With
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008,
Sonic Youth continue to reissue some of their rarer releases (which also include 2012's re-release of
Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 and 2016's
Spinhead Sessions). Originally a bonus LP for fans who pre-ordered the band's final album, 2009's
The Eternal,
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008 boasts not only rock-solid performances but an unusual set list. Over the course of its ten tracks, the album covers a wide swath of
Sonic Youth's career; even fans who attended many of the band's shows may have never heard some of these songs in concert. Chief among them is the taut, loping "She Is Not Alone," from their 1982 self-titled debut EP, which gets the set off to a compelling, if unexpected, start. From there,
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008 touches on almost every aspect of
Sonic Youth's music without resorting to obvious choices. Even though 1988's classic
Daydream Nation makes up almost half of the set, the band opts for its more unusual songs. The blistering version of "Hey Joni," along with "The Wonder" and "Hyperstation" (from the album's mesmeric closing trilogy), lose none of their mystery from being performed on a hot summer day. Similarly,
Dirty's snarling "100%" and
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star's slinky "Bull in the Heather" aren't the biggest hits from their days as alt-rock icons, yet they represent that era of their career perfectly without overshadowing
Rather Ripped's "Jams Run Free" or
Confusion Is Sex's "World Looks Red." All in all,
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008 is a testament to the cohesiveness of
Sonic Youth's music as well as their skills as a live band.