Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts

Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts Matador

Review by Will Donelson

Throughout Thurston Moore’s latest solo effort, the Beck-produced Demolished Thoughts, a sombre atmosphere emerges which if anything is an ode to unrealised ideas, and dreams that were pushed aside.

The record’s strings and vocals pull the listener into a musical haze, something which seems incredibly fitting given the album’s title. But whilst the songs here obviously are finished (and well structured at that), there’s something of the record that seems to be missing throughout its nine segments.

The minimal combination of involved guitar work, strained strings and dissociated vocals, in unconventional patterns on each track, makes every instrument feel somewhat disconnected from the rest, as if the parts were composed for different songs and just so happened to blend together well.

‘Space’ features an interesting mix of harsh sounding guitars set against a backdrop of shoegaze-esque tones, whistles and chimes. This gives it a similar feel to that which Kurt Vile evoked on his March 2011 release Smoke Ring for my Halo, albeit a lighter version.

There’s not a great deal of catchiness here though, and it’s difficult to imagine humming along to the tune of ‘In Silver Rain With A Paper Key’.

Moore has cleverly woven the record so that it sucks the listener in, but rarely does it completely take over. His crooning on the opener ‘Benediction’, coupled with a string accompaniment, creates a relaxed ambience but one which fails to engage the ear. Even when paying close attention, the album encourages your mind to wander, making it easy to get lost within its songs.

That’s not to say that Demolished Thoughts lacks any memorable or stand-out tracks – there are songs on the record which have power to keep you captivated, such as the dramatic, 7-minute long ‘Orchard Street’.

But this is an album which devotes itself to keeping the listener in a dream-like trance. The downside to this is its noticeably elongated run time – during which many of the songs refuse to evolve or go anywhere in particular. Whilst this does help to build towards the overall abstract feeling of the album, when individual tracks are taken on their own merit, rather than as a whole, they sometimes fail to measure up.

Demolished Thoughts is an album which demands that you devote yourself to it in its entirety, rather than simply its fragments. And when taken whole, it makes for a completely unique and worthwhile experience.