Trees Outside the Academy

Although he had been a professional musician for nearly 30 years by the time 2007's TREES OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY was released, that album was only the second proper solo release from the extraordinarily prolific Thurston Moore. As a member of Sonic Youth, Moore has developed a signature sound through the years, and while he doesn't drastically depart from that, there are a number of nuanced, surprisingly gentle stylistic touches here.
Acoustic guitar is heavily featured throughout, as is the violin of Sumara Lubelski, both of which add a rich organic texture to Moore's oddly tuned compositions. To call the album mellow, however, would be too overlook the intensity of the songs. "Fr/End," which begins with a quick shot of SY-style feedback, quickly gives way to a lovely Beatles-esque melody made sweepingly melancholy by Lubelski's violin. "Off Work" has a dark pastoral quality made all the moreso by interruptions of sinister white noise. Wonderfully recorded, with a crisp sound that brings out the earthiness of Moore's acoustic playing, TREES OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY is a lovely snapshot of an artist not so much evolving, but rather refusing to limit himself.