Thurston Moore and John Moloney
Full Bleed
(Northern Spy)

Long gone are the days of Sonic Youth and angsty teens thrashing about to noisy pop songs. Former lead singer and musical genius of Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore has long been carving out a name for himself as a solo act and with the musician’s latest collaboration with John Moloney, he invites the listener to engage in a musical experience that is unlike many others. Moore and Moloney’s newest record, Full Bleed, is a difficult album to classify. If one was to label it, it would undoubtedly be experimental, but so much of this record is rooted in other genres, specifically psychedelia and jazz. These forms are most obvious on such songs as “Full Bleed” and “Self-Rule.” They are not pleasant-sounding songs, but listening to Moore’s expert playing on the guitar and Moloney’s Buddy Rich-style drums, the listener finds that the power of the music does not just come from the volume and abrasiveness of the songs themselves, but from the quiet expertise of these musicians. While it is difficult to listen to this album on repeat, it is important to find the hushed moments on this record. Once the listener discovers these either in the form of slower tempos or acerbic rhythms, the true sagacity and complexity of this reveals itself to listeners and one can begin to delve deeper into this melodic journey.