| A Thousand Leaves | ||||
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| Released | April 21, 1998 | |||
| Studio | Echo Canyon (New York City) | |||
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| Length | 73:36 | |||
| Label | DGC | |||
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| Sonic Youth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Thousand Leaves | ||||
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A Thousand Leaves is the tenth studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on CD and cassette on May 12, 1998, by DGC Records. A double-LP vinyl issue had been released three weeks earlier, on April 21, 1998, by My So Called Records. It was the band's first album recorded at their own studio in Lower Manhattan, which was built with the money they had made at the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. Since the band had an unlimited amount of time to work in their studio, the album features numerous lengthy and improvisational tracks that were developed unevenly. The highly experimental extended plays Anagrama, Slaapkamers met slagroom, and Invito al ĉielo were recorded simultaneously with the album.
A Thousand Leaves reached number 85 on the US Billboard 200 and number 38 on the UK Albums Chart. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the lengthy, quiet guitar interplay between band members Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo. However, some criticized the forced vocal delivery of member Kim Gordon and found several tracks to be unnecessarily long and poorly constructed. The song "Sunday" was released as a single with a music video directed by Harmony Korine and starring American actor Macaulay Culkin.