The title track, "Washing Machine," is another highlight. It's eight minutes of out of this worldliness. If you can get past Kim Gordon singing about "soda pop" and "applesauce" then I think the song is one of the album's best.
Track six, "Little Trouble Girl," is just downright spooky. Pixies fans will love this, as Kim Deal sings along with Kim Gordon here. Something about this song is just so creepy, reminding me of the Bad Moon Rising and EVOL era. It's good to know they still got it!
There are two other highlights I want to touch on before wrapping this up - one is "No Queen Blues," easily one of the band's hardest rocking tracks. The noise breakdown towards the middle is sure to please and is reminiscent of the legendary one in "Silver Rocket" off Daydream Nation.
Finally, the highlight of the album for me, is the almost twenty minute long epic, "The Diamond Sea." The song is melodic and is probably the only song on Washing Machine you could get away with playing on the radio, given you cut a good portion of it. It has beautiful, if sad, lyrics. After an interlude, the lyrics start up again one last time, leading into the ten minute noise-fest until the close of the song, and the album.
After listening to this album many times, I am still continually amazed by it. Washing Machine is perhaps the most underrated Sonic Youth album, no questions asked. Sure, it's not Daydream Nation or Sister, but it is still a manifestation of the same genius. Though by 1995 Sonic Youth had been around for over a decade, they continued defining and redefining their sound, pushing the boundaries of music. With Washing Machine, Sonic Youth cemented their legacy in remaining relevant in a decade most people would not normally associate with them.
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