Arts Desk: News and Criticism on D.C. and Beyond

Sonic Youth Hyperthink/Auxes @ Black Cat Sunday


“Hair in the hole in my head/Too bad the scene is dead.” Thus runneth the lyrics “Chapel Hill,” a less-than-catchy number on Sonic Youth’s breakthrough 1992 effort Dirty. Ostensibly about the death of leftist bookstore owner Bob Sheldon, “Chapel Hill” is a strange anthem – that is, if its meant to be an anthem at all. Too angry to be inspirational and too vague to condemn what may have been a politically-motivated killing, the overlong song is a Thurston Moore whiner between two Kim Gordon whisperers in the final third of a meandering record. Since Moore’s from Massuchusetts, maybe his cynicism is geographic – one of Chapel Hill’s secret charms is its prolific inhabitants’ refusal to moon over their past.

Case in point: the Auxes. Led by Dave Laney, ex-member of NC legends Milemarker, the Auxes bring more emo guitar-pickin from the guitar-lovin’ Lovitt diaspora to the Black Cat this Sunday. Touring behind the just-released LP Sunshine, the road-ready version of the Auxes is a veritable North Carolinian supergroup featuring members of Fin Fang Foom, Caltrop, Ben Davis, and Challenger.

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Comments

  1. #1

    “Chapel Hill” is pretty weak but the Kim Gordon whisper song afterwards, “JC,” is possibly my favorite Sonic Youth song… makes the second half of Dirty worth listening through.

  2. #2

    hmm… I always liked “Chapel Hill” :(

  3. #3

    Auxes were amazing for those of us who made the show.

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