Having successfully balanced atonal freak-outs with rock song structure on their previous release, EVOL, Sonic Youth went further towards convention with this concise, "all rock" (their words) album. Recorded on old tube equipment instead of then-emerging digital technology, the album's 10 songs have an impressively warm, cozy vibe even as they tear up the pavement underneath. "(I Got a) Catholic Block," "Pacific Coast Highway," and a vicious cover of Crime's "Hot Wire My Heart" are propelled by the newfound power of drummer Steve Shelley, who doesn't let the band's arty self-consciousness inhibit the songs' natural drive. --Rob O'Connor