Confusion Is Sex is the debut studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in 1983 by Neutral Records. It has been referred to as an important example of the no wave genre.[11] AllMusic called it "lo-fi to the point of tonal drabness, as the instruments seem to ring out in only one tone, that of screechy noise".
| Confusion Is Sex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1982–1983 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:40 | |||
| Label | Neutral | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Sonic Youth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Sonic Youth studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Chicago Tribune | [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[5] |
| Q | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| Select | 3/5[8] |
| Spin | 8/10[9] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[10] |
Background and recording
Confusion Is Sex was recorded by Wharton Tiers in his Chelsea studio (which he had set up in the basement of a building where he worked as a superintendent). It was mostly recorded during Jim Sclavunos' brief tenure as drummer for the band, and he appears on drums for most of the album. As the sessions drew to a close, Sclavunos chose to quit and Bob Bert was invited back.[12] Bert appeared on "Making the Nature Scene" and the live Stooges cover "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Confusion Is Sex is the only Sonic Youth album on which guitarist Lee Ranaldo plays bass, specifically on the song "Protect Me You".
The lyrics to "The World Looks Red" were written by Michael Gira of the band Swans, who would later reuse the same lyrics on the song "The World Looks Red/The World Looks Black" on that band's 2016 album The Glowing Man.[13]
Ranaldo recorded the track "Lee Is Free" solo at home on two tape recorders.[14]
Content
In a 1984 Trouser Press review, John Leland stated that, on this album, "confusion reigns and happily so. This album sprays out slivers of ringing, reeling, screaming six-string debris, much of it produced with drumsticks and weird tunings. Partaking of Branca's dissonance, Flipper's anarchy and PIL's desperation, these Lower East Side arties capture the violence and hope of their neighborhood. If these sounds hit like an aural root canal, that's just what the doctor ordered."[15]
The cover image is a sketch by bassist Kim Gordon of guitarist Thurston Moore.[16] This image was used on gig posters early in the band's career.[16]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(She's in A) Bad Mood" | Moore | Moore | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Protect Me You" | Gordon | Gordon | 5:28 |
| 3. | "Freezer Burn/I Wanna Be Your Dog" (The Stooges cover) | Gordon | 3:39 | |
| 4. | "Shaking Hell" | Gordon | Gordon | 4:06 |
All lyrics are written by Sonic Youth (Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Jim Sclavunos and Bob Bert), except "The World Looks Red", by Michael Gira; all music is composed by Sonic Youth, except "I Wanna Be Your Dog", by the Stooges
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Inhuman" | Moore | Moore | 4:03 |
| 6. | "The World Looks Red" | Gira | Moore | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Confusion Is Next" | Moore | Moore | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Making the Nature Scene" | Gordon | Gordon | 3:01 |
| 9. | "Lee Is Free" | 3:37 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Kill Yr Idols" | Moore | Moore | 2:51 |
| 11. | "Brother James" | Gordon | Gordon | 3:17 |
| 12. | "Early American" | Gordon | Gordon | 6:07 |
| 13. | "Shaking Hell (Live)" | Gordon | Gordon | 3:15 |
Personnel
Sonic Youth
- Kim Gordon – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, production
- Thurston Moore – vocals, guitar, prepared guitar, bass guitar, production
- Lee Ranaldo – guitar, bass guitar, zither ("Inhuman"), production
- Jim Sclavunos – drums, production (all tracks except 8 and 10–13)
- Bob Bert – drums, production (tracks 3, 8, and 10–13)
Production
- Wharton Tiers – production, engineering
- John Erskine – engineering assistance
References
External links
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