It’s an understatement to say Sonic Youth have always been innovators unafraid of coloring far outside the lines of mainstream music, but given the heap of bands still aping Sonic Youth’s panache, it’s important the band reaffirm why they were the torchbearers of the avant-garde alternative rock scene for so long. The scrappy, grungy opening to “Anti-Orgasm” dissipates into a slow moving ethereal soundscape, revealing their masterful melding of dissonance and subtle harmonies. The vocal allusions to Lou Reed on “Poison Arrow” are delivered in an airy rasp over a muffled guitar gargle that teeters dangerously close to abrasiveness, but subtle guitar melodies save the track by breathing hints of splendor into the flurry of distortion. Album highlight “Malibu Gas Station” takes its time unfolding into the album’s most affecting song and, at its apex, pulsates with scattering guitar lines overtop former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold’s jarring bass line, before deconstructing into controlled aural chaos. In the end, The Eternal is not the band’s best album, but rather a testament to why Sonic Youth have outlived many of their art-punk peers, while managing to remain relevant. This album is another palatable notch in their already heavily festooned belt. And damn do they wear that belt well. - Tim Webb