NYC Ghosts & Flowers

NYC Ghosts & Flowers
Studio album by Sonic Youth
Released	May 16, 2000
Recorded	August 1999 – February 2000
Genre	Alternative rock, experimental rock, noise rock
Length	42:18
Label	DGC
Producer	Jim O'Rourke
Sonic Youth chronology
SYR4: Goodbye 20th Century (1999) NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000) SYR5 (2000)
Singles from NYC Ghosts & Flowers
"Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)" Released: Unreleased 2000 (Germany Only)

NYC Ghosts & Flowers is a 2000 album by Sonic Youth. The album was a slight departure, mainly as a creative reaction to the theft of their instruments in July 1999. Irreplaceable guitars and effects pedals with numerous modifications were stolen. It is also the first Sonic Youth album to extensively use prepared guitar since 1985's Bad Moon Rising, most notably on "Small Flowers Crack Concrete" (a file inserted over the neck pickup) and "Lightnin'" (a bike horn wedged under the strings).

On this album the influence of beat poetry on the band is strongly evident: The lyrics to most songs resemble the beat style, Lenny Bruce and D. A. Levy are name-checked and the cover art is based on a painting by William S. Burroughs.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Blender	link
Pitchfork Media	(0.0/10) link
Robert Christgau	(A) link
Rolling Stone	6/8/2000

The album received mixed reviews. Brent DiCrescenzo, formerly of Pitchfork Media, gave it the rarely used lowest rating of 0.0,^[1] while Inkblot Magazine praised its avant-garde direction [1] and Robert Christgau said that at times the album is more beautiful than the more widely acclaimed Washing Machine or A Thousand Leaves.^[2]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Sonic Youth. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Free City Rhymes" (lyrics/vocals Moore)	7:32
2.	"Renegade Princess" (lyrics Moore, vocals Moore, Gordon, and Ranaldo)	5:49
3.	"Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)" (lyrics/vocals Gordon)	5:37
4.	"Small Flowers Crack Concrete" (lyrics Moore, vocals Moore, Gordon, and Ranaldo)	5:12
5.	"Side2Side" (lyrics/vocals Gordon)	3:34
6.	"StreamXSonik Subway" (lyrics/vocals Moore)	2:51
7.	"NYC Ghosts & Flowers" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo)	7:52
8.	"Lightnin'" (lyrics/vocals Gordon)	3:51
Total length:		42:18

Album charts

Year	Album	Chart	Position
2000	NYC Ghosts & Flowers	Official French Albums Chart	No. 37
2000	NYC Ghosts & Flowers	Official Norwegian Albums Chart	No. 37
2000	NYC Ghosts & Flowers	Official UK Albums Chart	No. 113
2000	NYC Ghosts & Flowers	Billboard Top 200	No. 172

References

1. ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/21889-nyc-ghosts-flowers
2. ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Sonic+Youth