NOISE

Considering Sonic Youth celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, do you ever feel like, in a just world, Pearl Jam would be opening for you?

Yeah, it would be nice, but there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with being a band that big, a lot of pressure. It would mean having to accommodate all those fans and playing in giant places all the time. We toured with them, maybe six years ago, and it's definitely different [than headlining]. You have to work harder. Although I have to say it was much easier than playing for Neil Young fans.

Deep down, is there a part of you that wants to play a 45-minute noise set and scare the crap out of Pearl Jam's fans?

(Laughs) We did a little of that for Neil Young fans. I think we did "Expressway [to Yr. Skull]" every night. But with these [new] songs, we sort of want as many people to hear them as possible.

Sonic Youth has been a four-piece most of the way, but it seemed like [fifth member] Jim O'Rourke had been integral to your sound recently. Has it been tricky going back to being a quartet?

For the writing of the songs, not as difficult as I thought it might be. He was definitely very involved with the arranging. He has such a love of the song and song structure and he brought another level of that to the writing process. But it was kind of more basic and straightforward without him. We actually wrote and recorded the songs pretty fast, so in a way it had kind of a fresh quality that it wouldn't have had otherwise, I guess.

How about onstage?

[Former Pavement bassist] Mark Ibold's been playing with us. It's been really fun having him around. We're playing double bass on a lot of the songs, about half the new songs. On the songs I sing he plays bass. It's kinda hard [doing both myself]. In the past I'd just write [lyrics] around the bass parts to make it easier [live], which was kind of limiting.

A group called Mothers Against Noise (M.A.N.) opposed to "offensive and damaging" music has protested outside some of your shows. As a mother yourself, how do you react?

I think it's interesting that noise is sort of a taboo now. I think it's kind of funny. But I don't actually listen to it much myself anymore. [Husband/bandmate] Thurston [Moore] plays that stuff all the time, so I hear it, and I'll listen to a jam every now and then. I'll put something on, like as a brain cleanser. But to me, all the really banal stuff in the world is just this other kind of noise, this silent, trashy noise.

Have you felt more important since the Library of Congress added Daydream Nation to its National Recording Registry?

That was pretty novel. They didn't give us anything, but we didn't have to pay anything, either.

Pearl Jam once played 93 songs over a three-night stand. Here are 10 songs we hope they'll break out at their Vegas stop.

"Why Go" (Ten, 1991)

"Dissident" (Vs., 1993)

"Immortality" (Vitalogy, 1994)

"Off He Goes" (No Code, 1996) A touching acoustic tune about the perils of fame.

"Pilate" (Yield, 1998)

"Light Years" (Binaural, 2000)

"You Are" (Riot Act, 2002) With its thick, stuttering guitars, this is one of the band's most distinctive, striking songs.

"Down" (Lost Dogs, 2003)

"Unemployable" (Pearl Jam, 2006)

"I Believe in Miracles" (Ramones cover)

Catch Twenty Two


Permanent Revolution (2.5 stars)

Does the world need a ska-punk concept album about the life of Leon Trotsky? Catch Twenty Two answer that question with a definitive no. They're perfectly decent musicians, but Russian history and skankin' do not mix.

IMOGENE


Imogene (3 stars)

Shadowy electric piano rules this Los Angeles-based quintet's debut album, which fuses shoegazing spaciness and psychedelic-pop songwriting with generally favorable results.

Pistolita


Oliver Under the Moon (2.5 stars)

Plaintive emo whining, now with piano! Although Conor Meads' work on the keys adds a bit of flavor, overall this quartet's music is a bland, competent example of the genre.

QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT


Swamp Tech (3 stars)

Searching for a freaky fun fest? Look no further than this New Orleans duo (trio if you count the electric "Drum Buddy"). If their vocal histrionics and Quintron's weirdo organ work aren't outré enough, check out the action in Miss Pussycat's onstage puppet show. Seriously.