Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth remains one of the great names in rock, but it may be a bit past its expiration date. After all, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley celebrated the big 4-0 a while back, and Kim Gordon hit the half-century mark last year, leaving relative newbie Jim O'Rourke as the only member of the group still in his thirties. Besides, "Sonic Veterans" has a nice ring to it and is a more appropriate handle, considering the content of Sonic Nurse, which finds the musicians hanging out in territory they homesteaded ages ago.

"Pattern Recognition," the first cut here, is well named, since anyone familiar with sets such as 1988's Daydream Nation will pick up on elements the group has long relied upon: guitar atonalities, deadpan vocals, cut-and-paste lyrics (Gordon claims to be both a "cool hunter" and a "heat-seeking missile freak") and a willfully primitive arrangement that collapses in a burst of feedback. The band subsequently ranges from noisome silliness ("Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream") to elegiac tunefulness ("Peace Attack"), with nary a misstep along the way.

Of course, consistency has its drawbacks. Once upon a time, Sonic Youth's avant-garde gestures were unexpected, even revolutionary. Now, however, they represent a formula that Moore and company have long since perfected. Although Sonic Nurse will satisfy longtimers who want nothing more than to hear the act do what it does best, it's the wrong prescription for anyone looking for the sort of surprises these players once dished out on a regular basis. They've got to take more chances if they want to stay in touch with their Youth.