Calligraphy (5:20)
      6. Locomotives (16:50)
      7. Dreamers Work (4:53)
      8. They Believe In Love (When They Look At You) (7:49)
      9. Venus (14:20) Instrumental

      Thurston Moore

      Trees Outside The Academy (Remastered)

      Originally released in 2007 This was Thurston's first solo outing since 1995's Psychic Hearts.

      From original 2007 Press release: “Thurston recorded primarily on acoustic guitar and bass, laying down the core of the tunes with drummer compatriot Sonic Youth's Steve Shelly and violinist Samara Lubelski, a noted player from MV/EE and The Golden Road, Hall of Fame and other awesome gatherings as well as solo artiste. Thurston grabbed John Agnello to record and mix the sucker after having a helluva good time with the bro from working on Sonic Youth's 2006 killer Rather Ripped. They decided to work in Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis' Bisquiteen studio (the top floor in J's Amherst house actually) where Dino did their Beyond album. This worked out very nicely as it allowed Thurston to yell down the stairs every time he needed a shredding guitar solo and J would trundle up, plug in and BURN.

      Other guests on "trees outside..." are Christina Carter, she of Charalambides, and she of the most beatific, beautific voice on land, sea and air. One track called Honest James has Thurston and Christina singing duet against a single acoustic guitar and it is a naked groove. The otherworldly Canadian musician Andrew Macgregor aka "Gown" plays some spectacularly understated and incredible guitar and Sunburned Hand of The Man's John Moloney takes over the drum stool to absolutely flail on the pit snarling Wonderful Witches. And then there's the 20 seconds or so of primal noise wave courtesy of American noise underground genius Leslie Keffer on Off Work. Most of the tunes are lyric driven but there are a couple of majestic instrumentals like Trees Outside The Academy, which brings the album to a musical and breathless close. There's also some weird cassette tape that Thurston found at his mom's of him at 13 years old in the early 70s making some kind of sound-theatre.” 

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Frozen Gtr
      2. The Shape Is In A Trance
      3. Honest James
      4. Silver>Blue
      5. Fri/End
      6. American Coffin
      7. Wonderful Witches
      8. Off Work
      9. Never Day
      10. Free Noise Among Friends
      11. Trees Outside The Academy
      12. Thurston@13

      Thurston Moore

      Three Graces / Leave Me Alone

        Each 7-inch comprises an excerpted moment from the THURSTON MOORE GROUP live in 2019, free-mixed and free-created by Wobbly (aka Jon Leidecker). The B-side of each is a special cover of a New Order track (recorded in Salford).

        Thurston Moore

        Spring Swell / Leave Me Alone

          Each 7-inch comprises an excerpted moment from the THURSTON MOORE GROUP live in 2019, free-mixed and free-created by Wobbly (aka Jon Leidecker). The B-side of each is a special cover of a New Order track (recorded in Salford).

          Thurston Moore

          Spirit Counsel

            SPIRIT COUNSEL is a collection of three extended compositions recorded between 2018-19. This collection represents a period of reflection on spiritual matters, collective musical friendships, and a time and space universally, without words or languages to distract from meditation.

            CD 1: ‘Alice Moki Jayne’ is a new composition from noise guitar explorations honouring Alice Coltrane, Moki Cherry, and Jayne Cortez. These female partners of jazz musicians brought spirituality into the lives and music that has most inspired Thurston Moore.
            12-string electric guitar army: Thurston Moore, James Sedwards, Jen Chochinov
            Baritone bass truth and soul: Deb Googe
            Magick drums: Jem Doulton
            Electronic Wobbly love: Jon Leidecker
            Engineer: Christophe Albertijn Recorded in Brussels, Belgium in 2019

            CD 2: ‘8 Spring Street’ is a personal hommage to Glenn Branca, the title an address is in New York City, the apartment where Thurston first visited his mentor to rehearse.
            Electric guitar Thurston Moore
            Engineer: Syd Kemp
            Recorded in London, UK in 2019

            CD 3: ‘Galaxies’ is an orchestral piece of music, with Moore as conductor and composer. Twelve guitarists are arranged as if one instrument, exploring the vast emotional depths present in twelve strings. Taking inspiration from a poem by Sun Ra ‘Galaxies’ ponders our place in the universe as we stare into imagery offered by satellites via space agencies.
            Guitar Army: Thurston Moore, David Toop, Susan Stenger, James Sedwards, Deb Googe, Alex Ward, Jen Chochinov, Jonah Falco, Rachel Aggs, Joseph Coward, Eugene Coyne & James McCartney
            Guitar technicians: Beetmol Troy and Matt Tag
            Recorded in London, UK in 2018

            Book: ‘SPIRIT COUNSEL’ is an artist book edited by Thurston Moore which includes photographs compiled during the process of creating the accompanying musical works and is available exclusively within this boxset.

            The Thing With Thurston Moore

            Live

              On their tour for their recent studio-album 'Boot' the scandinavian freejazz monsters teamed up with Thurston Moore of SONIC YOUTH fame at London’s Cafe Oto to produce some heavy improvised thunder!

              Recorded live in concert by John Chantler and Jonathan McHugh at Cafe Oto, London, 10th february 2013.

              Mixed July 2014 by Martin Siewert and Mats Gustafsson at Garnison7, Vienna. Mastered by Martin Siewert. Cover by Lasse Marhaug.

              'The Best Day' - Thurston Moore’s first solo record since 2011’s ‘Demolished Thoughts’ – is released via Matador Records.

              Backed by James Sedwards of Nought (guitar), Deb Googe of My Bloody Valentine (bass) and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth (drums), the album radiates with both his signature thrashing electric guitars as well as blissful 12-string acoustic ballads.

              In case you don’t already know: Thurston Moore has been at the forefront of the alternative rock scene since that particular sobriquet was first used to signify any music that challenged and defied the mainstream standard.

              He is the founder of Sonic Youth, the band that turned on an entire generation to the value of experimentation in rock n' roll.

              From its influence on a nascent Nirvana, to Sonic Youth’s own ‘Daydream Nation’ album being chosen by the US Library of Congress for historical preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2006, the band’s importance in rock history is undeniable.

              Moore records and performs in a cavalcade of disciplines ranging from free improvisation to acoustic composition to black/white metal/noise disruption.

              Alongside his various activities in the musical world, he is involved with publishing and poetry, and teaches writing annually at Naropa University, Boulder CO, a school founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman in 1974.

              TRACK LISTING

              1. Speak To The Wild
              2. Forevermore
              3. Tape
              4. The Best Day
              5. Detonation
              6. Vocabularies
              7. Grace Lake
              8. Germs Burn


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