Recorded soon after all of Sonic Youth's customized gear had been stolen, NYC Ghosts & Flowers shows the band searching for its sound. The beatnik poetry of "Small Flowers Crack Concrete" falls a bit short, but the Kim Gordon–led "Side2Side" does a much better job capturing the mystic allure of the band's more subdued work. Around the time of the new century, Sonic Youth was getting back to its avant-garde roots, with a series of off-label releases aimed directly at its most dedicated audience. NYC Ghosts & Flowers is an effort toward balancing the band's artful, noisy side with its songwriting efforts. The sound on this album, produced by future member Jim O'Rourke, is a tad dry. Lee Ranaldo's title track unintentionally sounds like an aggressive take on Smog's Bill Callahan, courtesy of Ranaldo's deliberately flat voice delivering spoken word. Prepared guitars influence several tracks. The album is both loved and disliked, inspiring critics to rank NYC Ghosts & Flowers among the band's best and worst releases. Like many of Sonic Youth's albums, it takes time to grow on you.