Chelsea Light Moving

Considering the low standards that Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore set for some of his extra-curricular activities outside of that band (his solo albums, it should be noted, don't suffer from this lapse in concentration), Chelsea Light Moving is a relatively focused little record. Named after the moving company once run by Philip Glass and Steve Reich before fame saved their backs, CLM is Moore once again avoiding his day job after the breakup of his 27-year marriage to Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon. This new band—with Hush Arbor guitarist Keith Wood, Sunburned Hand of the Man drummer John Moloney, and bassist/violinist Samara Lubelski—traverses much of the same slightly atonal, slightly Fall-like post-punk that dominated latter-day Sonic Youth albums. "Alighted" could easily be SY, and the opening guitar licks of "Empires of Time" display SY's patented alternate-tuning sound. "Frank O'Hara Hit" and "Burroughs" continues the hip name-dropping, while "Mohawk" sports spoken word that hardcore fans consider part of the bargain. It's business as usual for Mr. Moore.