Sister

Once again, just not a fan of the sound of these guys. On the bright side, there was less of the woman’s vocals.

it was FINE and it was better than the last sonic youth album i listened to but ughhhh i am really never going to be excited for this sludgy staticy glop.

having this album after some cuban jazz/mambo was like walking into a much darker room and having to wait a few seconds for your eyes to adjust. but once they do, there's a lot going on here. i enjoyed this album a lot more than i thought i would. cool proto-grunge sound, good samples, and each track had more going on it than it seemed at first blush. nothing mind-blowing or revolutionary but pretty good for this list. favorites: schizophrenia, i got a catholic block, beauty lies in the eye, stereo sanctity, master-dik

This is my group's last Sonic Youth album, and it sure is more of that sound they have. Solid 4 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. This is the 5th & final time we’ll get Sonic Youth, and out of all the albums we’ve gotten from them, this one feels like the most traditionally shoegaze-y of the bunch. It’s a natural step right between the eerie tones of “E.V.O.L.” & the slight heavy metal / grunge influence present on “Daydream Nation” – that applies to everything from the lyrics to the soundscape itself. I think the lyricism here doesn’t matter as much as it did on “E.V.O.L.”, but they still have enough purpose behind them to help really set a tone on each track, unlike “Daydream Nation” & its more sonically-driven approach. That’s not to say “Daydream Nation” doesn’t have good lyrics, but I don’t think they matter as much to the enjoyment of the album. This album’s soundscape leans far more into the overdriven guitars as a backing ambience / wall of sound, sort of like a much softer version of what The Jesus & Mary Chain did with “Psychocandy”, without absolutely burying the rest of the mix underneath it. It also does the “Daydream Nation” thing where the soundscape drives a lot of the tracks, but in the traditional shoegaze-y way where the overwhelming nature of the wall is meant to open up the imagination. It’s still loud enough to feel, but not loud enough to distract, and that’s where this album succeeds in a way that “Psychocandy” didn’t. “Psychocandy” also had pretty drab delivery in its vocals, and while Thurston Moore & Kim Gordon aren’t exactly lifting themselves up that much higher, they at least have a more natural charisma in their vocals where their dry delivery fits for the songs. They also know how to lift up in a way that plays around the chaos of each track (or come in directly after the chaos to provide a good contrast), so their vocals have a really defined presence in each track that helps tie the songs together. Honestly, I can’t say there’s a bad track here, at least for someone who’s listened to enough shoegaze-adjacent stuff now over the past 809 albums. So, why a 4.5 & not a flat 5? There’s just a few moments where the structures of some tracks feel a little repetitive, a few times where the soundscape doesn’t feel as interesting as intended, a moment or two where the tension just never released in the right way, and at least for me, I think the last two tracks could’ve been flipped around. “Cotton Crown” just feels like it would be a way stronger track to end on. That said, I still think it’s worth bumping up to a 5. It’s a really tight 37 minutes, and honestly, if you want a quicker hit of Sonic Youth than “Daydream Nation” nearly doubling this album’s length, this might be the one to go to. I enjoyed it. So, out of the 5 Sonic Youth albums, it’s a 3.5 (Dirty), a 4.5 (Goo), a 5 (Daydream Nation), a 4.5 (E.V.O.L.), and a 4.5 (Sister). Lots of rounding up, if you couldn’t tell. That averages out to a 4.4 per album, and honestly, that feels about right. They’re consistently strong, but only Daydream Nation managed to get a flat 5 out of me. Perhaps I owe “Dirty” another listen just to see if that’s first-time jitters or if that score still holds up. Regardless, I’m glad to have been introduced to them, I think they’re definitely worth checking out, and I hear all the acclaim.

Ok but like how many Sonic Youth albums does one really need to listen to before they die? I think 3 is really pushing it! (I did enjoy this one more than I’ve enjoyed others!)

I'm really struggling to rate this one. I've listened to it twice and both times thought I had left and come back when the album was done playing. I guess that means nothing was remarkable for or against. So that screams solid 3 to me.

Странное, не моё

Meh. I didn't notice that album started playing 2nd time.

Sain kuunneltua 6 biisiin asti, ei toimi kitaran vingutus.

Liked more than Dreamland Nation.

Nice noisy one.

Scho okay.

Schwierig. Es gab einzelne Lichtblicke im Vergleich zu manch anderem Album.

Experimentelle Musik bleibt ein zweiseitiges Schwert: Kann richtig cool und erfrischend sein, geht es allerdings an rhythmische Experimente wehrt sich schnell mein Autismus. Sehr schade, weil es immer mal ganz nice zwischendrin klingt. Insgesamt aber nicht schön zu hören

Finalmente ascolto qualcosa dei Sonic Youth, ma non mi lascia granché

Thrilling fuzz-rocker rambling in a mad haze, consistent Sonic Youth album with a healthy amount of ferocious enjoyment

music is love

Just not my thing.

Fun and punk.

Wel ke

I can appreciate this as being a really great blend of experimental music and alternative rock, there's a lot of things about it I thought were interesting and even a few moments I enjoyed, but this didn't really click with me.

Pretty cool and I enjoyed most of it, but probably not for me long-term overall. Favourite tracks were Catholic Block and Hot Wire My Heart (which almost made me think of Jeffrey Lewis kind of vibes).

I endured this because it was only 40 minutes. But what amateur sounding, painful dross.

This album sits in a unique place in the 80s when punk rock has been obscured by new emerging hair bands and alternative rock. The band really does an impressive job of threading the needle, because though it comes out in 87, it shares none of the negative production value of most big rock bands. At the same time it doesn't retreat to the anarchy of punk. I don't know much about Sonic Youth, but this album is a breath of fresh air from where most of the 80s turned.

I liked the first song, didn't really enjoy the rest. Too noisy.

Album 75 Top 3 favorites off the album: Stereo Sanctity, Tuff Gnarl, Cotton Crown So, the opening track was more enjoyable right away than the last Sonic Youth album I listened to on here. I was really ready to say that the whole album was better than the last one I listened to by them, but then I listened to the whole thing and remembered I don't like Sonic Youth that much. I liked Stereo Sanctity for both the lyrical and instrumental content; "I can't get laid cause everyone is dead" was just a little funny. I like how it drives forward without being one big wall of sound the whole time; there's that slight pause in lower percussion for a few bars at a time after verse 2, then the loss of all of it for a few bars after that. It had enough going on to stay interesting the whole time. Tuff Gnarl was also an engaging listen, though not for the entirety. It got a bit noisy there towards the end in a way that I stopped rocking with about 20 seconds before the song ended. I don't care for Kim Gordon's voice. I don't care for her singing style. Not my thing. So much so, in fact, that I almost skipped Pacific Coast Highway halfway through. I'm also not a fan of the spoken word approach here. Track 2, that portion of Pipeline/Kill Time, regardless of whose turn it is to plunge me into a highly distorted, sometimes shrill, often overly dissonant hellscape, I'm not rocking with it. I sound like such a whiny, boring bitch. "Rah rah rah dissonance, meh meh shrill, blah blah blah too much distortion, back in my day---" okay grandma, let's get you to bed. I think my track record is proving that I do have an appreciation for these things in some contexts, though (I hope it is). Sonic Youth just isn't my flavor of them.

Super moody. I was in pure awe of the strength of sound across every single song. That kind of impact can’t be understated. The thunderous distortion is something you can feel in your very bones. I got the same type of feeling I get when I see a local live hardcore show. When a sound weighs this much, it stays with you. And it’s not a sluggish feeling because of the diversity throughout the crested soundscape. It’s a testament to the strength of the composition that the guitar is this thick, this dark, without it ever feeling draining. With each incoming song I found myself waiting for the lull, but it never came. It just flowed together so naturally and never felt like there needed to be a break in any of the aggressiveness. Faves: Catholic Block, Pipeline/Kill Time, Tuff Gnarl, Stereo Sanctity, Pacific Coast Highway, Schizophrenia, Master-Dik, Cotton Crown

To be listened to

Eh. Not sure what I'm supposed to feel with this one. It's ok. Nothing is like a big standout I can't even really tell what type of music they're trying to make here if I'm being perfectly honest. "Sister was not successful at the time of its release"... hmmm.... I tend to agree. Granted the issue here could be on me, maybe if I started from the beginning of Sonic Youths records this one would make more sense, but jumping right into this journey, it's not landing.

++: Schizophrenia, (I Got A) Catholic Block, Stereo Sanctity, Pipeline/Kill Time, Tuff Gnarl, Cotton Crown +: Pacific Coast Highway, Hot Wire My Heart, White Cross, Master-Dik +-: Beauty Lies in the Eye 7,7/10

A few decent songs regularly broken up with pointless, atonal noise. It might be "art" but it's not music I want to revisit. Also, I think this is my fourth Sonic Youth album - they are over represented on the list. I would say Daydream Nation is the only one that’s worth being included. 2⭐️

This one’s weird, even by Sonic Youth standards, at least compared to the stuff I’m more used to from them. It’s got plenty of that jagged, off kilter energy, but it didn’t feel as locked in or immediately memorable for me as their later records. It’s not bad at all though. I just didn’t connect with it the way I do with Goo. So yeah, not as good as Goo, but not terrible

One thing I’ve learnt is that Sonic Yourh are pretty crap and not worth investing 45 minutes in

My big problem with this album is that most of the songs start out fine, but then it just turns into incomprehensible noise. It makes it so unenjoyable.

My favourite SY album, maybe my favourite album. Beautiful noise

Early discordant sonic youth lighter on Melodie’s heavier on grunge. Probably one of the missing links but I won’t be returning too frequently.

so awesome

Sister stands out as a bold experiment, pushing boundaries and helping to shape the sound that was emerging in the underground scene of the late ’80s. I appreciate its willingness to embrace noise, dissonance, and unconventional song structures—it feels like a blueprint for what was to come. That said, while I admire its role in defining that era’s aesthetic, it doesn’t resonate with me on a visceral level as much as some other records from the same period. It’s more of a fascinating document of transition than a personal favorite

I just...cant stand this. Unlistenable.

Sonic Youth #2 for this guy. Never heard any of these tracks. So much noise but there's some great musicianship buried under there, as expected. I definitely prefer Kim's vocals, and the songs where she leads, to Thurston's in almost all cases, across this and Teenage Daydream.

Muito ruim, muito barulho. O rock merece mais respeito.

I understand why it was popular as it was a completely new sound for the time it came out. However, it is not something I would voluntarily listen to again. No real top songs. 4.5/10

very scuzzy and off kilter. need to relisten paying more more close attention i think.

Not really my thing, but I could see Sonic Youth growing on me as it had similarities to other music I like. I at least found Cotton Crown to be an enjoyable song and could see myself revisting it Favorite Track - Cotton Crown Least Favorite Track - Master-Dik ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sonic Youth! This is why I'm doing this challenge. Sonic Youth is one of those bands that I've known about for years, but literally no one I've ever met has been a fan. So it seemed like music I'd get around to eventually, and I never did. Until now! I was leary of this, because I know they're considered very avant-garde and noisy and dissonant. But I was pleasantly surprised by the first track - yes, it's noisy and dissonant, but it's incredibly musical. And I think that holds for the rest of the songs on Sister as well. They can be tough to listen to - but they have their own beauty that I find compelling. I liked this a LOT more than I thought I would. FOUR STARS

meh

I really just don't understand why anyone would sit down and willfully listen to this band.

These guys have a great and interesting sound probably because of all the unique tunings they use. It really makes the songs sound different and out of this world within the format of conventional riffs and song structures. The problem I’ve always found though is that it takes a long time for any of these songs to stick in my head without any strong melodic or harmonic hooks but it’s definitely worth putting the work in as I really appreciate how these songs sound with all their experimental touches. I haven’t really dug into their discography much (other than Dirty) due to the difficulties of getting inside the material but I’m definitely looking forward to getting around to the other albums on this list.

Average SY album

Wenn Grunge übertrieben wird und es auch nicht nach Rock klingt, kommt dieses Album heraus.

heavier rock

This was a very difficult listen. I hate saying an album just sounds like a lot of noise, but unfortunately I feel like this was the case here.

Really liked this. Great sound, good tracks.

2.5 - Meh

Ah, Sonic Youth. What a distinct sound. Groundbreaking then, still interesting and fantastic now. I don't think there's another band who's made noise and dissonance sound so beautiful and intentional. - Heard before? Not sure about this album. - Will I listen again? Yes. - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? Yes. I haven't heard them in a while, and it was a good match for my angsty, chaotic mood today.

There's something about this band that grabs me despite myself - I tend to enjoy the more melodic and hooky, poppy music than anything else, and while Sonic Youth do have melody and hooks, they are genetically intertwined with noise and punk, and not in a Green Day way. Renaldo, Moore, and Gordon all have distinctive voices and the music sounds like no one else - dissonant and droning guitars, compelling rhythms and drums, hypnotic patterns within the melodies and noise. I love Goo and the rest of their 90s records, and this is right up there with those.

dang this sounded like something good incredible

3.4 2x solid but nothing too amazing here

5 out of 5. This is probably the band I should have listened to by now more than any other on this list and what a strong start.

First Sonic Youth album selected after 133 albums, which is kind of crazy when they have 5 albums on the list. For the record, still no Rolling Stones popped up either, in case anyone cares. Sister isn't my favorite Sonic Youth record but it's still a damn good album. I prefer their stuff from Daydream Nation through Washing Machine. I don't feel like writing more sentences

despite my proclivity for noisy, experimental guitar music, I'm still more or less a newcomer when it comes to Sonic Youth, one of the most significant bands in the entire lineage of that kind of rock 'n' roll. I've given Daydream Nation and a couple of their early-80s LPs a cursory listen or two; but I'm considering this listen of Sister, their fifth album, my first proper, full-attention experience with this New York quartet's work. what I remember from the band's first couple albums was a sound pretty akin to New York's "no wave" scene of the late 70s and early 80s, as well as the work of totalist composer Glenn Branca (check out the insane barrages of noise they serve up on this album's closer, "White Cross"). as it turns out, Branca was a huge influence on Sonic Youth, as well as other bands that formed in reaction to no wave like Swans. members of both bands were actually involved in some of Branca's electric guitar symphonies, so that makes total sense! Sister takes that foundation of noisy, off-kilter guitar work and imbues it with a keen sense of tonality and melody. the opening one-two punch of "Schizophrenia" and "(I Got A) Catholic Block" demonstrates the band's ability to embrace both ends of the spectrum, the abrasive and the pretty, and synthesize them into something novel. "Catholic Block" in particular has that sense of forward drive you always want out of a punk song, but that riff matching the title lyric is just such an earworm. the final 30 seconds are a beautiful comedown after three minutes of such ferocity. the harmonic language of these songs is mostly based on an ambiguous mixture of open and closed intervals; crunchy major and minor seconds, but also wide fourths and fifths. the likelihood of hearing a standard major or minor triad (thirds) at any point is pretty low, which makes the melodies the band writes sound almost like they're floating. when you do hear those more typical chord sounds, like when they dial it back and rock between the V and the IV in the middle of "Pacific Coast Highway", they feel so earned! also approaching (but not reaching) typicality is the cover of "Hot Wire My Heart" by Crime, a pretty straightforward garage punk song which turns into a ball of hot fire in Sonic Youth's hands. the vocals of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon have made this band into one of the most famous in the category of "rock bands with multiple lead singers" over the years. given that this is punk rock, the vocals aren't the most important thing, but I certainly can't imagine anything other than their voices (together and apart) being here. unlike with Black Francis and Kim Deal of the Pixies, whose voices oddly pair well together because of how different they are, Moore and Gordon's vocals feel more like they're combining to make one instrument at many points, like on the slow-burning "Cotton Crown", where they sing a simple melody in octaves together following the main guitar riff. I'm very excited to return to Daydream Nation and experience the rest of this band's seemingly legendary five-album run from '86 to '92, which 1001 Albums... should serve up for me within the next, I dunno, couple years. light 9/10.

Really good album. I liked this a lot. Worthy addition to this list for sure.

A couple of songs were ok, but genrally just a wall of noise for me.

Incredible vibe on the opener. Guitars are crazy good. What a song. Second one goes very hard as well. 3 is mysterious and dark. 4 5 6 take you to a beautiful and loud journey. 7 starts loud and later transforms into something else. The journey of this tracks is amazing. The guitar work is very original. 8 is a lighter moment on the project, and not my favorite. Love the vocals on 9. A great track overall. White cross is the closing track. It has great energy and vibe. This is how you make noise. Lush, interesting, dynamic. It's loud ,it should be. That's the point. It's a well deserved 4

Wow some stuff I really loved and some stuff I really hated. Spoke to my punk rooted tastes but then throws some weird in that made me want to turn it off.

Like BCNR forgot how to be melodic.

Love Sonic Youth but there are some better albums of theirs out there.

My favorite park was when it ended. :,)

Songs I saved: Stereo Sanctity

I should be Sonic Youth’s number one fan. I love crazy psychotic guitars, New York City, and rebellious energy. I even know someone who used to tour with them. But, whenever I play a Sonic Youth album, I always end up shaking my head. I always end up feeling the bad kind of dirty. This was almost the exception. I was into the first four tracks or so. Then, after a while, I just had to hold my hands in the air in exhaustion. I don’t know these people at all, but I feel like I know people like these people, and they’re awful people. So, Sonic Youth albums just give me bad vibes.

Grungey af so it’s right up my street, but the end of the album dragged a LOT.

Still not my favorite Sonic Youth album, but outside of a discography runthrough this rocks. SK should cover Catholic Block.

Sonic Youth's final hour. Or 45 minutes or whatever.

I love dissonance

every track has a moment that i can just disappear into. this was never my favorite SY album but it is part of a dazzling run of albums (much of which it looks like we'll be able to visit). where they just are always inches away from disappearing into something amazing, like the end of "Catholic Block" (a song that somehow I previously dismissed but on this listen very much stood out). I still think it's not in my upper echelon of rock albums like the best of Sonic Youth, but my oh my is this such an experience.

Sonic youth a real “not for me but I respect it” type band

I don’t think I like noise rock? Better than einsturzende neubautwn though

Музыка Sonic Youth требует некоторого переключения и адаптации.

A perfect mix of classic sonic youth sound and normal song structure.

They weren't nearly as cool as they thought they were.

started off really strong, then got weird

Was this popular because it had the new alternative sound and there just wasn't much else to turn to at the time? I honestly can't remember, and I'm not remembering why people thought this was so great at the time because it's just dull now.

Strong four I like these guys

I don’t like hearing effort

Cacophonic more than sonic… but interesting! Made me feel like I was listening to a live band in a garage. Loved the church bells at the end.

I liked this because it’s in a lane I tend to enjoy, but not enough to push it past a 3 for me. I can hear where a lot of Boston DIY bands get their inspiration

Schizophrenia - 4/5 (I Got A) Catholic Block - 3.5/5 Beauty Lies In The Eye - 3/5 Stereo Sanctity - 4.5/5 Pipeline/ Kill Time - 3/5 Tuff Gnarl - 2.5/5 Pacific Coast Highway - 3/5 Hot Wire My Heart - 3/5 Kotton Krown - 3/5 White Cross - 2.5/5 Master-Dik - 2.5/5

Surprisingly good

I know I’m supposed to like Sonic Youth. But I just don’t.

Mächtige Band. Einflussreich auf so viele Bands, die ich mag. Tolles Album.

Mmkay. 2.4.

Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Scruffy and urgent

love it honestly giving alt band from the 80s

ok

Super moody, still experimental. It doesn’t quite have the “wow” of side A from EVOL or Goo, but hey, more prime Sonic Youth is something I will never complain about.

Schizophrenia builds and builds, never quite reaching catharsis. Everything is muted somehow, rounded off corners. The musings of an emotionally unavailable person. I love the tremolo picked riffs though, it's very post-rock. If that existed in 1987. Catholic Block is a bit more punk, a bit noisier, mixed with acoustic guitar. Lovely outro. Speak-singing on Beauty Lies in the Eye, but I don't mind, it just adds another layer of ambience to the waves of sound. The music almost sounds like Agalloch. There's enough melody to balance the weirder stuff that comes - sometimes in the same track - Tuff Gnarly is poppy before a dissonant breakdown totally transforms the song. Hot Wire My Heart is basically a glam rocker with a filter of grime and noise applied to it. Cotton Crown returns to the mid paced, heavy melodic stuff. This is all a bit epic, but exhausting. I do like it a lot.

Listening session: february 5th, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: I can imagine listening to this when you’re an angsty and wannabe edgy teen in the 80s and 90s Favourite track: White Cross & Stereo Sanctity

Hm. Maybe I’m just not a fan of noise rock. Was just a very messy record that sometimes engaged me and did something interesting, and other times left me scratching my head. Some decent tracks to walk away from this from, however.

I honestly feel so little about this album. I liked it, I can't remember not liking it, but honestly it was just kinda nothing. I feel like there were so many other albums I could've been listening to this morning that would've been a better use of my time. Favorites: Schizophrenia, Pipeline/Kill Time, Kotton Krown

cool album cover but no for me

Al grupo de Thurston Moore hay que tenerle ganas, y normalmente no es de lis que tienes ganas de escuchar una vez finalizado. No porque sea una mala experiencia, sino porque la experimentación a veces puede indigestar. Y te tiene que gustar o, al menos, tienes que apreciar el noise pop. “Schizophrenia” debe ser lo más comercial del disco, y se agradece, lo malo es que encabeza el álbum, no es el respiro que se merece a la mitad. Se queda en álbum interesante, pero no de culto.

I just dont get Sonic Youth. Somebody explain the appeal.

This album has a vibe that would definitely resonate with me at a different age. I was going to give it a 4, but the last song was irritating, bumping it down to a 3.

Album 1039 of 1089 Sister - Sonic Youth (1987) Rating : 2.5 / 5 This was a fair album for me. It held my attention well enough while it was on, and I can appreciate what they were doing, but it never quite crossed into territory that made me want to circle back and revisit it later. There’s a solid atmosphere throughout, and the band’s identity is clear - noisy, angular, and intentionally rough around the edges. That said, nothing here really jumped out and demanded my focus. It’s one of those albums that works fine in the moment, especially if you’re already inclined toward their sound, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression for me once it ended. I enjoyed the listen, just not enough to elevate it beyond “that was decent.” A respectable entry from a band that clearly helped shape a lot of what came after them, even if this particular album lands more in the middle of the road for my tastes.

Deciding what score to give to this album was challenging. For the past 6 days, I've being listening to it, even hearing it several times per day, in order to develop a proper opinion. The only reason I gave it so many tries is because Sonic Youth albums can be very challenging, so I needed the time to slowly digest it. Also, if it wasn't because I love "EVOL" and "Daydream Nation", I probably would have given up the first day and rate it 2 or 3 stars. "Sister" was released between the two already mentioned albums. It shows a clearly progression towards a more cohesive and accessible sound with a lo-fi production while keeping a lot of the noise and chaos of the previous album, even though it is not as bold or punishing. And landing in the middle is what really made it difficult for me, since it doesn't reach the incredibly high points of "Daydream Nation" and it is not as macabre and daunting as "EVOL". The album starts with "Schizophrenia", a very powerful song which is very reminiscent of "Teen Age Riot" with the very powerful guitar riffs. Instead of sounding bright and cheerful, they have a little touch of sentimentalism and melancholia to it. It also features a very post-rockish build-up in the second half which is very beautiful. Next is "Catholic Block", which changes the album tone to a more energetic side and features some incredibly noisy and catchy guitar works. Then, "Beauty Lies in the Eye" slows things down again, bringing a quite relaxing and calm with a very meditative vocals and guitars with a lot of detail in the background. "Stereo Sanctity" follows up and returns the energy of the second song and turns it up. The main riff sounds to me like it was extracted from a surf rock track, but with a more gloomy sound. I also loved the slow down to the second half and the very sinister sound of if that keeps building back up. Afterwards, there is "Pipeline / Kill Time", a more serious song which has an incredible and melodic guitar in the second verse that I absolutely loved. Then it gets super dense and slow in the latter half. Up next is "Tuff Gnarl", sounding quite uplifting with some of the most catchy vocal melodies and great sounding guitar lines that slowly descends to a very chaotic ending. "Pacific Coast Highway" has a nice industrial touch with the impending sounds in the background and Kim Gordon sounding very menacing. There is a very calm section in the middle, but in the end, the song comes back to the starting motives. Then comes "Hot Wire My Heart", which is very unique. It doesn't have any super noisy section like all the other songs, and it could be qualified as their more standard track if it wasn't for the super dissonant guitars and forced voice. It might feel a bit like an outlier, but it is very fun with the most anthemic chorus of the whole project. Coming up is "Cotton Crown", which might sound very slow and relaxing at the start, but does feature some very noisy and dissonant guitars that begin to make a build up once the second half starts. Finally, the album ends with "White Cross", one of the most frenetic pieces of the album with some of the fastest drums and guitars. Actually, there is one more song, "Master-Dik", that is included as bonus track. It has a lot of attitude and very sticking sampling which makes it fun to listen to. So there it is, the whole album described. It was difficult to get to this point, but I'm glad I dedicated enough time for it to grow on me and appreciate all the interesting things it does.

I think Sonic Youth are one of those bands someone like me is meant to like. Frankly I spent most of this album wondering whether to put 2 or 3. It's not something I ever care to listen to. I'm all for discordant sounds and singers who can't sing. But... Nothing here is memorable. Too much jars wrong places but not in any particularly interesting way, and whoever decided the running order had no idea what they were doing. Ok the final track Master-Dik just started and I think I can say this is a high 2. Sorry, James.

i really wanted to like this more but the instrumentals just really put me off today

I really enjoyed the instrumentation on this. The guitar textures were brilliant and kept going to places I didn't necessarily expect. But it was let down by the overall songs. Nothing really captured. I wasn't left with any of them in my head, they just came and went, meaning even the cool guitar parts can't easily be separated across the album. There are other sonic youth albums which don't suffer this fate, so that knocks it down a bit. It's either a low 4 or a high 3... I'm still not sure what I'll press, let's find out.

Very good

I’m hyped for the noise and distortion at the start, but then I’ve lost the plot in the middle of this album. Master-Dik saves it, this song is great, ballsy, strutting, cool.

Just more sonic garbage. 1 star or F-.

Noise

It’s a fun album even if it’s not cool to say it’s fun.

Doesn't do anything for me

Sonic Youth for me is a band that could do no wrong. The sound, angular and menacing and noisy yet melodic and rhythmic is just something that gets into me. Admittedly, lyrically and conceptually, I don't pay attention to a lot of it. This is supposedly a concept album about Philip K. Dick and his stillborn sister, something that affected him his entire life, but it could be about practically anything as far as I'm concerned. The music is what makes this album for me, and while I appreciate Moore and Gordon's vocals, they run secondary to the awesome sounds backing them up.

Heard it before. Surprised to find out how many Sonic Youth albums are on the list. Too many honestly. This is one of those that could've been left out. Still, an interesting piece of music 2/5

its fine

very very rocky, maybe too rocky...

Non male alla fine

The dissonance works for me. Most noise rock annoys me, but I can listen to and enjoy Sonic Youth.

Glistening, angular, noisy, a rawer version of what was going to come with Daydream Nation I guess. If I could send one message back to myself when I was a teenager, it would be to get into Sonic Youth. I played this through four times: - first listen, not much stuck - but it went fast, so I figured I had enjoyed it - second listen, similar experience - third listen, the first half of the album started to click, along with a couple of tracks near the end - fourth listen, the second half also clicked this time round Five stars.

More Sonic Youth? This is the third SY album thus far. Not mad about it, but I’m sure there are more bands deserving of a place. Anyway! A great album overall. Feeling charitable- full marks.

They had me early on but lost me when songs descended into noise. 2.5/5

I thought a few songs were okay, but as a whole this wasn't for me.

Bon album qui réveille

Maybe a 4

май кап оф ті☕

Wow this was terrible. Like hard to listen to but not in a good way

*sigh* Spotify was playing silly buggers so i was in quite a bad mood by the time I got round to listening. Nothing stuck to the sides at all. No sentiment or sound or groove. Just.. dunno.

I don't know how Sonic Youth got 5 albums on this list, and I can't say I am a fan of their noise rock sound after listening to those 5 albums. I truly do not like noise rock: I didn't before, and I don't now. But when you move past the noise rock, Sonic Youth has an early alternative, post-punk sound in their Sister album. Some of the album is bland with little direction, but some of it is catchy and engaging. Kim Gordon's vocals are superior, as mentioned in my previous reviews, and their lyrics are once again strong. I wish there wasn't so much noise rock.

One thing I've learned from 1001 is that I really don't like Sonic Youth as much as I thought I did. I hinged my liking of them around a few of their songs that have a more alt, less noise lean. But in reality, they probably ultimately lean a bit too noise rock for my liking, ultimately just leaving me feeling "okay" about them. And with a total of five of their albums on this project, all more or less doing the same thing, I feel like we could have made room for something else. This was my last album of theirs, and looking back, I've just been consistently whelmed.

A nice one from Sonic Youth.

Kind of felt this would be another 5 stars, to match EVOL and Daydream Nation. And it's a great album, sonically brilliant, but there's something about it I don't love as much. I think the problem is me, here. 9/10

started so good but fell off

Pretty funny because in the past week, I sat down and basically marathonned Sonic Youth's highest rated albums (Already got Daydream Nation for the generator previously, but in the past week I listened to Goo, Sister, Dirty, EVOL, and Washing Machine). All fantastic records, and I'm usually against bands having this many records on the list, but honestly with Dimery leaving off Washing Machine, they might actually be *underrepresented* on the list. But yeah, I don't think any of those records are quite as good as Daydream Nation (gave that a 5), but they're all at minimum a 4. Of the non-Daydream albums, Sister is probably not my favorite (right now I think its EVOL, but its really hard to evaluate 5 records when you shotgunned them in a week), but its still a fantastic record. More noise rock than on Daydream Nation which is why I think it's holding me back from enjoying it quite as much (other than Goo, Sister might be my "least" favorite right now, Goo is definitely the "weakest" of the albums right now for me, but it'd still get a 4). But still some standouts like Schizophrenia and Catholic Block. Wasn't expecting the Beastie Boys-esque "rapping" in Master-Dik. Overall, great record, and overall Sonic Youth really are that great a band that I have no qualms saying they deserve 5 albums (honestly 6 with Washing Machine) on the list. Incredibly influential to 90's alt rock.

4.1 Finally found one! Just over a decade I got heavily into Daydream Nation, and quickly flicked through their catalogue in search of anything which hit me the same way but never found it. Everything before it seemed too raw, unpolished, everything after too bland, filtered. This might be the fourth (or fifth) appearance of SY on this list which is surprising in itself, and my opinion of non-DN albums hadn't changed until now. This is some good shit. Ignoring the cover (not the first album that seems to include an unnecessary cover that I've lambasted on here), the only weak track imo is the last one. The rest of the album, particularly the first half, is pretty stellar. Different to Daydream Nation, but not necessarily in a bad way. Looking forward to exploring more.

Not a big fan of the vocals. But the guitar sounds were something special. How they get the guitar to sound like it’s screaming is something else. Great punk record but need more listens

Not bad, actually. But the noise gets old after a while. I've had two of their albums and kind of liked them, but it's starting to get old. And five albums on this list are way too much. I get that they're Important, but so many other classics are missing...

Meh

Holy peak

Not for me!

2.5 3

I loved it and listened to it like a thousand times 21/1/26

album de welcome to the jungle, buena entrada, también está paradise city y sweet child o'mine

On the surface I should've loved this: somewhat experimental with a ton of fuzz and effects that still sits in the "an album of songs" space rather than the region of soundscapes and noise. Started off pretty promising, then slowly went down, and down, and the last stretch was just awful. It sounded like a high school battle of the bands except rather than get music lessons or singing lessons to learn more than 3 chords they spent all that money on guitar pedals.

I would have loved this in high school

Too much noise.

A little bit too noisy for my taste.

7/10 Like with the previous Sonic Youth album an overall enjoyable experience but the songs dont really stand out Highlights: Schizophrenia Stereo Sanctity Cotton Crown

duhhh duhhhh duhhhhhhh errrrrrr duhhhhhhrrrrrrrr

I love Sonic Youth's sound, noisy and dissonant, fairly similar to the Pixies, but theres more space, quieter and less hooks. Very influencial band and album to everything alt-rock and indie.

First song was alright, then it went downhill

Meh

Good.

4/5. Not my personal favorite Sonic Youth album, but still a great burst of noisy rock/punk music. Not too much to say really, this album slaps.

Heard the chord progression on the first song and thought I was going to love this. The rest disappointed me.

In one ear and out the other.

There were some parts of the album that really captured me, but for the most part I was bored and wished I was listening to something else. I do think a lot of artistry was put into this album and it’s more than just random chords and screams but I don’t have any interest to look deeper. Light 2/5

This is when SY found the perfect balance between noise and quiet somberness. This and Daydream Nation are just nearly flawless albums.

Schizophrenia - 4.5/5 Catholic Block - 5/5 Beauty Lies in the Eye - 3/5 Stereo Sanity - 4/5 Pipeline/Kill Time - 3/5 Tuff Gnarl - 4/5 Pacific Coast Highway - 3/5 Hot Wire My Heart - 3.5/5 Cotton Crown - 4/5 White Cross - 4/5 An interesting blend of punk and post-punk and noise rock that comes together quite nicely. I wouldn't say I was a fan of noisy rock before this, the rawness of the whole thing made me appreciate it a bit more. It does sound a bit compressed at times but otherwise it is quite a fine album. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl, Cotton Crown

put a bunch of notes down for this while listening but i lost it. I thought it was cool - one of the interesting things ive found since starting this project - hearing definitive inspiration for modern musicians that I have on heavy rotation. tracks like catholic block gave off bloc party, beaty lies in the eye gave me rolling blackouts coastal fever, and i got plenty of the vaccines in there throughout the album. obviously a super influential band and album. Despite this, I enjoyed it, but not heaps. 6.7/10

Art

I dig this but it still leans a bit too heavy on noise making over music making for my taste.

This band is pretty good

I used to listen to Sonic Youth quite a bit. But I forgot about them. After a long time, I listened to one of their albums again. It was okay, but I wasn't thrilled by it. 3/5

Really liked the opener - Schizophrenia - but it tails off from there and lost me along the way. I'm trying to work whilst listening and its not going that well - which is probably colouring my view.

Sister And with this album we say goodbye to Sonic Youth. I could say this sounds more accessible and immediate than their other albums, but apart from Goo I can’t really remember much about any of them. It's interesting looking back at my previous SY reviews to note that in most of them I mention looking back at my previous SY reviews to see what I thought on my previous SY, and that I gave them all 3s. I think this is the same, I like it but I don’t love it, and it ultimately cements my feeling that they are a band I like the idea of and the spirit of more that I actually like listening to. Noise, abrasion, droning, female-male vocals, surf pop haze and a deliberate outsider obtuseness are all things I like about them, but I’m much more neutral about the actual music that produces. I did like Schizophrenia, Tuff Gnarl, Hot Wire My Heart and Cotton Crown on here though. So, yeah, a 3. 🔊🔊🔊 Playlist submission: Schizophrenia

The insanely overrepresented Sonic Youth back for the final time. The Sonics always fill me with some trepidation, perhaps a tad of ennui, but they've also invariably win me round to a large extent - even if I've found all their efforts middling. The exception, and the one I understand being on this list was 'Daydream Nation'. "I wonder how this will fare", I thought to myself. I am now able to reveal my findings. I thought this was similar to previous albums we've heard, except 'Daydream Nation'. Where it falls down is the likes of 'Beauty Lies in the Eye', which is more teenage whimpering from Kim Gordon; there's little here we haven't heard several times before. I don't dislike it, but nor does it excite. The album is certainly a progression, however minor, from the washed out 'EVOL', and a clear stepping-stone to the ambient excellence of 'Daydream Nation'. Why we have to follow this unremarkable journey step by step remains a mystery.

Solid Album. Sonic Youth never really grabbed me. They're not bad and on paper they're a band I'd be all in on. Just something about them never clicked for me. Still, solid music, love the noisy quality and I'm not mad about it.

Love Bonnie Raitt. I kinda prefer older Bonnie, but this will do.

Fantastic album. My first Sonic Youth outing

Sonic Youth is a perfect example of what Alternative Music was, before the genre became a contradiction of it's namesake (which, bands like Sonic Youth helped to bring to fruition). Anywho... This is a really good album and I am loving being forced back into Sonic Youth's discography.

Wow, I did not expect to like this as much as I did.

I haven't understood the appeal of Sonic Youth. I've listened to a bunch of their records from different eras, but, to date, they still hadn't clicked for me. Sister might change that. I love the direction SY is taking. They're being influenced by post-punk, their no-wave background, and noise rock, combining these sounds while predating post-hardcore bands like Unwound and Slint by a few years. I also hear the beginnings of slowcore bands like Codiene here. The point being, this is a refreshing and bombastic album that I completely slept on. There's just so much to enjoy here!! What a delightful surprise! Highlights: "Schizophrenia" , "Tuff Gnarl", most of the album, honestly. Lowlights: fucking NONE. this album is gooood.

The drumbeat of Schizophrenia goes down into my soul

Sonic Youth never really hit the right notes for me. I appreciate the rhythmic patterns and the guitar work here, but it's not high on my list. If I saw them live while they were together and were younger, I'd likely feel more.

I wanted to like this

Too many screeching guitars but still good.

Unique sound which has to be appreciated.

I can't say "I'd listen to that song again" for a single song. There are always some parts that sound quite good, mostly in combination with the guy singing then, but mostly i did not enjoy it. And these "singing" parts of the girl? yeah no i guess you needed to have been there. i mean i was there but not THERE. anyway

Great

I don't think noise rock is for me

Not my taste but I appreciate that this is on the list

Fine but didn’t grab me.

fun, wouldn’t listen to again

This sucked. I couldn't wait til this ended. The vocals are not good at all. There are some redeeming instrumental parts here so I will give it 1 instead of .5 lol. Liked Songs: "Schizophrenia" , "Tuff Gnarl" , "Hot Wire My Heart" (I guess????)

Noisy 2

Started interesting, but didn’t like it in the end

Very good!

Had Goo just a few days back now got another Sonic Youth effort. This was very highly rated in 1987 but I'm not convinced it holds up particularly well. The first few songs are quite slow going and the album is a little bit of a dirge but there are exceptions, as 'Stereo Sanctity' packs a punch before the punky 'Hot Wire My Heart' and the slower 'Kotton Krown' provides some much-needed diversity as the album progresses. But nah, overrated. They would find their feet somewhat with Daydream Nation.

I like it Clo I like it!! Love all the different styles of guitar they're using, and whatever they're doing always fits with what the song feels like its going for Didn't really like the vocal melodies they tried on Tuff Gnarl and Pacific Coast Highway but the instrumental sections brought me back around on them. Highlights: Schizophrenia Catholic Block Stereo Sanctity Pretty high 4

We're finally here! Standouts Catholic Block Stereo Sanctity Pipeline/Kill Tuff Gnarl ⭐ Pacific Coast Highway Cotton Crown Master-Dik This is the album that usually gets credited with the first album to achieve the sound I adore. You know how cool live music sounds in a small venue? Yeh let's do that on a studio album! This album has it all, crunchy guitars, noisy guitars, guitars grinding against your ears, fuzzy guitars, feedback... Fun fact they couldn't get this album published because of the album cover for ages. Some noise highlights: Pipeline/Kill Time is a starts of simply but leads into this chaotic orchestra of guitar noises with a simple melody in the background to grab onto and guide you through. Incredible mixing so that melody is always there for you. Tuff Gnarl has this one riff playing throughout it and then they start building up the noise and let the original riff free at the climax which explodes the section into perfection. Master-Dik is a feedback ridden song which is the perfect way to end the album. The constant layered guitars in the back is a forest of sound to lose yourself in. Incredible album easy 5 Unfortunately the later sonic youth albums are less harsh but at least they have the same vibe and goal.

I imagine if I had fulfilled my lost dream of music the results would have sounded a lot like this ~ not musical. This is awful to listen to.

Like, Sonic Youth just has to be an elaborate prank, right? There's no way that a bunch of music critics didn't get together to convince everyone that this crap is actually good over a few drinks late one night as joke.

riffs in this one are amazing. also o think it’s really chill music very good chill music

Ehhh.

Argh..I knew it was in the late 80s.. but simply tuning all tracks to the right notes will make the album much more pleasant. All tracks are slightly off tune.. whether it’s intentional (plus I doubt it), it was very unpleasant. And they love semitones as well. I just don’t like it sorry.

I can comfortably say I was not a fan of this

I had high hopes for this one, unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown. There was nothing that stood out from the other tracks or that grabbed and held my attention. I feel like a poser for this score but it just wasn’t for me.

I feel like I should like Sonic youth but I don't.

Might be the first Sonic Youth album I enjoy. An eclectic blend of raw energy and jangly guitar. So the question is, is this their most accessible album, or have my tastes changed?

I’ve listened to Daydream Nation a bunch but never came back to this one. I can see lot of the greatness that would come next but this one is just a tiny bit lesser.

Wow a Sonic Youth album that sounds like the other Sonic Youth album. I do like their sound, but nothing was a standout to me

Very nice album. Good rock/punk from the 80s

The words that immediately spring to mind are skronky and clangy. Which might not be actual words but describe this very accurately. It’s what actual psychedelia sounds like slightly confused and distressed as opposed to songs about magic ocelots

Me likey.

Sonic Youth rocks. In other news, water is wet. Favorite track: Stereo Sanctity

Jesus fuck, how many Sonic Youth albums will I get? 5/5

Too cool for school

NOISE

Oh brother

A struggle. Really don't understand Moore and Gordon's God-like status at all. I clearly have to try harder.

I should like Sonic Youth - I like punk, I like rock, I like lo-fi stuff … but they just don’t click. It’s ok, but it’s not very interesting.

A pivotal album by a great band.

Average indie pop

Borderline unlistenable.

This is the third damn Sonic Youth album that's come up. I get it. Sonic Youth is noisy and obnoxious and terrible. No, I don't need to hear any more of it.

Must be their blueprint for the next 5-6 records lol It’s good.

4.5 So great. If you know evol and bad moon rising you know this is the bridge from there to Daydream Nation.

I was lucky enough to be in college when Nirvana hit the world and the 90s alternative scene erupted. Sonic Youth was an intimidating presence for me - the band that people ahead of the curve already knew and loved. The band whose music played in the record store and you were afraid to ask who it was. It was only Much later that I started to listen to Sonic Youth - benefitting from the access to music provided by streaming services, this was mostly in the form of random songs. This is the first time I’ve listened to them in album format and I wasn’t disappointed. Just enough melodic pop elements to help me feel anchored through the experimental aspects.

I so want to love Sonic Youth. Somehow I just can’t.

This one sounds indie as all get out. Noisy and totally grungified. This band clearly influenced an entire genre of music that was to come. For what it is, this is a 4. I have to be in the mood, but it's good.

noise

Respect their creativity, but it looks likes there's not too much things for me personally. The whole album is 3, Kotton Krown is 5, average still remains 3, unfortunately.

It’s ok. A little too raw and grungy for my tastes though.

I expected nebulous feedback and noise. There was some of that but also it rocks pretty good.

I have not been able to really enjoy the chaos in sonic youth's music despite liking a lot of similar, adjacent recommended artists. It must just be a personal taste thing...

3.5. I've listened to this one a couple of times, and I like it, but something just isn't clicking to make me want to round up instead of down. Who knows, maybe that will change.

Not enjoyable in the slightest. Started out ok but got worse with every song. Just a random bunch of sounds with some terrible singing over the top. Not for me at all. 1.5/5

Before I start talking about Sister we need to get a few things out of the way. Kim Gordon is a fucking national treasure she is an artist who makes music! Two fuck Thurston Moore for what he did to Kim Gordon, he is still a great artist and musician as well but Kim Gordon is the national treasure not Thurston Moore. Ok, let's get into it shall we. Wait, before we do I should also say that Lee Ranaldo is an amazing guitar player. I don't think that Sonic Youth would sound like they sound if it was not for him, and Steve Shelley does a fantastic job on drums as well. Sister is right at that cross over period from when Sonic Youth was turning from art/noise artists into indie/noise/art rock. For those that think this is a hard listen to go get "Confusion is Sex" or "Death Valley 69". Anyway, My favorite song on this album is Stereo Sanctity but there really is not a bad track on here. And I know that I'm being biased with my love for this band by giving them a 5 star review on *EVERY* album but Sonic Youth is just that good.

A couple good songs, but otherwise forgettable

There is music that I feel I am supposed to like because it influenced bands I like. This is such music.

Sonic Youth are one of the few bands that make me think, “Maybe I had to be there.” We’ve had a lot of their albums on this list, and I’ve liked a few. But I mostly find myself listening passively. I guess I see why people love them, but I wonder if I had to have listened to their music when it came out, or at a younger age. Or maybe there’s a live energy that’s not translating to the recording. There are some heavy, distorted sections that feel tinny when they should be rocking me at a gut level. The music is mixed in a way I find off-putting. The vocals are grating too. Seems like a few different members sing on various tracks, but I don’t like any of them, at least on this album. Having said that, I do get the sense that the band was thoughtful about all these choices. And there are moments of rock and punk power that almost do it for me.

Sometimes Sonic Youth come across as a little too "serious" for me. I have to be in the right mood, like I can't be just going about my day bopping around and come across a song like "Beauty Lies In The Eye" and hearing: "There's something in the air there It makes you go insane Brings you back to me It's been so long All's I have to do is live along It's coming, coming down over me Do you want to see the explosions in my eye?" in a spoken word style performance with ominous post-rock music behind the voice. Don't get me wrong though, I love serious music and I love music that comes across as "too cool" or "apathetic artsy", but I just don't love being surprised by it I guess. This album has a few times when spoken word comes in and gives that "poetry jam" feel, but I don't hate it. They have some songs that I really enjoy, but none of them were on this album. It just leans a little too much into that "we're seriously mysterious" vibe that is a little off putting for me.

Seems like It's rambling and muffled. Not my thing

I enjoyed it!!

First listen

I listened through all of Sonic Youth's albums just a couple months ago, and I think they have maybe 3 "eras," but I don't think that justifies more than maybe 2 albums on this list, and I think they have at least 3. In any case, "Sister" is really the beginning of what Sonic Youth became. I think it is important, so maybe I'd put this on the list, but it's definitely not my favorite or what I think is the best example of what they finessed starting with this album/sound.

Four, I think, but just barely.

I'm pretty shoegazed out. What sets these guys apart from others in their genre? It just drones on and on.

Meh

I liked the first song but the rest was a bit abrasive and noisy. It's not bad and clearly that's the point, but not my favorite

Solid album. No bites taken of the commercial apple on this album. The guitar is outta sight. I'm not sure why this band wasn't bigger.

Very meh

I didn't really like this. It had some okay moments, but most of it was just like annoying noise. There were several moments when I was reaching for the skip button, forgetting that I was listening to a supposedly-great album and wanted to treat it like some crap that was accidentally playing. Two stars, and I think that's being generous.

Sister was an enjoyable listen. The only other Sonic Youth record that I'm familiar with was Daydream Nation and even then, it's been a minute since I last listened to it. I remember listening to "Kool Thing" and "Superstar" as separate singles as well. I didn't really pay too much attention to the lyrics or the vocal melodies honestly, as the guitars were at the front of the mix, often being very suspended, dissonant, noisy and in-your-face. They reminded me of the noisier Midwest emo bands like Mineral, the Gloria Record, Pop Unknown, etc. that I used to listen to. Something I can incorporate into my songwriting is that fuzzy guitar sound, as well as alternate tunings that the band is known for. It can really make my songs standout.

I think I liked it

I was always intrigued by these guys but I never really sat down and listened to an entire album. This album is awesome. I love their whole guitar "wall of sound".

I was bathed sonically but I don’t know if I ever fully connected. 3/5

3/5

I knew some Sonic Youth albums before, but actually never listened through this one. If you take your time and pay close attention you will discover one of the greatest alternative-/underground-rock-albums of the 1980s…at least in my modest opinion. Especially love the opener and the duet singing between the somehow average college boy Thurston Moore and femme fatale Kim Gordon (who sometimes reminds me of Nico…without the German accent of course). Great album!

Very punk rock, melodic and fast

Sonic Youth can do better I’m sure

Not my type.

Are Sonic Youth a lot more tuneful than I've been led to believe or has getting the Einstürzende Neubauten album raised the bar for what I consider to be 'just noise'?

OK if you like American punk, which I don’t.

Just a whole lotta noise. Sometimes that can be fun. Sometimes to can be obnoxious. This was the obnoxious kind. I had a hard time enjoying most of this. I've heard this about Sonic Youth - you either like them or you don't. Based on this, I don't like them and assume they're an acquired taste. Bummer. Two stars. Standout Track: White Cross

There were Highs and Lows. The Highs were pretty high and Lows were sorta low (definitely could be worse). I guess overall this was pretty good. :D 3.5/5

Noisy post-punk. I liked Catholic Block but would like to give this more of a listen and I’m looking forward to going back to it again.

Oh fu€k yeaaaaah

it was just boring, nothing to it just dull,

Best Sonic Youth album I've had yet. It was pretty good. I like the heavy. No song was what I'd consider a banger though, nothing to sing along to.

it was pretty fine, i think the last track was my favorite

I don't mind Sonic Youth but I did mind this. Nothing to really get my teeth into but I do appreciate how different this sounds compared to everything else at the time.

It's like 1001 Albums is here for me this week and gifted me another fantastic SY album to listen to. If you were travel back to 1992 and push eject on the cassette player in my car, you'd probably have around a 35% chance of ejecting this album. This (and Daydream Nation) occupied a lot of my attention at the time. What I like about this album, in addition to the usual level of noise and chaos, is how much SY was fucking around with sampling, scratching, and even some level of rapping. It feels like a very, very late 1980s, New York City album. Master-Dik epitomizes this and, as far as I know, is also essentially the bridge song between SY and some of the band's efforts on Ciccone Youth with Mike Watt. But, you've also got J. Mascis in there fucking around on his guitar, and a whole lot of KISS references. Other standouts for me are Hot Wire My Heart. I think it hearkens back to Bad Moon Rising, with chugging guitars around 3:20 and Kim's fairly creepy lyrics. Stereo Sanctity is a ripper, too. I like Steve Shelley's drumming in the first part of the song and whatever the riff Thurston plays between his short verses has been stuck in my head for like 30 years. But, there's not a bad song on here in my estimation and, as a certified SY stan, I'm obligated by the terms of my contract to give this a 5.

Sometimes I wonder why this project picks some albums by artists I like - Hearts & Bones by Paul Simon, I’m looking at you! Not in this case, though. We’ve gotten two SY albums in a week and they are my two favorite SY albums. Schizophrenia is probably my favorite song of theirs since I think trying to capture mental illness in pop music and largely succeeding is a real achievement. The story is terrifying. Going to a friend’s house and his sister is dealing with something so scary, and her brother is dismissive. It’s incredibly real. Then at the 1:45 mark the music becomes exhilarating and haunting. Kim Gordon is perfect here. Tuff Gnarl, Stereo Sanctity, Catholic Block are all great. I like finishing with a sense of humor and looseness too and really like Master-Dik.

I don't have anything to say that I didn't have to say about the last SY album. I still feel like there's something I'm not getting about them.

4/5 - Kinda odd having 2 SY albums in the same week, but there's worse problems to have. Love Schizophrenia, Tuff Gnarl, Pipeline/Kill Time, Hot Wire My Heart, Catholic Block. I think I listened to this 4 times yesterday.

This is very good - just like the other Sonic Youth records in the 1001 book

i kinda like the sound of each individual instrument. but when they merge its less enjoyable.

I thought this was extremely forward thinking for 1987. It sounds like it could have come out in the mid 1990s and been right at home with the swellings of that alt rock movement. But I don’t think it’s super duper omg amazing. Solid listen, 3/5.

Didn't notice this going by. Meh.

Sonic Youth are legit time travellers, creating one of the definitive grunge album 5 years before everyone else. Anyway, you don't need to tell me to listen to Sonic Youth...

Oh boy are there really 5-6 Sonic Youth albums on this list? Brutal.

I’ll need to cycle back and listen to this one again; my wife decided the best time to talk to me was as this album started up. So, I didn’t hear either one of them very well. But, from what I was able to gather, this record is pretty typical Sonic Youth: glimpses of brilliance that get a little watered down by what seems like intentional weirdness. They kind of remind me of David Lynch. He’s great, but he kind of needs a co-producer to rein his weirdness in or else his work becomes an incoherent mess. I like Sonic Youth pretty good so far as I can tell, but they would probably benefit from someone corralling and focusing their creative energies. 3.8/5

Another classic Sonic Youth album. Their earliest attempt at making accessible music and easily one of their best. This is the first in a run of nearly perfect records for me. 1987 was a really weird year for music. The biggest albums of the year (The Joshua Tree, Appetite For Destruction and Hysteria) were omnipresent meanwhile in Indie Rock the sound that came to define so much of the genre was established by Sister, Dinosaur Jr.’s “You’re Living All Over Me” and R.E.M’s “Document” among others.

I like Sonic Youth, but never really got into this one. There are some good songs on the first half (especially Schizophrenia), but I find it dips a bit in the second half though. Appreciate it for what it is however, very experimental and obviously influential on grunge.

It sure was fine.

Sonic Youth always perplexed me. Some folks seem to really dig them and say they're geniuses. But, I found most of it either bland Or crazy noisy? Why so noise-y? Some of this is OK without delving too deeply into the cacophony as they normally do. But there are moments (Catholic Block & Cotton Crown, if I recall) that are just annoying. Thurston sings fine enough, but I'm usually let down or bothered by Kim. She's at her best when sing-talking. But to say I wasn't annoyed by most is hardly high praise. I'll give it a 2 because it's Ok. But I won't be back.

I liked this album well enough. Nice late 80s/early90s indie vibe. I don't think it really blew my mind at all but I'd probably listen to it again. Nothing else to say about it, really. Some good things about it and some bad things about it but nothing really stands out either way. Squarely in the middle of the decent album column. 3.25/5

Light 4,5

Four Sonic Youth albums in seven months. My Spotify Wrapped is going to love this. Well, it's apparently the last of their albums I'll be listening through this challenge and while I have enjoyed getting to know them, I do think the book editor(s) were pushing their luck here. Five albums spanning seven years is excessive from anyone not named The Beatles, and there's nowhere near enough progression or variety from one album to the next to justify it. Sister is the second (chronologically) of that run, but you can't really tell as it hovers around the same territory as the rest, with noisy, messy, feedback-laden guitars and moments of melodic genius, scattered around its relatively snappy runtime. I found it neater and tidier than Daydream Nation but without quite as many highlights, and definitely better than Goo and E.V.O.L. Sooner or later, I'll start buying some of these when I spot them in the wild but I will admit I'm glad to have completed the SY portion of the challenge. Once again, it's been hard to digest in a short space of time and I'll want to come back to it in due course.

This was great. I heard so many of my favourite bands in this album. Strange how I can go my whole life not knowing about something I would enjoy this much.

Not bad, but didn't really capture me

Middle of the road for me

Altern. Rock, Punk, 1987 -> 2

A great album. Superb textured guitars. This is the album where the band added focus to the noise. The moment they became important.

In my youth, I played a lot of "Sonic", as well as ate frequently at Sonic, but I never listened to Sonic Youth. I apparently didn't miss out on much; just mid-tier Alternative Rock. Favorite Track: "Beauty Lies In The Eye".

Yet another Sonic Youth album, and a pre-Daydream Nation one at that. I'm not big on this era of the band. This album, beign the final one of the era, sounds relatively close to the records I actually like by them. Key tracks: Schizophrenia

This album is not that bad, but sometimes it becomes a chaos of different sounds that feel a bit bland. I liked some songs, not much, but a bit. But others were very insipid for my like. So, I don't think it's bad, but it has some aspects that haven't convinced me much.

Another one?! Again, I like Sonic Youth but, put Daydream Nation on the list and let readers think for themselves. So far Sabbath & Neil are my exceptions to my self-imposed artist over-representation rule haha.

Vibes were good, lyrics were better, but overall I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe it needs another listen in the future.

I enjoyed this enough to give it two plays today. I was never really into them in the 80's, a time in my life when perhaps I should have been, but there was a lot going on. Purchase material. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Missed opportunity ★★★★☆ (7/10)

By the time 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 arrived, Sonic Youth had fully found their voice — or rather, their beautiful noise. It’s the perfect bridge between their early no-wave chaos and the structured, art-damaged rock that would define their later years. The guitars sound like they’re pulling gravity in opposite directions, and yet the songs feel strangely tuneful — messy, melodic, and magnetic all at once. Tracks like 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 and 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 prove that dissonance can be deeply emotional when it’s in the right hands (and the right detuning). I’m probably biased toward Sonic Youth, but 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 is exactly why — it’s noisy, fearless, and quietly transcendent.

Oh man, 1987 was an amazing year for music, one of the best ever. Not this album, though.

Never been a sonic youther :/

Schizophrenia is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded in my opinion. Altogether it’s undeniably Sonic Youth. I like their sound. I’d listen to this one any day. Still, I think they have stronger records, so it’s a strong 4 for me

Where's the noise?