Since they've fulfilled their contractual obligations to Universal, Sonic Youth announced that they'd decided to return to their more independent roots without specifying which label (Sub Pop? Domino? Matador?). This morning Matador's Gerard Cosloy wrote a post confirming that SY "recently reached an agreement with Matador to release the band's 16th album of new material in all worldwide territories, save for Japan." Look for it "sometime in 2009." He then says some nice things about his most recent signees: - Source

Sonic Youth played the final ever show at Brooklyn's outdoor McCarren Pool venue on Saturday (August 30), marking the occasion by unexpectedly opening with two new songs. - Source

Hey, remember the celebrity-curated Sonic Youth compilation put together by Starbucks? Well, it's finally coming out. Hits Are for Squares goes up for sale June 10 at select Starbucks stores and online via Starbucks Entertainment's Hear Music/Universal Special Markets. - Source

There's never a dull moment for indie rock's resident Energizer Bunnies Sonic Youth, who have swiftly followed up news of more art-world dabblings and the unlikeliest festival appearance in the history of ever with a flaming slew of activity. - Source

The painting used for the cover of Sonic Youth's acclaimed 1988 album 'Daydream Nation' is to be auctioned in London next week (February 27). - Source

Daydream Nation: Sonic Youth's masterpiece, the inspiration for two decades of indie rock, still sounds great today, the greatest album of the 1980s, "You'd be hard pressed to find many fans of indie rock who don't have some love for this record." - Source

A press release describes the hour-long movie, Extra Action (And Extra Hardcore), as the result of what happens when photographer/filmmaker Richard Kern tells his "unpretentious, unadorned, and definitely undressed 'real women' to "roll around and do something interesting for a few minutes." The DVD comes out March 18 via MVD, and in addition to Thurston's original score for Extra Action, it features previously unreleased Kern flicks as extras.  Source

I couldn't sleep so I went to see what's up with YO LA TENGO when I read that they will be appearing on the WB show, Gilmore Girls. SONIC YOUTH will also be appearing on the show which airs on May 9th. The subplot revolves around GRANT LEE PHILLIPS who is choosen to open for Neil Young. Once the news spreads, several bands show up to try to get in on the action. Sonic Youth will be playing an acoustic version of their new single, "What a Waste" which will be on their new album, "Rather Ripped", released on June 13th. Yo La Tengo have a new album coming out this fall and recently announced a covers-only CD, "Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics", which you can purchase from yolatengo.com.

If you're in LA, you can catch the world premiere of a new documentary... of a documentary? Yes, I'm a little confused but apparently starting December 9 you can catch (THIS IS KNOWN AS) THE BLUES SCALE at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. According to the press release...

Director David Markey presents a film of rare, never-before-seen outtakes of his documentary 1991: THE YEAR PUNK BROKE (1992, We Got Power Films, 99 min.) from the fabled Sonic Youth/Nirvana tour. A cinematic postscript that is just as entertaining and stimulating as its movie parent, with Sonic Youth singer/guitarist and all-round-rabble-rouser Thurston Moore proving a devilishly funny ringmaster to the circus of backstage antics. Featuring more performance footage of Sonic Youth and Nirvana as well as pungent commentary by Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Dave Grohl, and others.

So I wasn't so far off about it being a documentary about a documentary... was I?

Sonic Youth are set to re-release their landmark 1992 album 'Dirty' on March 4 in the US. This new deluxe version will be adding 9 b- sides, 11 rehearsal recordings and a 28 page booklet with writings from Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Byron Coley.

Speaking to Billboard in May, Thurston Moore stated, "It's the full CD, and an extra disc of B-sides, 8-track demo stuff, and some sort of loose tape we had found from the songwriting sessions."