The Eternal
by Sonic Youth

The Eternal by Sonic Youth
Year: 2009
Release date: 2009-06-09
Overall rank: 3,727th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
72/100 (from 169 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2009 (55th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (633rd)
Award Best albums of all time (3,727th)

Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY

Sonic Youth bestography

The Eternal is ranked 12th best out of 42 albums by Sonic Youth on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Sonic Youth is Daydream Nation which is ranked number 75 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 15,358.

Sonic Youth album bestography « Higher ranked (3,634th)
A Thousand Leaves
This album (3,727th)
The Eternal
Lower ranked (5,099th) »
Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Apr
02
Thu
Reik Tour 2026
El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
27
Fri
Engelbert Humperdinck
Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, Warren, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
25
Sat
I LOVE YOU BUT... I CHOSE THE MAINE
The Masquerade - Heaven, Atlanta, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

Listen to The Eternal on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

The Eternal rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,727th | 2000s rank: 633rd | 2009 rank: 55th

The Eternal collection

The Eternal ratings

Average Rating: 
72/100 (from 169 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 169 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
02/27/2026 23:41 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
75/100
 
02/24/2026 00:31 TastyandTemptin  Ratings distribution  3,04172/100
 
75/100
 
12/05/2025 14:55 Araldo  Ratings distribution  1,47180/100
 
50/100
 
11/15/2025 03:48 brent13  Ratings distribution  1,90468/100
 
20/100
 
11/09/2025 03:14 Proto  Ratings distribution  4,09933/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 71.8/100, a mean average of 70.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 71.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.6.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

The Eternal favourites

Showing all 13 members who have added this album as a favourite

The Eternal comments

Showing all 5 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
70/100
From 11/28/2020 17:51 | #261584
Very good final album. Best song is anti-orgasm.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 10/28/2017 03:27 | #200186
Of all Sonic Youth albums, this one seems to have people split the most.
As a fan of Sonic Youth, I love this album, it's a return to their roots as an indie band but it also has hints of straightforward rock in there too. It's not an essential album for the casual listener, but I would recommend it to any fan of Alternative music, or anyone who enjoys other stuff by SY. The only moment I'll point out on this album that I would show to anyone is "Massage the History", a fantastic ballad that is completely different from anything else SY ever out out, truly one of their best songs.

Favorite Tracks: Anti-Orgasm, Antenna, What We Know, Malibu Gas Station, No Way, Walkin Blue, Massage the History.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 10/24/2012 21:51 | #53339
Best album of the 2000s to me, has some great songs to chill while long boarding
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/09/2010 01:57 | #15570
Everything sounds the same. It's the musical equivalent of wet snow.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/17/2009 02:09 | #6764
great album, the best of 2009
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for The Eternal

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this album by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this album.
Best Albums of 2009
1. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
2. Hospice by The Antlers
3. XX by The xx
4. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
6. The Resistance by Muse
7. Lungs by Florence + The Machine
8. Humbug by Arctic Monkeys
9. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
10. Man On The Moon: The End Of Day by Kid Cudi
11. Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
12. It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13. Crack The Skye by Mastodon
14. Fever Ray by Fever Ray
15. Primary Colours by The Horrors (UK)
16. Actor by St. Vincent
17. Embryonic by The Flaming Lips
18. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum by Kasabian
19. Brand New Eyes by Paramore
20. Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures
Back to Top