Thurston Moore-Flow Critical Lucidity; Daydream Library Series, 2024

 

Despite the fact that we're now into 2025, Disaster Amnesiac continues to think about Best Of lists for 2024. Some good friends of mine recently pointed me towards theirs, and it was clear to me just how much music I had missed out on. As usual, it's humbling and awesome to realize how much great sound is produced, and how easy it can be to access most of it. Still, there's only so much time to be had and spent within the pursuit. A music lover will most likely not be able to hear the vast majority of it, even if they want to do so, even if they attempt to do so. 

This is all mentioned in relation to Thurston Moore's Flow Critical Lucidity because it's easily my pick for the best musical release of last year (an aside: the liner note lists it as having copyright 2023 and 2024 but it came to my attention within the latter year). It can be assured that Disaster Amnesiac listened to a lot of music last year, a fair amount of it being newly released (another aside: when will Black Flag write and release new sounds?), and none of it was as compelling to my perceptions as Flow Critical Lucidity. Just that title alone! Such an incredible desire(ing machine)! Of all the dynamics aspired to, critical lucidity flowing sounds top shelf. One can imagine oneself within a state of inspired clarity within that state, and that's a state that sounds pretty magical. 

Getting back to the music on the album: seven exquisite tracks, rooted within the long running aesthetics that Moore has utilized ceaselessly that also show new breakthroughs for them. New In Town kicks things off with the kind of chiming guitar tones familiar to and loved by Thurston fans. These sounds are bolstered by the imaginatively realized percussion of Jem Doulton. There's a kind of Beatnik bongo calypso feel within it that upon first listen and just about every subsequent one has Disaster Amnesiac feeling nicely espresso'ed and very appreciative of the heartfelt love for various D.C. musical acts expressed within the lyrics of the tune. I'm not sure who the lyricist named Radieux Radio is, but that entity certainly does love the sounds of the District of the 1980's. What thinking person wouldn't though, right? Next up comes the beautiful Sans Limites, almost three minutes of an absolutely gorgeous prelude that leads into a verse which should have been a big radio hit. Not sure if those are even a thing anymore but listen to the song and you'll catch the drift. Magical song writing with a very inspired musical performance. Track three, Shadow, gets into another really subtle groove, all of the instrumental players locking in to each others' lines while Moore seems to be dealing with ghosts that linger around his physical environment. The environment which I find myself in is very conducive to ghosts, so, yeah, relatable. The key is to acknowledge them; they're not to be feared. A very subtle burst of feedback kicks off Hypnogram before its melody, one of such delicate longing as to make a sensitive person shed tears of joy, starts up. It sounds as if it's a reminiscence of times gone by, recalled with affection and the joy of remembering those small moments that add up to love. The group stretches within their groove after the lyrics, and its a great one for driving and/or dancing. Disaster Amnesiac has had both experiences with the song and I can assure you that this statement is accurate. Following all of that motion, one may want to kick back and relax, and We Get High is a perfect song for which to do so. It's also the best Stoner Rock song that I've heard in decades, what with the Wagnerian visuals of its lyrics and the cannabinoid timbre of the guitars and electronic effects that are utilized on it. This one is a bong load of psychedelic power and the various groups that have either "Weed" or "Goat" within their monikers should take note and act accordingly. It's a long-ish song that could go longer for its slow, hazy groove! Rewilding shows the band getting to an almost Go-Go groove at times while the vocals warn someone that Thurston just wants to get a bit of rest and to dream of butterflies kissing his face. There's an all-percussion break down at the back end of the track that really should be sampled by some astute beat maker. A fine penultimate track on the fine LP that is Flow Critical Lucidity. This leads to the closer, The Diver, and epic Psych jam that ties up all of the varied flows within the masterpiece that the album is. Another slow burn approach that wends its way through eight minutes of guitar exploration and whimsy, and Disaster Amnesiac has noted that its ending sounds circle right back to the first sounds of the album, giving it a ouroboros type of effect. Seriously, the way that the music of Flow Critical Lucidity was arranged is much akin to that of a symphony. I have no idea if that was Thurston Moore's intention but that's how it sounds to me. 

A few thoughts tangential to the sounds: the cover image is wonderful and the gaps between songs is well done. As to the former, can you imagine putting that helmet atop your cranium and striking those tuning forks? What type of brain burn would you experience. In regards to the latter, they give the listener a nice little bit of reflective time after each track, and each of them deserve a lot of reflection. Every song on Flow Critical Lucidity is brilliant.

Disaster Amnesiac expects that Flow Critical Lucidity, my pick for best release of 2024, will be in rotation well into 2025 and beyond. It transcends considerations of mere linear time anyway.