Thurston Moore on “By the Fire”

To record his latest solo album, By the Fire, Thurston Moore, co-founder of the legendary rock ‘n’ roll band, Sonic Youth, compiled three different sessions from stints he spent in the studio in 2019 (two in London and one in Paris). Each, Moore says, had a “different nature” to them. The idea for the new record was to create an album similar, in a way, to The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main St., which itself was comprised of different sessions. By the Fire feels as much like a sonic tornado as it does a contemplative spell made up of tracks ranging in length from four to nearly 17 minutes.