Sonic Youth Archival Releases in the Works

The breakup of Sonic Youth‘s Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon last year has put the band’s future in doubt. Back in April, guitarist Lee Ranaldo told Diffuser.fm that there were “archival projects in the works right now.” Earlier today (July 19), Ranaldo told Sam Huxley of BBC5 a little bit more about the upcoming projects.

Live albums will be a big part of the project, with the hopes that they will put out a concert from every phase of their career. Ranaldo said that, in the next few months, they will release the audio from a 1985 concert. After that is a tour film from 1986, which Ranaldo said is almost fully edited.

Also on tap is a deluxe reissue of their 1987 album ‘Sister,’ their last album for SST, which will include some long-lost demos, and a collection of film music that they’ve recorded throughout the years.

Ranaldo is still unsure whether the band will ever make new music again, but he was understandably diplomatic about the situation. “It’s such a tender thing right now that none of us are even thinking along those lines,” he said. “I’m on good terms and talking with everyone, but there’s definitely a lot of stuff shaking out right now.”