Screen Time

Album review

The titles of the ten instrumental pieces on Thurston Moore’s album bring to mind the confined years the word experienced in 2020 and 2021: The Station, The Town, The Home, The View, The Neighbor... the lockdown afforded the previous member of Sonic Youth some time to retreat into himself and his guitar. Recorded in the summer of 2020, this record follows the excellent album By the Fire, a fantastic offering of "old school" rock that benefits from Moore's faith and ingenuity. This album is completely different. No voice, no drums, no rock, just guitars. It offers a whole new side to the musician. The notes glisten as if they were rain drops flowing down your windowpane: a fitting aesthetic. There’s something so soothing about how they gently collide into each other as they trickle down the glass. There’s hardly ever one note that stands out over another, there’s no harsh explosion of sound. This album seems to provide an insight into what Thurston Moore might play at home… no performance pressure, just relaxation, scale practice and his love for his instrument. Fans will instantly recognise his subtle and instinctive playing, the micro-explorations he invents on the guitar neck. But there's no need to shout out superlatives or attest to his genius: this record is intended to accompany meditation sessions rather than stir up a crowd. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz