Thurston Moore
Rock N Roll Consciousness

''In my studies on Buddhism, I kept encountering the concept of consciousness, the presence of spirituality in the world, the relationship between what is physical and what is metaphysical. The possibility to meditate and reach a cosmic place. I liked the idea of consciousness, but I wasn't interested in aligning myself with any ideology. I've been a Catholic boy and I have respect for people's faith, but as an artist, I cannot subscribe to any organized religion. I've devoted my life to using rock 'n' roll as a voice to express myself, so I am interested in a form of rock 'n' roll consciousness, as the album title suggests. Maybe it's a kind of religion.''


Rock N Roll Consciousness, the new solo album by Thurston Moore, is released today.

Moore himself has often been accused of sounding too much like ''Sonic Youth'' in his records, but by briefly retracing his solo career, it is clear that he has never forgotten his origins, and that he has also ventured into different, and I add, complex musical paths over the years.

Unfortunately, a lot of material has been recorded through small labels and often released in limited editions, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain his complete discography today. (However, it is possible to listen to numerous samples to get a comprehensive idea).
Regarding this, for the most interested, a book written by Nick Soulsby, titled ''We Sing a New Language: The Oral Discography of Thurston Moore'', has been recently published, which attempts to reconstruct the path of the American artist, demonstrating that a lot of material is still shrouded in a kind of mystery.

However, it is possible to state that Thurston Moore, both before and after the breakup of Sonic Youth, not only composed his music, but collaborated with numerous artists, sometimes trying his hand at various forms of experimental and avant-garde music. Music that he surely knows well, but playing and producing it is undoubtedly another matter.
Analyzing his most well-known and appreciated previous works, it must be said that while ''Psychic Hearts'' sounds just like a SY album from the nineties,
''Demolished Thoughts'' is nothing less than another of his experiments, in my opinion more than successful, this time in a Folk key. (''The Best Day'', his previous work, was another well-made piece). Thus, ''Rock n' Roll Consciousness'' emerges as a work already consolidated over the years, but matured through all these different experiences.

Probably it is for this reason that Moore eventually goes back to doing what he does best: a bit of good Rock. Always seasoned, although less conspicuously, in a noise version.

The now-established lineup of Thurston Moore's Band includes the historic drummer Steve Shelley, My Bloody Valentine's bassist Debbie Googe, and James Sedwards on second guitar.

Virtuoso of sound more than of the guitar itself, Moore is as always recognizable after the first few moments. He sounds as classic as he does original at the same time.
Within the album, there is nothing that hasn't already been extensively heard in his discography or that of Sonic Youth, but the result is nonetheless admirable.
Only five tracks, of considerable length (the album has a total duration of forty-three minutes), long intervals where Rock takes the lead.
The first track, ''Exalted,'' was recorded in a single take at Moore's own request (it is also the longest track on the record, a good twelve minutes, and is meant to summarize the entire work), followed by ''Cusp'' and ''Turn On.''
''Smoke Of Dreams,'' the single released a few weeks earlier to promote the album, is instead a classic Rock ballad, a sort of homage to his musical background.
While the concluding ''Aphrodite'' perhaps represents the most experimental track of the album, with sounds very close to those of mid-eighties SY.



A record that, personally, I was looking forward to, and that did not disappoint expectations.
A release that does nothing but further consolidate and strengthen Moore's position within the current music scene.