Pitchfork

March on, Sonic Youth! Unwavering into the Post-O'Rourke Era! As previously reported, for the first time since 2002, Sonic Youth will once again tour and record as a four-piece, minus multi-faceted multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke (who appears to have his sights set on a film career). And, as it turns out, the band has many (many) things in the pipeline for 2006.

First and foremost is a new album: according to the band's official website, recording is currently taking place at Sear Sound in New York City, where the SY albums Sister and Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, as well as Thurston Moore's solo pop effort, Psychic Hearts, were created. Potential song titles include "Pink Steam", "Do You Believe in Rapture?", "Or", and "Sleepin Around". The album will be out "sometime in 2006."

Back in October, guitarist Lee Ranaldo spoke about the forthcoming album to Billboard.com. "Some of it seems to be an extension of the last couple of records, but some hearkens forward into territory and also back to earlier, more dissonant and atonal stuff we've done," he said. "There's definitely some rocking songs and also some sound piece-y kind of things that are pretty interesting as well."

In other words, he has no idea what the hell the thing is going to sound like.

March 7 will bring the reissue of several out-of-print Sonic goodies, including the band's 1982 self-titled debut EP, the wacky 1988 Ciccone Youth record The Whitey Album, and Moore's Psychic Hearts. At last!

And what would a Sonic Youth news story be without an update on the band's galaxy of side and solo projects? Ranaldo's latest collaboration with drummer William Hooker, The Celestial Answer, is due out January 24 on Table of the Elements. Diskaholics, Moore's band with O'Rourke and Swedish sax player Mats Gustafsson, will release two albums this year: Live in Japan, v.1 on February 21 through Load Records and Weapons of Ass Destruction on February 27 via Smalltown Superjazzz. Just in time for Presidents' Day.