When Sonic Youth founders Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore separated after 27 years of marriage in late 2011, the future of their band was left in question. Without officially breaking up, things on the Sonic Youth front quieted down significantly, with no plans for a new album and no live dates scheduled. In the spring of 2012, Moore resurfaced with Chelsea Light Moving, a new band comprised of Moore in the role of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter along with guitarist Keith Wood (also of Hush Arbors), bassist/violinist Samara Lubelski, and drummer John Moloney (also of Sunburned Hand of the Man). The quartet worked much in the same territory as later Sonic Youth output, with growly guitars, tense dynamics, and Moore's mystical counterculturally obsessive lyrical themes. They released several songs online over the course of the summer, and began playing sporadic live shows shortly thereafter. The band's self titled debut full-length was released in 2013 on Matador Records, home to Sonic Youth's last albums preceding their nebulous hiatus. ~ Fred Thomas