Sonic Youth
Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities
Label: Geffen Records

Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities is a treasure trove for Sonic Youth fans unable or unwilling to troll eBay and Craigslist searching for out-of-print singles, Japanese imports and potentially non-existent live recordings.

First off, let’s just say that this album is incredible, even if you don’t like Sonic Youth (gasp!)

After kicking off with the 10+ minute instrumental “Fire Engine Dream,” the disc segues into “Fauxhemians,” a funky instrumental bass groove worthy of a Drums & Tuba encore.

Some tracks (e.g., “Campfire” and “Loop Cat”) trend towards Phish’s ambient noise album The Siket Disc, while other more recent tracks (e.g., “Kim’s Chords” and “Queene Anne Chair”) exemplify the instrumental improvisational and experimental roots that makes a normal, mainstream-released Sonic Youth song so special.

As for the destroyed room, we’ll chip in for the bill.