I’m listening to Sonic Youth for the first time

I pretended to like them in the 90s so that cool guys would like me.

Yeah, I mentioned them and the Daydream Nation album in particular on a thread a few months ago.

There was a moment when All The Cool Music Magazines - Spin, Q, NME - were telling you to own Daydream Nation and to recognize Sonic Youth’s ultra-indie champion status.

I tried. Nope. Simple-chord rock with bunches of intentional dissonance shoved into it is not the same thing as brilliance.

Kool Thing is fun. The rest of their catalog is tedious.

Evol is chaotic and riveting.

Love them. Try the solo work by Kim Gordon - she’s much more melodic than SY or Thurston Moore. I think if you grew up on American Hardcore or No Wave /DIY music it’s easier to fall in love with SY.

Try this.

I appreciate Sonic Youth more than I love them. (I feel that way about some PJ Harvey songs, though I like more of Polly Jean's work than I do of Sonic Youth.)

I did like a few songs on Washing Machine, though.

I’m a sort-of fan. I have mixed feelings but in general I do like them. I saw Kim’s duo Body/Head about ten years ago at an art festival. I was in the front row and she came down into the crowd at the end with the mic cord wrapped around her body—got to watch her stand next to me and sing, which was pretty cool. I remember noticing that she had great legs.

Kim produced Hole’s first record, which I’m a HUGE fan of—it has a somewhat similar sound to the early SY releases (Sister, for example), but is more frenetic and with Courtney Love’s violent vocals.

Ok r3 r4 r5 r8 so like what kind of mood or environment would you be in where you would say “this is a perfect moment to soundtrack with some Sonic Youth”

R9 When I want to hear something hard. Raw. I tend to pass on Thurston’s solo work - he operates on a Lou Reed Metal Machine Music level. Again - if loud noise collage is your jam, get to it.

It's hard to explain to someone why certain music is great, because if you don't like it personally, that's unlikely to change. I myself adore Sonic Youth, their music is beautiful and forbidding, strange and dissonant, sleek and noisy, full of tension and release. EVOL, Sister and Daydream Nation are all perfect records. They also never released anything embarrassing or frivolous, remained interesting right up until their last record. I don't begrudge anyone not liking them, it's clearly not for everyone, but please don't insult my own deep love of this band by suggesting it's all some kind of hipster pose.

People either love Sonic Youth or think they’re overrated.

Those initial five albums, Confusion Is Sex/Kill Yr Idols, Bad Moon Rising, Evol, Sister, Daydream Nation are incredible. They still sound great even today.

Many hardcore fans agree that Daydream Nation isn’t actually their best LP. It’s too much of the same loud, crunchy, thick sound and doesn’t have the “hills and valleys” effects of cacophonous free-jazz skronk, contrasted with moments of ambient bliss-out. The earlier great albums like Evol, Bad Moon Rising and Sister had all that. Those early albums are where that all came together.

Kim and Thurston were my generation’s John and Yoko. I still haven’t gotten over their break-up.

I like a few of their songs but not a lot. It’s fine but I never thought they were great. There was much better music around at the time

This is how I feel about Radiohead.

"Ok [R3] [R4] [R5] [R8] so like what kind of mood or environment would you be in where you would say “this is a perfect moment to soundtrack with some Sonic Youth”

You know, there's lots of treatments for vaginal dryness out there. You should twirl over to CVS and avail yourself.

Some of their noisy “sound art” side projects throughout their career were pretty interesting. There’s literally hundreds of those. They were really prolific and clearly into it.

I always liked Lee Ranaldo’s FROM HERE TO INFINITY instrumental solo record from 1987.

On the initial vinyl release each track ends in a locked groove so the track never officially ends. A beautiful but maddening listening experience!

I like Thurston Moore and Tom Surgal’s NOT ME from 1998.

Kim Gordon’s “Abstract” from Body/Head’s COMING APART lp is really beautiful…

Ahhhhh 90s alternative music. Does Sonic Youth qualify as such?

OP - who are your favorite musicians?

DON'T JUST STARE

CAUSE SHE'S NOT WEARING UNDERWEAR!

Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay!

I loved this collab w/Kim Deal

OP it depends on what you're listening to. I enjoy a couple of their singles from the later years (like "Kool Thing"). There's a song on Evol called "Shadow of a Doubt" that they made a video for and that I really love. But most of it I respect rather than enjoy and I'm never in the mood to listen to it.

I remember seeing them at Lollapalooza when they were the headliners but in fact everyone streamed for the exits when they came on. People had come to see Pavement.

Try Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.

I like Dirty and Sister too.

I had a Sonic Youth poster on my wall in 1995 - along with Nirvana, Beck, The Breeders, Alice in Chains, REM and Jane's Addiction.

But Sonic Youth was the only band among those that I never, ever listened to.

didn't like their music during their prime but I loved. LOVED their last album. their dissolution was contentious but produced excellent music.

I always liked SYR #3. I listen to it all the time.

So what was the deal with their breakup? Thurston was just a dog?

They had a few cool songs...Teenage Riot, Dirty Boots. I like their cover of Superstar by the Carpenters.

They definitely had that pretentious NY vibe and I found them pretty cunty in interviews.

Blonde Redhead is heavily influenced by SY, but a little more accessible. I like them better.

“One Minute Of Silence” from their pop-parody band Ciconne Youth’s THE WHITEY ALBUM is my jam!

I like some of the early SST records. Of their later stuff, I think "A Thousand Leaves" is probably my favorite album. It's underrated.

The whitest music ever made?

R36 = Beyonce