Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Entertainment Weekly	A−
The Guardian
Los Angeles Times
NME	6/10
Pitchfork	9.0/10
Q
Rolling Stone
Spin	8/10

Murray Street is the 12th studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released on June 25, 2002 by record label DGC.

Murray Street is the first album by the band to feature Jim O'Rourke as an official fifth member to bolster the group's sound.

Recording began in August 2001 in the band's Echo Canyon studio in New York City, following their final NYC Ghosts and Flowers/Goodbye to the 20th Century tour. The first release of material from the sessions was the song "Plastic Sun", on a promotional CD included with an issue of Jane magazine. However, due to an error in the pitch, the band re-released the song on their website. Recording sessions reached an unexpected halt on September 11, 2001 following the terrorist attacks, as the band instead lead a Trade Center benefit festival on October 9. Several other benefits and gigs led them to their rescheduled March 17, 2002 appearance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Los Angeles, California. By then, recording and mixing for the album was complete and all seven tracks (first revealed on the band website) were played at the festival. The new material was hailed as a return to the style of distorted and complex instrumentals that made the band underground favorites.

Art director Frank Olinsky led the conception of the cover designs. The young blonde-haired girl pictured to the right on the album's cover was Coco Hayley Moore, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's daughter, picking strawberries with her friend, Stella, who was on the left. No title was shown on the cover, just a scrawled "SONIC YOUTH". The three-page, double-sided CD booklet, whose cover featured a reverse color image of the CD cover, included liner notes, photographs and album credits. The back cover depicted the Murray Street street sign.

In early June 2002, Murray Street was released in Japan with the bonus track, "Street Sauce". June 10 was the release date in Europe and June 25 was the release in North America. In France, 500 copies came with a limited-edition bonus blue 10" EP, featuring three exclusive tracks from their recent soundtrack developments: "Derniere Minute Electrifee" on one side, "Le Paysage Zim Zum" and "Coca Neon Kamera Sutra" on the other. In North America, the disc was enhanced, including a screen saver and link to a "secret" link on the Sonic Youth website that offered promo photographs, music videos and all three songs from the Kali Yug EP. The gatefold vinyl edition was released on the Smells Like Records Goofin imprint.

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