Sonic Youth - Murray Street

Named after the New York street where their studio is situated — And where a plane engine landed on September 11, 2001 — Murray Street is potent, accessible, daring, and often obliteratingly lovely. For a start, the first three songs ("The Empty Page," "Disconnection Notice," and "Rain On Tin") easily rank with the highlights of Sonic Youth's previous 15 albums. Obliquely melancholic, tuneful but unorthodox, all are enriched by great cascades of intricate three-guitar noise.