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14. NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000): The least-loved Sonic Youth album by some margin, the underrated NYC Ghosts & Flowers is the sound of Sonic Youth starting from scratch, and not necessarily by choice. While on tour supporting 1998's A Thousand Leaves, most of the band's one-of-a-kind guitars were stolen, forcing them to write and record their next record on new and borrowed gear. Fans who malign NYC Ghosts & Flowers may consider the album the point at which the band's florid wordplay and Beat obsession would finally get the better of them, but more attentive fans will note that Sonic Youth has always used the influence of poetry as a catalytic element for their expansive jams, usually with transcendent results. If the specter of cafe existentialists looms too large over NYC Ghosts & Flowers, the album remains noble as an 'all in' gesture that casts a defiant shrug at potential alienation, and we might recall that the history of great rock and roll is pockmarked with similarly courageous endeavors. Twelve-string guitars are introduced, as is the presence of the inimitable Jim O'Rourke (who would officially join the band as a full-time member for the next two albums). The album also boasts a spellbinding title track by Lee and a classic in opener "Free City Rhymes." NYC Ghosts & Flowers is a bewitching album that rewards repeat listens and deserves far better than its reputation.
