Daydream Nation

I feel like Timothy Leary must have done after his first trip. I always found Sonic Youth, well, difficult. But maybe I finally get it. All the tracks are interesting and some of them are even enjoyable. Another day it might get a 4 but I'll have to go and lie down first. 3*

Oh good, MORE Sonic Youth. Didn't rate this one personally, maybe it just caught me at the wrong time but it left me cold. Preferred Goo to my memory

To lead with: This album fucking rocks. It just sounds good all the way through, the guitars are excellent. Second, every song sounds like another song from another band because it seems like every other act in the 90s cribbed from this. Such an impact to be consonant and dissonant and copied and original. Thurston's vocal delivery gets a little one-note (Kinda malkmus-y, if I'm being critical) but not so bad that it goes full-on. Kim's parts are better. The whole thing just drips cool. And it fuckin' rocks. Look, I listened to it twice back to back. Half the songs on here are still stuck in my head when it's submission time. Banger.

I didn't really know what to expect from Sonic Youth. Obviously, I know of them. I know that they are held in really high regard ... but they have never been on my radar. They firmly are now. I loved listening to this. It doesn't sound like it's from 1988 at all. They were way ahead of the game. It's fuzzy, and vibrant, and fresh, and real. I would absolutely by this on vinyl. Seeing a picture of a burning candle really creeps me out. And I would still buy this. It's an easy 5. And a really timely reminder why I keep plugging away at this project.

Ощущение что я мчусь по дороге когда слушаю этот альбом, такая неудержимая музыка, интересно сыграна

I was listening to to this album while working on a finance spreadshhet trying to figure out if I can retire early and I realized that this album was released the year I graduated from high school! The fact that this still hold up and still feels innovative pretty telling. Sonic Youth was an important band, helping to harken in the resurgence of new rock sounds that would define the indie sounds of the 90s. Seeing as this shit is my jam, it is not surprising that I love this album.

Really enjoyed myself, the instrumentals were great. Just an awesome first listen.

First impression is that I like this. Always been a metal, emo, punk person so I like most rock i think. Actually I found this very easy to listen to. I wasnt sure what to expect after I read the apple music blurb but I think this was a pretty great album.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i love

Never has pure noise and dissonance sounded so accessible.

Tiesin bändin nimeltä, ei oo tullut ikinä kuunneltua. Oli liian ”suttuista” mun makuun, vaikka rosoisemmasta musasta diggaankin. Vähän liian samankaltaisia biisejä, eikä mikään niistä jäänyt erityisesti mieleen. Soitto oli hyvää.

Punkig indierock. Bästa skivan med Sonic Youth hittills. Dock en del utfyllnad. Teenage Riot bäst. Mycket skrammel. 3,5 av 5.

I'm a big fan of Goo and knew i should check this one out at some point, so I'm glad the generator gave me it. And yeah I quite like this one too. Maybe a little too long for me but the music is lovely.

I'm sure I listened to this when I was younger but I don't remember it at all. Reminds me of The Fall and has a post-punk pre-grunge vibe. Not really my cup of tea nowadays - just not tuneful enough.

I'm immensely disappointed that the rest of the album doesn't sound like Teen Age Riot. It gets way less melodic and a bit more noisy. But I still like it. It's definitely creative and I love comparing bands to Dinosaur Jr., so I'll say Sonic Youth has much more interesting ideas and use noise/distortion a lot more intentionally. The Wonder was my favorite (after Teen Age Riot, obviously).

i do literally like the sounds coming out of my headphones, but i think you could use ai or something to refactor the guitar riffs, downsize 30-60% per track, get this bad boy down to a half hour at no significant cost to the execution of artistic vision. and i love a long drawn out epic in my songs but on this one i think i just wanted them to speed it up a little, get to the point. generally i'm in love with a third of this album and the rest of it is pretty vibey cool background noise. favorite song is 'Cross the Breeze or Hey Joni. strong 3

Rating: 10/10 Sonic Youth make their most accessible work yet after spending the decade experimenting with noisy dissonant feedback guitar music, not really giving a fuck if they didn't resemble actual songs. And yet Daydream Nation is definitely their magnum opus and one of the coolest albums of the 80's. The raw and experimental DNA is still here, with more of a touch of melody to their hypnotic rhythms. Noise rock with a rebellious punk spirit. There's maybe a couple weaker moments here, like Eric's Trip and Rain King (still good songs), but I could listen to shit forever. Teen Age Riot became a big hit for good reason, and I love Silver Rocket and Cross the Breeze. I could keep naming other great tracks like Candle, Kissability, and the closing epic Trilogy. Kim Gordon is one of my favorite bassists and musicians. They may have never outdone Daydream Nation, but they would also go on to make a lot of great albums after this

Long ahh album tbh

There were a few keepers for me in here but overall this album was just way too long for no reason. Much of the longer 7+ minute songs did not have anything to justify the runtime, it just ended up being directionless jam sessions most of the time, plus the vocals weren't the best, they fit well in some areas but got annoying at other points. Overall not terrible by any means but could have been trimmed down a lot. 2.5/5

Teen Age Riot to open highlights the phenomenon that is Sonic Youth: driving rhythm, dancing leads, long improvs, allusive vocals, arresting indie exploration. I get lost in these cuts and don't care to find my way back. I'm lost in my daydream.

This never rose above a 3-star for me. Strikes me as pretty average indie fare.

SY was a revelation for me in my senior year of high school, and this album was a big part of that. They're famous for their noise, yes, but it was their tunefulness that grabbed me. These are damn catchy songs. I remember playing Teenage Riot for people, expecting them to get it the way I did, and being utterly shocked by their visceral reaction. Even yesterday, listening to Total Trash in the car, my wife uttered a "Jesus Christ" with a shudder. She said it was like a spike being driven into her brain. Later, I caught my son humming the same song quietly to himself. Funny how something can be so divisive. So, yeah, I love these guys. They tickle my brain in a way no other band can. For a while, this was my favorite of theirs, but now I think it lacks the edge of their earlier work, and Teenage Riot aside, it doesn't hit quite the high highs of some of their later albums. Still, it gets 5 stars from me. If I were compiling this book, I'd only include one SY album, and that would be Sister, but this one's a beast.

Enough with the Sonic Youth!

There is not enough time in just one day- to truly understand all of the nuances of this album. Noise rock is hard for me - i appreciate the endless amount of musicality and it sure does rock, the more noise tracks I won’t go back to but the layers and layers. Just redefining what guitar rock can be.

Not for me.

good music

The whole album felt like one long exercise in putting up with overstimulation

Not my jam

Teen Age Riot is one of the best songs ever made and it could only have been made by a band like Sonic Youth

Appreciated this a lot more now than I did on my first listen about three years ago. The noisy sound of Sonic Youth is not for everyone, it still isn’t for me once it reaches a certain level, but the songs that really caught a groove were the standouts for me. Teen Age Riot has stuck with me since then, but Cross the Breeze and Candle are strong showings too. I see a lot of albums from this band yet to be generated so we’ll have to see where else they go.

I didn't have too many preconceptions listening to this as I guess it wasn't my scene when it came out. Didn't mind it but hard to pick highlights. The first track did seem to be the best of the rest. Different vocalists brought different vibe to various tracks and was solid without being inspiring. Would probably like to give it 3 1/2, but doesn't get over the line for a 4 from me.

Should have listened to this decades ago

Weird, but I might actually like this band. Not sure why it took so long to listen to their sound

I really want to like Sonic Youth. That said the first few tracks are great. The b-side, not so much.

gostei muito de EVOL, mas achei esse aqui meio nada a ver, meio desconexo de EVOL (mas acho que faz sentido, já que Daydream Nation veio antes). as características que são agradáveis pra mim em EVOL ainda estão aqui, mas não parecem se alinhar de um jeito que de fato agrada. eu sei que esse álbum é melhor avaliado que EVOL, mas achei tão sem graça. Pode ser que eu não esteja tanto na vibe dessa primeira vez que ouço e que eu mude de ideia quando reescutar, mas agora é meio que só barulho. Não incomoda, mas também não soa grande coisa. acho que não vou conseguir ouvir inteiro não, achei bem ruinzinho.

Loved this when I was 17 (and eligible for a Teenage Riot). But the older I get, the less time I have for bad singing voices. Sorry Thurston and Kim.

I think I'm finally cool enough for Sonic Youth.

If this album was half the length, I would rate it four stars, but it goes on forever and doesn't end. Three stars.

I wish I liked them more bc it would make me cool but I don't

Can't deny it's a masterpiece. Punished it a bit much in my 20s. Review review: "deeply unpleasant" *submits a Jack Johnson album*. What a jackass!

Easily Sonic Youth's best album and foundational to 90s alt rock

1988 Indie rock, art punk Not bad

I feel as though I could polka to “ ‘Cross the Breeze,” but music changed with the vocals kicking in. I like the music, but I’ve made the mistake of checking out the lyrics. “Eric’s Trip” lyrics are semi-coherent. “Hey Joni” is the stand out for me. I like the “a snap of electric whipcrack” lyric. A song with lyrics that don’t make me think that random words were put to music. Overall, enjoy the sound, but I should not have looked at lyrics.

This album rocks. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Some really catchy tunes with cool transitions. Not even mad that it's so long. 8/10

Depressing

Too noisy

It has taken a bit of influence from my son but I have come around and enjoy a lot of what I hear from Sonic Youth. Maybe it was some late night playing playing Mario Kart after a night of drinking or maybe it was just a "dad, check this out" but either way, Sonic Youth pops up in my randoms quite a bit. This album starts of with one my favorites tunes by these guys, Teenage Riot. While the album is long, with a few 7 minute songs, it reminds me a bit of a cleaned up Lou Reed with a lot of guitar distortion in their songs. Some times it got to a bit much, but the overall sound is something I thought was pretty good. I dig the singing and sound of Kim Gordon. Good album. Pretty much enjoyed from start to finish. 3.5

maybe better than evol

I didn’t not like it but I didn’t like it either

ALBUMNAZO VIEJO CIERREN LA PAGINA AGUANTE SONIC YOUTH

I've listened to this album 3 or 4 times in the past and I've never been able to make my mind up on it. My opinion seems to change with every song. I really enjoy the noisy and punky stuff like Silver Rocket, but the more indie and alternative rock stuff is just ok 'll go 3.5. Don't think I was really in the mood for this today though Highlights: Sliver Rocket, 'Cross the Breeze

Went into this listen really excited based on some readings and reviews and it ultimately didn’t deliver or meet expectations. Sonically I didn’t find it captivating or thrilling in any way. Not my favourite genre by any means but I found it a bit of a slog.

Great noise rock album!

I didn't get into Sonic Youth the first time around I ended up backing into them by liking so much of the music of the 90s that owed it's existence to Sonic Youth as an influence. By the time I had a chance to Sonic Youth, I had heard their style mimicked and evolved into a next generation. None of that makes this album any worse, it's noisy and fuzzy and a little all over the place, but it's good stuff.

2 SY albums in 3 days? out of 1001 albums? i'm not mad i guess. obvious classic.

Oh Kim Gordon we're really in it again

Influential, raw, definitely ground breaking, but I'd hesitate to recommend them bc it feels like if you like this sound you already know them, and if you don't know them you won't like it.

Some cool/interesting guitar hooks and noisy collages...and then Kim Gordon starts singing :( Her singing voice is like a parent's impression of their kid being "rebellious"

Pour moi quasiment tous les albums de Sonic Youth méritent 10/5. Estifi qu'on les aime.

C'est du lourd! Ah ben c'est ça Sonic Youth, moi qui pensais que c'était du punk pur et qui ai jamais vraiment investigué. J'ai été très charmé par l'aspect noise rock et la richesse harmonique. Les gros jams. Ça sonne aussi vraiment moderne, ça m'a fait pensé à la phase 'A ghost is born' de Wilco. J'adhère!!

Classique! On sent toute l’influence que ça a eu sur la musique des 90s. Petite pensée pour mon vieux chum Gabriel, probablement le plus gand fan ever de Sonic Youth!

★½

9/10

Forgot that this album is from 1988, and not about 5 years later. When I was introduced to Sonic Youth I was told that they were super weird and unlistenable, but to me it sounded like fairly accessible indie rock and I semi-wrote them off in an obnoxious way. Of course, I was wrong to do so and grew to love over the years. Is this the best Sonic Youth album? Maybe not as good as Sister or EVOL. Could it do with more Kim singing and less Thurston? Yes. Is it a few songs too long? Yes. Madly influential? Of course. Probably a 4.5/5, but downgrading to 4 for no particular reason.

great noise rock

daydream fr

noise rock kinda sucks does anyone else agree

Very hard to rate

Paar echte bangers. Zit tussen 3,5 en 4 in

2.5

I really enjoyed this album--distinctive guitar sound, most songs were a great combination of edgy and listenable. There were about 4 songs that I think could have been left off this 70 minute album, leaving a tighter production overall. However, I listened on Spotify, and the only option was the remastered version, so for all I know, maybe it was a tighter package to begin with. There were no duplicates on the version I listened to, but some songs said "album version" and others did not. 4 stars.

Its their sound but I dont love it.

Super awesome album, elite for night time drives

Meh

Really good album, lots of cool dissonance as well.

some people will never understand the peace from this kind of music or noise, which just emulates the inner anxiety perfectly. thanks to some of the reviews that provide historical content for the album, and perhaps why the feelings are relevant to this day.

One of their best.

After a pretty poppy and catchy start with "Teen age riot" we're heading in the opposite direction to a punkier and darker territory in track nr 2 "Silver Rocket". Now the jangly guitars and harsh vocals takes over, and it doesn't feel like an uncomfortable transition at all. I admire the weird guitar chords and the use of feedback, and I can hear so many bands that are influenced by Sonic Youth that I listen to, Senses Fail, Refused and even a bit of Ghost. However one gets a little too fed up before coming to the end of the album, so therefore I can't give it a 5 but a solid 4.

Sonic Youth are the real find of this list for me

i wish i could give this a 4.5. like i really enjoyed this i'm just not sure if it's something i'm going to listen to that often you know? teen age riot was my favorite track (i think i had heard that one before).

Every song is way too long- the average one is about 6 minutes and change, and they’ve done nothing to earn that kind of runtime with this unfocused, noisy, samey sound. Not to mention that nearly every one of them has this long run up intro where it starts with some garbage flanger effect and just strumming around until they get into it, like a jam band. The outros aren’t much different - drawn out for absolutely no reason. Did I mention how noisy this album is? And not in a good way. The guitars are overdubbed on top of each other in a way that makes a sonic wall, but it’s distorted, atonal, and messy. Sounds like shit. At least 2/3 of these songs could all be the same song too (and what a coincidence one is called Total Trash). What an unfocused mess this is, but without a doubt influential on 90s alternative acts. I really was expecting to enjoy this, because it informed so much music I love, but this was an absolute chore to get through. I’m glad they weren’t commercially successful, because they didn’t deserve it. This sucks. ⭐️

Obvious nostalgia for Rock Band from Teen Age Riot but a good listen overall. I’m between 3 and 4 but it’s an inspiration to listen to more from this band if nothing else.

Teen Age Riot was a good start, but it went nowhere for me after that.

Why on Earth are there five Sonic Youth albums in this book? This is the third one I've been asked to endure and it's equally as dire as the last two. Gave up.

What a marvelous trip of sounds. Goo has grown on me a lot since I first got it from this list, but this needs no time to melt through my exterior borders. (Then again, who knows, it might reach even deeper in the future..)

ok I already loveeee the instrumentals that guitar is BANGINNNNNNN track 1 'teen age riot' - loving this already, feels like a song I would've loved in my freshman year of high school lolllll, 'teenage riot in a public station, gonna fight and tear it up in a hypernatkion for youuuuu' I do rly love this tho 'cause its getting kind of quiet in my city ahead, it takes a teenage riot to get me out of bed right nowwww' in fact I just checked and its in one of my fall playlists from early high school 'so who's to blame for the stormy weather, you're never gonna stop all the teenage leather and cooze' wtf is booze idk but banger, this will def be revisited this fall during the school year track 2 'silver rocket' - ok intense guitar, very angsty, again giving my high school days, some screaming going on midway interesting, 'the sending the bending the ampisphere re-entry, you gotta have the time got a letter in your hand, gotta heart injection that u got yourself a line, you got it u ride the silver rocket, cant stop it burnin a hole in ur pocket' I like it not my fav song but its good and Im rly into the guitar track 3 'the sprawl' - I love the woman's voice speaking in the beggining not sure if she was the one in previous tracks but she's cool as hell 'to the extend that I wear skirts and cheap nylon slips. ive gone native I wanted to know the exact dimension of hell does that sound simple? fuck you are you for sale? does fuck you sound simple enough? this was the only part that turned me on' I loveeee this woman who is sheeeeeeee??!!!!! her voice is so satisfying, long long instrumental after lyrics have come to a close but super beautiful guitar, messy, eerie, and super cool track 4 'cross the breeze' - guitar does feel intentionally off key in some places which throws you off until you heard the lyrics and feel it all come together, long intro in here already feels like they're telling a story or at least half of it before anyone even speaks, its passionate and loud, 'lets go walking in water now you think im satans daughter, I wanna know, please let me go! just too quick, now I think im gonna be sick' love the guitar in the last minute, feels angsty and almost pleading idk, fades out nice and slow track 5 'Erics trip' - 'sometimes I speak, tonight there's nothing to say, sometimes we freak and laugh all day' this ones intense 'my cup is full and I feel okay, the world is dull but not today, she thinks she's a goddess, she says she talks to the spirits, I wonder If she can talk to herself if she can bear to hear it' 'we tore down the world we put up four walls I breathe in the myth, im over the city, fucking the future, im high inside your kiss' track 6 'total trash' - oooo I love this music, guitar is groovyyyy, 'it start at the top now its spiralling down, works best when its lost' ITS TOTALLLLL TRASHHHH im not no cow LOLLL I like this one 'cant take it away cant kill all the shame' might be one of my favs on the album so far track 7 'hey joni' - 'hey Joni put it all behind you, hey Joni ive put it all behind me too, these times cant add up, your life is such a mess, forget the past and just say yes!!!!' well done song, probably not my fav if im being honest track 8 'providence' - feels rainy and melancholic intro, radio-ish staticy audio, I wonder what the context is or the story behind the world, what was he looking for?? track 9 'candle' - love that guitar in the intro, 'I see a falling snowgirl walking Broadway, Turns the corner at 14th and I know there's no way, It's alright, it's alight candle, And I know she'll be okay by Sunday' its messy but everything feels intentional, like there's a method to the madness track 10 'rain king' - angsty, not much to say not my fav, very interesting lyrically just not my cup of tea sound wise track 11 'kissability' - ok love the title of this one!!!!! high hopes! okkk starts off with some cool ass guitar 'look into my eyes don't you trust me, you're so good you could go far, ill put you in a movie don't you wanna you could be a star' the vocalist reminds me of hole is that crazy, I like this it feels very female rage angst-esque YOUVE GOT KISSABILITY U COULD BE A STAR IT AINT HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! love the lyrics love the messy guitar feels very cool track 12 'A) the wonder' - instrumentals are so messy and layered I rly like it, the lyrics don't rly speak to me here though track 13 'B) hyperstation' - smooth transition between the last track and this one, 'falling out of sleep I hit the floor, put on some rock tee and im out with the door' 'day dreaming days in a daydream nation, smashed up against a car at 3am' love that they hit the album title in the last few tracks, feels full circle track 14 'Z) eliminator jr.' - ooo this track is sending the album out with a banggggggg, strong guitar, driving rhythms, 'a poor boy, a rich boy, a poor rich boy coming right thru me!!!!' loveeeee this guitar and the vocals are strong and squeaky and raw OVERALL: layered messy guitar super cool, the instrumentals rly tell the story here, this feels like something I wouldve listened to and LOVED in high school and middle school, doesn't resonate as much now but I definitely enjoyed the listen and will be revisiting a few tracks, I do think I'd resonate more with a different sonic youth album, ive heard bits and peices of other records and feel this one just might note been MY one

386/1089 really quite enjoyed this record. it’s the right about of rock/punk for me and had some songs that i’ll definitely go back to eg Kissability. The songs with female vocals tended to be my favourites but both vocalists worked for me for the most part faves: kissability, teenage riot, sprawl, the wonder 75/100

I like Sonic Youth, this was the first album of theirs I ever heard and it's a good bridge between their early more atonal stuff and their more conventional stuff on a major label. That said five albums from them on this list seems a bit excessive. Maybe drop either or both the two records preceding this.

An easy five stars from one of my top five bands. Teen Age Riot is iconic. Other top track contenders are Candle and Cross the Breeze which is a perfect example of the Sonic Youth's ability to draw you in with a little beauty before abraiding you with noisy chaos. I love this band so much.

actually, i respectfully didn't enjoy this one. too monotone all the way through, & the disengaged yelling becomes grating pretty early on.

Ok, so I got E.V.O.L less than 5 days ago. I liked this album better. A little more fleshed out than my previous Sonic Youth album. It was interesting listening to these 2 albums basically in a row.

Música do Marcelo!

Finalmente

Sonic Youth é sinonimo de Marcelo. Apesar disso é um banda com a qual eu nunca consegui ter o click e tem uma sonoridade que a mim me deixa por vezes desconfortavel apesar da energia. Certamente haverá mais albuns deles e terei mais uma oportunidade de aprender a gostar

There are some really good songs on this album, but there are also a lot of songs I don't get at all. The only member in this band whose vocals I like is Kim Gordon. The guitar tones on this album are abysmal. Also way too long.

The band’s name did ring a bell, but the music didn’t really. I don’t really like the music either. One star...

Enjoyed it more as it went on oddly. I remember saying something along the lines of I'll enjoy it on later listens for the other sonic youth album I've had

Every rock/indie/alternative band has something to thank Sonic Youth for. Sonic Youth reinvented the rock genre by playing and singing about what they wanted, all while perfectly capturing their rebellious energy. They did not give a F about major rock label musical standards which in turn gave artists the blueprints to make their own music on their own terms. The noise rock might not be for everyone. But it pushed the boundaries as to what people can consider music and art. For that this album is genius.

The more of these I get, the more I realize I need to do a deep dive on these guys. This is music that is absolutely my jam.

I've never really understood the fuss about these guys.

Welp. This was one I was sure would come up in the rotation eventually. It left me cold. So much unfocused noise. And I love me some Kim Gordon. But alas...

vaca come back

This was decent to have on in the background. I found myself liking the first half(ish) better than the second - there were times where the second half sounded a little too raw or disorganized. I would truly like to give this a 3.5, but I don't feel good giving it a 4.

Didn't listen. Didn't need to. Five stars. Changed all my work passwords to the name of the album to commemorate this day.

low 5 man its so sad but this album is just too long. ive been listening to it for years yet before yesterday id never fully taken in the tracks in the second half. the entire second half should of been cut besides candle. if it had this would be a high 5 album. the first half up to providence is unbelievable, especially the first 4 tracks. but they just insist on including all these incredibly similar tracks which really reveals the formula, takes away the magic and frankly makes it boring. rain king and the last 3 tracks definitely need to go!

Some are very nice

Ugh, I want to like Sonic Youth so badly, but I just don't. This was literally just noise. On paper, I should love this band and know how big their influence is. But this album was such a struggle to get through. I just don't get it.

I can hear why this is an important album and how it is a precursor to a lot of 90s stuff to come. But I’m not enjoying it at all… 2

Daydream Nation is an essential, immersive listen that defined an era of independent rock and continues to influence generations of guitar-driven bands

2.8

certain parts of some of the songs i liked but not enough to make this album enjoyable for me. I really did not like the vocals on this album which is what truly sealed its fate in my opinion

Five Sonic Youth albums in this list is crazy. I should be the prime audience for this band, but I just can't with them. They're like the GenX Elvis Costello. I know they were influential and important, but I just can't get into them.

"Total Trash" was alright. Overall so far I'm 2 stars and this is my 4th Sonic Youth album on this list.

As with the other Sonic Youth albums on the list, there's lots of interesting sounds coming out of the instruments, but then the vocals are a let down. 2 stars

Wasn’t for me but I can understand why it had the impact it did. It was hard to latch on to melodically for me. I heard a lot of Lou Reed in it.

This is what happens when a rock band stops treating guitars as instruments and starts treating them as systems. Sonic Youth’s alternate tunings are often described as though they were simply a route to strangeness, a way of making the familiar sound wrong. That undersells what is happening here. The tunings are not decoration. They are not an effect applied to otherwise conventional songs. They are the foundations of an entirely different musical architecture, one in which every string, fret, amplifier and speaker becomes part of a negotiated system. The electric guitar is already an imperfect instrument. What is in tune at the twelfth fret is almost never quite in tune at the nut. The bridge can be adjusted for upper-fret gymnastics or for stable open chords, but not perfectly for both. Rhythm guitar and lead guitar are, in that sense, minutely different instruments. Every setup is a compromise involving string length, tension, action, pressure and temperament. Sonic Youth do not try to eliminate those instabilities. They compose with them. That is why the dissonance on _Daydream Nation_ has such physical presence. When two notes sit fractionally against one another, the amplifier brings out the beating between them. The sound does not merely shimmer. It pulses, grinds, brightens and roughens according to the frequencies colliding inside it. The guitar is not simply producing a note; it is entering into a relationship with its wiring, the amplifier and the room. Anybody can make noise with an electric guitar. The difficult part is deciding which noises belong together. Sonic Youth approach that problem with something close to conservatoire-level rigour in wraparound shades. Their music may present itself as insolent, casual and half-disassembled, but the thinking behind it is painstaking. These songs often sound like freakouts. They are not. “Teen Age Riot” begins by disguising the scale of the album’s ambition. Its opening has some of the looseness and brightness people associate with C86, perhaps closer to the idea of C86 than much of the actual music, before the band begins widening the frame. The guitars ring and overlap rather than falling neatly into rhythm and lead roles. From the outset, the music seems less concerned with a single dominant line than with the behaviour of several lines occupying the same space. “Silver Rocket” makes the method more explicit. Its groove feels almost like a sample sliced slightly incorrectly, repeating with a small internal lurch. Then the song appears to dissolve into pure feedback, only to re-emerge from the noise with its structure intact. That return is the point. Sonic Youth have not abandoned the song. They have stretched its boundaries until it appears to have disappeared, then shown that the underlying system was still operating all along. “The Sprawl” takes that principle and turns it into an environment. Kim Gordon’s vocal inhabits the track rather than commanding it, while the guitars move through long, circular patterns that seem to contain their own weather. There is no obvious moment when the song becomes expansive. It simply keeps accumulating space until you realise that you are no longer listening to a sequence of sections. You are inside an ecology. That is where _Daydream Nation_ begins to resemble something like “Sly” from Herbie Hancock’s _Head Hunters_. The records sound nothing alike, but both understand that repetition can create depth rather than stasis. A groove becomes a habitat. Duration allows details to move between foreground and background. The music is not merely travelling through time; it is building a place in which time behaves differently. This is also where the influence of Glenn Branca and No Wave becomes most apparent, particularly on “‘Cross the Breeze”. Its opening is not so much an introduction as an overture, announcing the harmonic forces that the rest of the track will set against one another. The song is both impressionistic and expressionistic. It evokes an atmosphere while simultaneously deforming it through pressure. Yet even at its most abrasive, it remains organised. The violence is architectural. Lee Ranaldo’s songs add another dimension. “Eric’s Trip” and “Hey Joni” feel like skewed reportage, dispatches from the chemically altered front. The lyrics do not explain experience so much as preserve its distortions. Details arrive with the blunt specificity of documentary, but their relationships have been unsettled. It recalls the Velvet Underground’s street-level observation, although Sonic Youth widen the field. The Velvet Underground often sound as though they are reporting from one room or one street corner. Sonic Youth can make the whole city block seem audible at once. The result is music that evokes the organised chaos of a city. Every instrument seems to inhabit its own street, rhythm and purpose, yet everything coexists within a coherent whole. Traffic flows. Trains arrive. Conversations cross. Buildings impose geometry. Sirens and engines introduce frequencies nobody has asked for. None of these systems is controlled by a single conductor, but together they produce the identity of the place. Steve Shelley is crucial to that effect. His drumming is not merely a foundation beneath the guitar experiments. It is the transport network that allows them to happen. On “Rain King” his toms produce a thunderous gallop, less a tidy rock beat than a dubbadubbadubbadubba surge that drives the music forward. Elsewhere he provides the steady momentum that permits the guitars to scrape, hover, diverge and interfere without the songs losing all sense of direction. That tension between disintegration and song is one of the album’s greatest pleasures. “Candle” begins with deceptive jangle, then opens into driving dissonance. “Total Trash” initially appears almost conventional, but its repetition gradually becomes a study in time and tuning deconstruction, like leaving an arpeggiator running while somebody quietly interferes with its intonation. Even when the music approaches abstraction, it never quite abandons song structure. God knows it threatens it. Kim Gordon’s “Kissability” brings the same method to satire. She throws the language of flattery and seduction back at the men who use it, delivering the words with a coolness that makes them sound faintly predatory and absurd. The music gives her exactly the right setting: high-register jangle, angular scrape and another tom-driven gallop. It is confrontational without becoming didactic, funny without losing its hostility. By the time the closing _Trilogy_ arrives, the album has established its full vocabulary. “The Wonder”, “Hyperstation” and “Eliminator Jr.” do not feel like three bonus pieces added to an already long record. They are the thesis of the album writ large. The guitars intermesh with almost orchestral density, individual parts remaining audible while the total sound exceeds anything one musician appears to be doing. “Hyperstation” in particular feels less like a destination than an interchange, a place where routes cross and continue elsewhere. The trilogy gathers everything that has come before: alternate tunings, harmonic beating, urban density, skewed reportage, tom-driven momentum, controlled collapse and the refusal to distinguish cleanly between song and experiment. It does not summarise those ideas politely. It allows them to operate at full scale. By the end, I was no longer hearing riffs or solos so much as relationships: between strings, tunings, amplifiers, players and space. The album had quietly recalibrated my ears. What initially sounded like angular guitar music revealed itself as something much more ambitious, an exercise in emergence where complexity arises not from virtuosity but from interaction. Every part is intelligible on its own; the real music happens between them. That is why _Daydream Nation_ feels less like a collection of songs than a model of how independent systems can coexist without surrendering their identity. It is intellectually exhilarating and frequently beautiful. I never quite crossed the final threshold from admiration into love, and that is the only reason it remains a four-star record rather than a five-star one.

This has been a theme of late and maybe I’m developing a later in life distaste for mid 90s music but overall uninspiring. Listened on flight to conference in park city. Normally ripe territory for new music discovery. Not today. 3/5

Pre Listen: Another band I swear I've heard the name of somewhere before, but I just can't put my finger on when, where, or for what. No expectations. Notable Tracks: Silver Rocket - I really, really hope this album isn't full of scratchy unfocused wild noise segments, like the one that plays here shortly past the halfway point. The first song was pretty decent, this one isn't. 'Cross The Breeze - Favorite contender. Really nice instrumental work here, but the vocals/lyrics are entirely unecessary Total Trash - Skipped this song halfway through. Least favorite track on here. At least the title is accurate! Post Listen: Sounds like a blend of emo and punk rock when someone is singing. Also sounds a lot more modern than 1988, I would've guessed something like late 90's or 2000's. A lot of the instrumental work was actually pretty well done. Interesting melodies, each instrument is given time to shine, with solid playing overall and a good variety of sounds. The vocals were a little more mixed, sounds decent sometimes and very, very annoying at other points. The lyrics however were consistently bad or bland, just complaining about nonsense the entire time. The album was also quite lengthy, I think it's the 2nd longest one I've gotten on here so far. If not, it felt that way. Feeling a 3 to 2 range. I'll round up to a 3 cause sometimes that guitar was really rockin. 3/5

Amazing instrumental work on most tracks here, particularly Teen Age Riot and Cross The Breeze. Really talented guitarist at work. I’m considering finding the album’s instrumentals on YouTube and listening to that. I usually don’t like this style of rock (and it still has some familiar flaws) but this was better than I expected it to be. The vocals left a lot to be desired most of the time but I had some tracks that felt like the whole package. Eric’s Trip sounded great and the lyrics were fun and vivid. Daydream Nation had some weak points but ll-in-all I’m pretty impressed.

Cool album! Kind of experimental. This is my second time listing to it.

I had high hopes after the intro but I felt like I was just waiting for something more during the rest of the album

It’s a really excellent art pop and improvisational rock album. It creates gorgeous soundscapes and amazing music, but it’s just not my type of music. It all extends just a little too long, and is a little to rambling and discord and for me. Still amazing but not my preference.

In 1988 while Rick Astley and Belinda Carlisle were burning up the charts, Sonic Youth were laying the framework for alternative rock in the 1990s. Daydream Nation is a true window into the future, bringing together dischordant harmonies and crunchy guitar driven noise to the forefront. Once again, Sonic Youth establish their claim as one of the most influential bands of all time.

My very limited experience of Sonic Youth had me kinda shoe horning them into the “moments of greatness mixed with large moments of pretentious excess”. Glad to be wrong as this was just pretty great

I could basically copy and paste my review for Husker Du here, as I feel very similarly about this. This is ostensibly a punk record that dispenses with all the rules of punk rock and in doing so becomes magical. Everything I hear from Sonic Youth suggests they could become my fav band.

Sonic Youth just doesn't do it for me.

As far as noise rock goes, it wasn't bad, but the genre as a whole is uninteresting overall.

How they are able to make noise come over as pop hooks is amazing.

Too much yelling, not for me.

Yeah, this is cool

I might need another go to digest it Will I listen to again: 99%

Sonic Youth always show some mastery of sound in every album but this one is a beautiful balancing act of catchiness and disorder. If this album was Teenage Riot 5x over it would still be a 5.

Wasn’t sold at the start, but this really grew on me as it went on. Not sure if I’ll be a returning customer, but a decent album. Favourite track: Eric’s Trip

I've realised two things with sonic youth. One they have a lot more albums than I realised and two the albums all seem to sound very similar.

Good Sonic Youth album, but I put it on while I was doing chores and it kind of blended into the background. There weren't a lot of moments that made me pause and listen more closely.

La cumbre absoluta del noise rock y la vanguardia alternativa que ha envejecido bien como una arquitectura monumental de distorsión y poesía. En el plano de diseño formal, la producción de Nick Sansano y la banda es proeza pura: el uso de afinaciones no convencionales y guitarras preparadas logra un entretejido que da claridad dentro del ruido experimental, permitiendo que cada ola de acoples y disonancias respire con notable definición sónica. La alternancia vocal entre Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo y Kim Gordon despliega una fuerza y calidez desorganizada que transmite autenticidad absoluta, legitimando su postura en el underground neoyorquino. Piezas fundamentales como la icónica "Teen Age Riot" y la acelerada "Cross the Breeze" —con su irresistible dinamismo rítmico— transforman la paranoia y la efervescencia citadina en un documento conmovedor, crudo y real que opera como un sutil llamado a la conciencia sobre la alienación moderna. Un trabajo cuya hipnótica cadencia sonora genera una constante sensación de paz y fluidez óptima para múltiples usos dinámicos, siendo un motor extraordinario para acompañar el ejercicio, la conducción o potenciar el trabajo creativo.

Got through this without too much harm. Not actually enjoyable for me but I suppose it's an album that warrants a three.

I quite enjoyed this. Some great post-punk/alt-rock tracks. Where this album lost me a little though was in its length and the vocals which were pretty underwhelming to say the least.

One of my all-time favourites

Elevator music of the 1900s? I didn't really engage with this one. Just background noise grunge.

Actually liked it. Maybe i shouldn't have been so hard on EWOL (and bump it to 3). That being said I can't really remember any of that album.

Brings me back to my skateboarding days, when it felt like I was ready to take on the world. It's a great album that heavily influenced alt rock and grunge. In my opinion, it has stood the test of time and still holds up today.

Eric’s Trip!!

Not bad. I would go with a 4 but I don’t think I’ll listen again

Heartfelt

It was better than the two other Sonic Youth albums I've had to endure, but they only garnered a total of 3 stars from me so it wasn't particularly difficult to better that. It started out reasonably well, but towards the end it dropped off.

Ei nyt ihan hirveetä, mutta kappaleet on jotenkin sellaisia että niistä ei jää mitään mieleen tai käteen. Ainoo mikä jäi mieleen oli Providence koska se oli tosi erilainen välisoitto. Tunnelma semmonen vähän villi ja se on ok, mut vähän on vaan liian junnaavaa. Parhaat: 'Cross the Breeze, Providence

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Very Good - Teen Age Riot is a great opener. Silver Rocket continues the vibe before The Sprawl becomes a bit more sinister and exploratory. 'Cross The Breeze is where the album really kicks into gear. Total Trash and Hey Joni is a good little combo. Rain King rocks. Trilogy is very good, especially Hyperstation.

Given the hipness of Sonic Youth back in the day, I fully gave this a try, really wanting to like this. Teen Age Riot started so promising, but the rest of the album really disappointed. It just sounded noisy and directionless. And long, oh so long. After what seemed like 45 minutes I was shocked that it was only in the fourth song… and still ten to go. Sadly this album is the definition of double album fatigue.

On Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth continues their pioneering of Noise Rock that they displayed on their 1987 release “Sister” which I enjoyed. I still enjoy much of the distortion and unconventional melodies here, but there are less standout moments and the length of the album is a detractor in this instance. I’m not sure how often or soon I will return to this, to be honest. They’re definitely a cool, influential band, though. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Candle, Teen Age Riot, ‘Cross the Breeze

Expectation: -> I've known about this band for years as it's been alongside others that I enjoy. Expectation is that I won't have a revelation today. After listening: -> This was heading toward a 2 rating and then it hit me that I don't really like any of this. Re-listening did not help like it often does for me. Track ranking: Joni Sprawl Rocket Riot Eric Kiss Breese Trash Wonder Candle Hyper Elim Rain Providence

Nice to see a bit of grunge on here. I have always wanted to check out more sonic youth. This was pretty meh for me. I assume they have later stuff that is probably much better?

Kinda of depressing and slow but ok.

Not really my thing but it's okay.

Tüübid lihtsalt jammisid tund aega ja panid selle albumiks. Lood pole ei meeldejäävad ega meeldivad. Vokaal on kas olematu või sitt rääkimine. Juba esimestest lugudest oli aru saada, et see plaat on lootusetu. 1.4/5

Alright, third Sonic Youth record on my album journey, and it's a big one. Daydream Nation is often considered the band's magnum opus, and I can see why. This is, by and large, Sonic Youth's most accessible record in their catalog. It's not like the band had abandoned experimenting with noise; rather, they embraced poppier melodies alongside the noise. This album has such a defiantly bright sound, characterized by the unorthodox guitar tunings, Kim Gordon's hard-hitting basslines, Steve Shelley's hardcore-inspired drumming, and crisp production from the band and Nick Sansano. All the while, Gordon, Thurston Moore, and Lee Ronaldo traded lyrics of disillusionment and rebellion, from the rally call for the underground movement on "Teen Age Riot", heroin addiction on "Silver Rocket", the seething disdain for commercialization on "The Sprawl", the crack epidemic that plagued New York City on "Total Trash", and the exploitation of women in the music industry on "Kissability". They even incorporated cultural references in their drug-riddled narratives, like how "Eric's Trip" takes inspiration from Eric Emerson's LSD-fueled monologue in the Andy Warhol film Chelsea Girls. Even more surprisingly gripping was "Providence", with Moore's piano solo accompanied by the sound of an amp overheating and overdubbed voicemail messages from Minutemen's Mike Watt, resulting in this hauntingly dense atmospheric piece that cuts deep. That said, the obvious big hurdle with this record is its length. Compared to the trimmed-down songs on their earlier records, Daydream Nation saw the band allow their tracks to sprawl (pun half-intended) into long, improvised jams, mirroring their live performances. They even get a bit cheeky with the notion of longer jams by ending on a "Trilogy", putting different song ideas together into one multi-part suite. On paper, I get it; you don't want to feel like you're being short-changed with your artistic vision, and the band was encouraged by friends to go this route. But in execution, there are moments I feel like songs could have been trimmed down a smidge, especially where the band's vocal deliveries and guitar tones aren't as biting as elsewhere in their catalog. The style they went for here isn't bad by any means, but I don't find myself as attentive for the whole runtime. I'm still glad to have listened to Daydream Nation, and recognize why people herald it as Sonic Youth's best work. Perhaps this album will grow on me over time, but for now, it's still worth a listen through.

The platonic ideal alt-rock album

Better than EVOL a few months back, started really strongly but the appeal faded for me as it went on, with a few exceptions here and there. Quite distortion heavy and that's not always my preference.

Blah, blah, Sonic Youth, whatever. Most shoegaze can fuck off. I'll give a star for influence, and another for their best album, but this is pretty monotonous.

-yay, i’ve been wanting to listen to this for AGES especially considering i enjoyed the other two Sonic Youth albums i’ve heard -not offering anything new here but yeah, unquestionably the best work i’ve heard from them. the instrumentation is sooo cool and the whole thing sounds timeless despite having an unmistakable 80s sound. totally lived up to the hype and i can’t wait to listen again -Favorites: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, and Rain King

Dense, difficult but also glorious. This is Sonic Youth’s ultimate statement.

Sonic Youth are a big weird gap in my music knowledge. I hadn't heard an album of theirs before. All I know is that Kim Gordon is in the band and Thurston Moore is really tall. This album is way too long and not hugely up my street in terms of song structure, but it's got mood in spades and a cool fuzzy rock sound that feels way ahead of its time. Teen Age Riot is lovely and strikes the best balance of sprawl and catchiness for me.

I tried to find something in this album to like but in the main it just seems to put me on the verge of a headache. I realise this American discordant punk noise still has its fans but I'm not one of them. It is a collection of very energetic songs but they all sound just a bit wrong and annoying (perhaps that's the point??). The energy transmitted would go down better watching live no doubt but I would only last one song! The last 3 tracks were terrible and left me feeling exhausted. I got through it though which means reluctantly it must warrant at least 1 star compared to the sickos like Kendrick Lamar. I won't need to hear any more Sonic Youth however thank you.

I absolutely adore this record. The midpoint of a run of incredible releases by SY, this is one of those albums I got in my late teens because it was so revered at the time and was instantly fascinated by what was going on, it felt like a whole new world opening up! As I keep saying in these reviews, I like when a hook is mangled and wrecked but still recognisably a hook and that is what’s happening here - these are mostly pop songs, stretched to breaking point, and then often dissected and tortured to collapse at the end of the song. That balance isn’t as, er, balanced anywhere else in their discography. Honestly, it’s just brilliant - the melodies, the scope, the production, the lyrics (love all the sci-fi stuff), the noise. I usually really can’t be bothered with double albums, but if this is on I’m listening all the way through every time. And ‘Teen Age Riot’ is their best song and an amazing way to open a record. Also, this released in 1988!! I think it still sounds like the future - also the same year Spirit of Eden created and perfected a genre, so maybe they both fell out of a time hole - to think it predates grunge and the horrors that that wrought, it’s crazy! How could people hear something this interesting and still want something so boring?

liked it but kinda meh

Teen Age Riot 4.5 Silver Rocket 3.7 The Sprawl 3.7 Cross the Breeze 3.6 Eric's Trip 3.8 Total Trash 3.7 Hey Joni 4 Providence 4.1 Candle 3.6 Rain King 3.5 Kissability 3.6 Trilogy a) The Wonder 3.7 b) Hyperstation 3.7 z) Eliminator Jr. 2.5 Score: 3.692857143

Sounds like all the other sonic youth albums I have heard. Some catchy alternative songs mixed with some noise guitar.

suburban angst, bridges rock genres, feels a bit bloated… songs: ‘cross the breeze

This band gets worse as they age and are not worthy of three albums on the 1001 Must Hear List. Daydream Nation starts out with the only good song on the album and just goes downhill from there. (2.3*s) Sonic Noise (again.)

Oh come on, another Sonic Youth album?! Alright, fine...Daydream Nation is their best of all the ones so far and I hope we are done. I get it...they had something new and raw for the late 80s and were very influential to the indy-rock scene but you don't need to hear this much before you die. Some good guitar work again and slowed-down psychedelia to sow a more polished band. But then you got Kim Gordon ruining everything. She may have been a badass or something young, hardcore chicks could look up to at the time but she sucks on vocals. I can say that I have given Sonic Youth a chance and can argue with a fan all day. This album is the only one you need to hear from them...2.55 stars.

I was not excited to see Sonic Youth show up for a 4th time on this list. Their prior albums have been complete misses for me. Daydream Nation has been the best of the bunch but even when it peaks it is still a washed out mess of noise rock that just doesn't move the needle for me. At times the jams are OK I guess, but even those sound like a bit like a garage band playing warm up exercises a lot of the time. After 3 stinkers, 70 additional minutes of mediocre noise rock did very little to convince otherwise that I'm just not a fan. I wasn't there when this was contemporary so there must be an additional side of the story as to how or why these guys are held in high regard. I need to find a Sonic Youth fan to walk me through this as so far I'm completely baffled as to how Sonic Youth continues to show up on this list. Even despite this album being the best of their albums so far it is still a marginal entry for me. Sonic Youth has officially taken over the mantle of the most overrated band on this list for me which is impressive when you have far too many Smiths and Morrissey albums that could be axed/skipped. Keep Daydream Nation on the list for their legacy and then do us a favor and then mercy kill the rest of their entries to save us the time and feature better, more interesting albums/acts. 1.51 stars

I liked a couple of songs (computer age, within you without you, silver rocket, the sprawl, cross the breeze) but not enough to listen to a double album. 2 stars

The songs are good but as a hole it could feel same same at points

fav songs: teen age riot kissability trilogy: z) eliminator jr. influential, noise, raw 60/100

There is one thing I can be certain I have in common with Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo; we absolutely love messing around on the guitar with non-standard tunings, extended guitar techniques, pedals, and feedback to make weird noises. However, while I'm just annoying my wife and kid with weird noises in my basement, Moore and Ranaldo were out there using them to write some of the absolutely best and most essential alt rock possible.

Too long. But loads of great ideas, excellent sound.

Another banger. 5 stars just for Teenage Riot.

I think I finally get this album. I’d heard it cover to cover maybe once or twice before but found it a bit overrated. This week it finally clicked- it’s a masterpiece. It manages to be sprawling and vulnerable, noisy and melodic, unique and relatable… the double album length means you can get lost in the instrumental solos, the cracking riffs and the beautifully eerie Providence. 100% should be on this list.

It was alright. But overall not my cup of tea. I can see why it was influential thoguh

It was OK. Not my favorite, but not terrible to listen to.

All time classic. Some songs feel a bit too long but that doesn’t take anything away from the overall album. It’s great.

zoals we hen kennen... noisy sloppy punk garage of hoe je het ook noemt... enkel te lang om 5 sterren te hebben

Ein Album für mich ohne Highlights. Gut hörbar, aber nichts, was ich nochmal brauche. 3/5

A band I should explore more. Listened to Goo and Dirty plus this one over the years and all are good. Noise, that usually works,and occasional melody. The Sprawl too sprawling. Cross the Breeze a too metally. Eric’s Trip and Total Trash better. Hey Joni and the classic Teenage Riot standout. Kissability lyrics did make me think Harvey Weinstein. Goo still my favourite album but will go with a 4 for this still.

From outta nowhere, really enjoyed this! Has a speed, urgency and vitality that their earlier two albums lacked for me. Liked as much as those two combined, so 2+3 = 5. Bonus marks for the Richter cover.

Edges a 4 for me due to the fact there’s a 5* album In there waiting to be edited. A bit too shouty in places but my favourite of the 3 SY albums so far.

Didn’t mind it

It’s not just because I can’t hang with the noise, though I understand that’s all some people will really hear in this album. But I did enjoy some of the punk stuff like Eliminator Jr and Rain King. But overall, just because it’s weird doesn’t mean it’s good. And quite a bit of it is just boring weird, which is not my kind of weird. And just because an approach to an album is influential in its time (noise) doesn’t mean it holds up. It’s often an unenjoyable listen. It’s interesting when I put on my cultural history hat, fun to imagine how disruptive and fresh it was once, how this impacted the 90s, etc., but that’s about it. Can we just be honest about that? Do we have to revere all music just because it was historically important? Some music is just better for performance than albums. I’m sure this would have been really cool to see live in 88. As a front to back album though, will not be relistening

La instrumentación está buena, pero las letras quedan perdidas en la melodía. Supongo que es a propósito para generar el efecto del daydreaming.

Ehhhh

I don't think I'm ever gonna be a Sonic Youth fan. Someone on here described it as "nonsensical twatery" which I think hit the nail on the head

enjoyed

Never liked their sound...still don't. Irritating whiney punkish rock.

First half is an easy 5 star. Teen Age Riot is an amazing opener. Second half is a solid 4 stars, but I'm rounding up overall in this case.

a great band at its height.

This is the fourth Sonic Youth I’ve had on here and I looked back on my previous reviews to try to put my finger on them for a final opinion. A bit hard to do. Above all I like people going nuts on guitar, and that’s what Sonic Youth is. But there’s something about them that seems maybe too intellectual about going nuts on guitar? It holds me back a bit. I bet if I saw them live I’d have a real hoot, but the recordings don’t hide the bit of brainy detachment that turns me off. I previously gave them two threes and a four, and I liked this one more than the average. I just wish the boys and girls of Sonic Youth had had it in them to be a bit more stupider.

14/06/2026 This was very hit and miss with me... I can't say I am the biggest fan. Spotify listeners: 1.5 million

Good bones. Flawed in the finer details. Lyrics are drab and full of cynicism, drums are empty and hollow. Too much noise. But in '88 this pushed some buttons and set people up to be late 80's punks. But in the big '26 almost 3 generations of punk developed after that. Another right time right place album Gen X creams the blue jeams for this band and album but it simply doesn't hold up 38 years later to anyone else who wasn't there.

there were a few songs i could sit through but in general hated it

Partially known. I prefer the music to the noise. After awhile, it all sounds the same.

I was expecting more so I was disappointed

I used to like Sonic Youth. I also used to like to drink warm cheap bad beer out of plastic cups and see shows at venues with sticky floors and bathrooms that should be condemned. This album reminds of that. Teen Age Riot is still a great song though....

If I was 19 and throwing a dorm party... sure. This doesn't have the same overall appeal as many of the other albums here though, and out of the historical context, I'm lukewarm on this.

Not horrible, but not great either...

An album that gives a great sense of youthful urgency.

185. nice

Had this on CD and enjoyed it immensely. Unique and raw sound from a very talented band.

it is exactly my music taste, i think its amazing

Garage punk standard Fave track: Teen Age Riot

Decent alt rock. 3/5

Their most capital E Essential album. Nails down so much of what makes indie rock what it is. As a bonus, it’s got all those noise freakouts! “Teen Age Riot” is probably one of the one hundred best songs ever or something.

Their most accessible work, it often divides fans. I still love it like everything they do

Probably enjoyed this more than most SY albums one listened to, but I still fundamentally don't find them that exciting. There's a certain distinctive sound I associate with them that I find a bit thin and unexciting. So while this is better than their other stuff, it's not one I'd be excited to listen to again

So much noise. I've heard about this band but never paid attention. Glad I got it recommended.

Moody grungy goodness

Is a classic. Lee ronaldo was always an influence on me guitar playing when i was a young lad. I do prefer other sonic youth records. First 7 songs are great however but i do think this one is a bit long like

Little bit long but its a real good album!

Just ok innit. Was expecting to be blown away. Sonic Youth have always been a band I think i should like but dont do a lot for me. Appreciate theyve inspired a lot of bands I like, but I wouldnt choose to put this on. If you want Clangy, distorty then fair play. But other than Teenage Riot I couldnt be arsed with it Generous 3

Love this album. It’s all noise but all great

This was pretty sweet alternative music. Feels distinctly New York City so I was happy to find out that it is.

I think I said this earlier on another Sonic Youth record but I feel I'm maybe 4 or 5 years too young to appreciate this as much as the people of that age will. The roots of grunge and 90's punk are all in here, and the raw production is really just a sign of things to come. The issue is that I like what came after more than I like this. Still a great listen, but I'd rather here the inheritors of this sound than the original. Pros are that the dual vocals are great and really change the tone of each song depending on who's singing, the playing is an excellent wall of noise but somehow in time and put together, etc. The issue for me is that the tone of the whole album never changes; it's the same sound throughout. For a long album like this, it does get boring. I'd love to see it live but to sit through it is a different story. Cool, but it left me wanting something a bit more polished.

Yeahhh. Tried to get into this in highschool, above me then. Ended up obsessed with incinerate off rather ripped but never came back. Really enjoy the opening track, find myself tuning out at moments even though it's noisy!! I am unclear what environment this is for, i don't dislike it, but it's not catching for me. Again, first song rocks

Pretty solid!

I saw them in concert at West Point in 1990 and absolutely hated them. But this album was really great

What a gem. Firing on all cylinders, using the guitar to make every sound possible. Feels like a concept album workout being a concept album.

Noise Rock is about right.

Indie grunge starts here

++: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, 'Cross the Breeze, Eric's Trip, Total Trash, Hey Joni, Providence, Candle, Kissability, The Wonder, Hyperstation, Eliminator Jr. +: Rain King 9,7/10

Technically a very good album, although lacking in any real character. I always enjoy Sonic Youth without ever properly *loving* them. Can’t go lower than a 4/5 but it’s at the very bottom of the 4 range for me.

Noisy, feedback guitar makes brain go BRRRRRRRRRRRR

3-/5 et je suis gentil

I never got around to listening to Sonic Youth, despite being aware of their influence on some of my favorite artists like Nirvana. What I really enjoy about this album is how the melodies add depth to the dirty, grungy, high energy sound and make it so much more interesting and layered. Yes, it’s noisy- but the melodic elements really elevate the sound. There are definitely some songs that I don’t connect with, but overall I really enjoyed this album and will definitely revisit.

Соники, но слушать тяжеловато, доверюсь критикам

I didn't know what to expect of this - had to check chronology vis-a-vis Goo, which I reviewed not long ago. There are some great tracks here, I find it more entertaining than Goo, I see that critics tend to rate it more highly. It's very much a guitar album. At first I thought I would call it art rock (some bits are quite grating), but as it goes on I'm thinking noise rock (which is not a problem). A double album, it's a bit too long - the individual songs are effective but the whole starts to seem a bit same-y - I appreciate diversions like Providence. At the end, I'm left feeling positive, but length pulls against replay - I'll call it Very Good, 8/10.

Not as familiar with Sonic Youth as I probably should be, but this seemed a very satisfactory entry point album. Noisy, buzzy and alive.

I wish I'd listened to this in the 80s.

honestly? i dont really vibe with them

This is the fifth, and final I believe, album on this list. I have found that I am not a fan of this band, but didn’t mind this one as much as most of the others. I won’t listen to this one again, but I will give it three stars.

This is a rebellious, fast, and young-sounding album that still feels incredibly meaningful. While listening I felt energized and immersed — it’s an interesting experience from beginning to end. The album is full of that raw, noisy energy Sonic Youth does so well. Fast heavy riffs crash into dreamy, chaotic textures, creating something that feels both aggressive and thoughtful at the same time. It perfectly captures that late-80s underground spirit — restless, intelligent, and full of attitude. There’s a real sense of freedom and youth running through the whole record. It’s noisy without being pointless, experimental but still strangely catchy in its own way. The whole thing just flows with confidence and purpose. Daydream Nation is easily one of their strongest albums. It’s a great listen that rewards you whether you’re paying close attention or just letting it wash over you. A true underground classic.

varmaan yks parhaista ekoista biiseistä, pohjustaa tän levyn iha vitu hyvin

Pretty good. Unique voice from the lead singer, catchy punkish songs. Would listen again.

Very good

When to listen: before a bar fight. I know Sonic Youth are iconic, but they can be iconic somewhere else. The tuning stuff is cool, the artistry is cool, I’m not cool.

eh

this is inspiring me to go down the sonic youth rabit hole. I get why theyre NYC legends

Meh. Still not a fan.

grmi, mozda dam 5 u buducnosti nakon par relistena

6/10 Me gusto pero es muy largo, medio que me canso al final, no es malo pero algunos temas bastantes pj

Sometimes they would have me and then the song would make a left turn and devolve into unpleasant noise or it would go on way too long or both. Not a fan.

At the exact intersection of art, indie rock, and overwhelming waves of noise, sits Sonic Youth’s masterpiece. While not my favorite SY album, it’s so easily their pièce de résistance. Everything they do well, they do well here, all in delicate balance. The art rock classic of the decade.

Daydream Nation er et gateway drug til undergrunnen. Teen Age Riot verdens beste låt? Kanskje, kanskje. Providence er underrated. Jeg foretrekker nok EVOL og Sister, men kan likevel være enig i at dette er deres magnum opus: en times lang statement som setter et tidlig punktum ved 80-tallet og tjuvstarter 90-tallet.

Jeg kjøpte denne plata på CD da jeg var 15-16 for å imponere ei jente. Jeg likte vel egentlig bare «Hey Joni» og «Teen Age Riot», og det å skjønne dette albumet hadde nok ikke hjulpet så veldig på relasjonen vår uansett. Jeg prøvde å høre på det en stund etter hun forsvant også, kanskje mest for å overbevise meg selv om at jeg kjøpte CD-en for å utvide horisonten min, men jeg fikk ikke helt taket på den. Det tok noen år uten videre forsøk, før jeg prøvde igjen. Jeg må jo ha skjønt innerst inne at hun hadde rett om plata og at det er faltisk meg det står på. Så satt den plutselig en dag, og da den satt så satt den så innmari godt også. Dessuten er det 100 prosent at JEG skal bli imponert at jeg hører på Daydream Nation nå.

Nice

Beautiful noise. Years ago, it felt like this was on repeat, Teenage Riot primarily, but the rest of the record doesn't disappoint.

The 90s did not start with grunge. They started on 1988 with Sonic Youth and Pixies. And if you don't believe me, that was David Bowie, not me.

Before this list I had never really listened to Sonic Youth. Both albums have shown up on days where I wasn’t sure that’s what I even wanted. But both have killed it. They’re a driving force of punishing guitar and drums. But the lyrics and unafraid and not muddled in the undertow. They’re proud and right in your face with the mix. I think I in fact like Sonic Youth

Another album where each song starts off promising but then goes on too long, slowly devolving into dissonance.

This is the fifth album by Sonic Youth I've had on this list. The band is ok. But five!?!? Why five!?! I really hope there isn't another one. It's a nice band but you certainly do not need to hear five albums by Sonic Youth before you die.

Surprisingly good. I'd never really listened to Sonic Youth before, but would definitely listen to this again. Managed to be appealing despite not a huge amount of variety and being pretty lengthy.

Can you not like an album but also think it's super interesting? I didn't like this album. The vocals don't call to me, the music is basically noise. That said, it's really neat noise. I learned a lot from this album, like "prepared guitars" and also they bring like 50 guitars with them on tour because a guitar may only work for 1-2 of their songs. That's super interesting, but it doesn't make for fun listening.

Started off pretty strong but then started to lose me towards the middle. Then it brought me back and then lost me again. I find the guitar tones and instrumental sections interesting and then I find the vocalist kinda boring.

Pretty dang good. Teen Age Riot is a good enough song to bump up this album to a 5. Although thankfully the other songs are also pretty good.

Most likely all the Sonic Youth albums on the list will get Five Stars. This one, which is objectively the best will for sure.

An unsurprising 5 from a great band.

4/10 Very disappointing - just a lot of noise. 70 minutes for no reason as well. If I were scoring on influence and importance, it might score higher, but I'm not

Great bones but lots of filler. Could have benefited from a trim down. Still, a classic for a reason.

Quite forgettable. This album really is all over the place, there is just too much of everything on here, its lacking focus. 2/5

My favourite album from a favourite band

this overstimulated me

This is an exceptionally good album but with any album this long it is going to have some low points where my hand starts to twitch towards the next track button. I understand why some people hold it as their best album but for me that will always be the follow up album Goo.

This band is brilliant. Real pioneers. And in some ways, you can hear the source code of all indie rock in this record. For sure, some songs are tough and take a specific mood or aquried to really embrace, but it’s the Teen Age Riots and Hey Joni that really set this record apart. Fun, fast moving almost pop rock, wrapped in punk and noise. Hints of The Velvet Underground. Its fantastic. Sonic Youth was the loudest show that I have ever been too. I remember my ears rang for a full week after seeing them. I was really close to the front, right by the speakers.

This is another record and band that I am fairly familiar with. I really think of this record as a kind of capstone to the music the band developed in the 1980's, showing what was possible with the kind of sonic exploration it was engaged in during that decade before moving onto other musical ground. The record reflects the shift from the often quite rough experiments with tuning and guitar dynamics in the early records as those elements were smoothed out and integrated into stronger song writing as the decade went on, particular on EVOL and Sister. This expands on those shifts and all of the songs here are excellent. The guitars weave together hypnotically and the structures of the song expand in ambition. My favorite records from the band are the rougher EVOL and Sister, but I can definitely understand why this is a favorite record for many.

I'm just not that interested in the Sonic Youth sound And I definitely didn't need over an hour of it

Always heard of Sonic Youth but never listened to them before this project. Thoroughly enjoyed this album. Very good! 4/5

Very enjoyable and enthralling listen, inspires to listen to the artist in full

Their albums are all over the place. This might be my favorite one.

Dull and repetive anti music that squacks and squeals in the back ground. Again why do they need 6 minutes to say the little they have in 3 minutes. Find his voice very annoying as well. I thought I would have liked this but alas no Who thought what we need is a double album. We haven't enough songs. I know let's extend a lot of them for no good reason.

J Mascis 4 President

Gen X Slop

Not a huge Sonic Youth fan but this is one of their better albums for sure. More songs here that have melodies and choruses and less skronking and shrieking guitars. The songs that lean hard into the noise area do nothing for me after a few seconds. Unfortunately there is still a good deal of that here. 3/5

Distorted guitars with added dissonance. I liked parts of the clashes and chaos but it just goes on for way too long. The lady singing feels more like shouting and it does start to grate after the first phrase. Album duration felt like an age to listen to, especially with numerous 7 minute tracks. Noisy for the sake of noise. 2/5

Eh pretty good. Opens with a banger, pretty much all I recall. Listened at work so wasn’t really present/focused listening. Should re-listen to this in the future more intentionally at home.

Stunning, artsy and threatening, remains unique, a great band's best album.

I liked this a lot better than the other Sonic Youth album we had.

Enjoyed the prior Sonic Youth album much more than this one

Hmmm, this really grew on me

They nailed the "sonic" part of the band name. The "youth" part however seems to fade over time.

Let it be known I don't care anymore if I'm not cool enough to get Sonic Youth. I am not angry and 15 years old trying to get the attention of the skaters in the parking lot by blasting "Kissability" or "The Sprawl" from my dad's car. I'm not a freshman art student trying to fit in to the art crowd. I am not that indie darling or that hipster or too cool for school. I am almost 49 years old and I have a shit ton of fucking anxiety and I take Pepcid for my bad stomach and drink Metamucil for regular poops. I have a teenage daughter who sometimes hates me and I work in a public 6-12 school and I live in a world of screaming and complaining and crying and brain rot and constant bullshit so my cortisol levels are always raised, my jaw is permanently clenched, I don't sleep well, I have daily panic attacks, and my heart has palpitations on top of palpitations. Daydream Nation is just too dense, inaccessible, and demanding; like a 7th grade classroom, I just can't deal with this loud shit right now. I don't enjoy being hit with a wall of noise when I turn on a song. No real melody, no singing, just straight noise that makes me feel panicky and old. And while I do enjoy some Sonic Youth hits, like "Dirty Boots", "100%", and the Cypress Hill colab "I Love You Maryjane", I know now most of it is garbage. In fact, a lot of it sounds like the sound that the garbage truck makes outside my house at 6am. Screeching and squeaking and motorized and the monotonous hum of the back of the truck compressing this week's neighborhood trash. And that's ok. Let it be known I don't like Sonic Youth and I turned off Daydream Nation during the second song when this enjoyable project turned into something offensive and meaningless to my ears. I then pressed play on the remaining tracks until the wall of noise happened on each one so I could feel like I didn't give up completely. Just fucking noise. And it's not that I dont appreciate loud music or chaotic music; Sepultura was loud and fast but it was pretty. It's just that damn ZHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHH... I think it was mostly hive mind mentality that convinced a lot of us that this band was the shit back in the 80s and 90s; there's no way I REALLY enjoyed any of this, is there? Maybe it's the fact they're just so New York so they must be cool. Ugh. I'm over it and I'm being honest with myself for the sake of this list of 1001 albums I must hear before I die. Nah. I can die without this one. Now, they get a 2 from me because it's not ALL noise and I understand their significance in shaping the music of my youth. I want to save my 1 star for the worst thing I have ever heard, and this is not it. I just don't particularly like it.

Not really my thing however the guitars are strong throughout. Songs unremarkable and vocals terrible.

The best Sonic Youth album on this list by far. I forgot how good it was, because after a couple mid albums of theirs on this list I was like… oh no… Thankfully I quickly was reminded how good this one was. Just fantastic

Their fifth album. Indie Rock / Alt Rock. An alternative classic and a hugely influential album. The production is very rough which in this case is a positive and almost like an extra instrument. Maybe the album is a little long, other than that it is edgy, alternative and fun to listen to. A few years ahead of it's time too.

Sonic Youth is just so cool. The rebellious energy, the social commentary, the bridge between the lo-fi aesthetic, noisy riffs and awesome grooves. It's both a super meaningful album in terms of being representative of its time, but also so incredible musically. The cathartic passage at the end of The Sprawl, some parts of 'Cross the Breeze being nealy some post-hardcore shit, the incredible atmosphere of Teen Age Riot which makes the song sound intimate yet larger than life at the same time, the explosiveness of Candle - so many absolutely incredible moments of genius in here. The closer is also so epic and grandiose and has a real sense of finality to it. The album's only real weakness is that some of the songs drag on, not all of the ~7 minute long ones justify their runtime fully. Other than that it's a beautiful, meditative and powerful noise alt rock album.

Easy listening, very NY but coming much later it doesn’t hold that same fresh lo-fi sound. 3 for teenage riot

Daydream Nation, c’est le moment où Sonic Youth a décidé de cesser d’être un simple groupe de "noise" pour devenir les architectes d’un nouveau monde sonore. Avant ça, il y avait Evol et Sister, des chefs-d’œuvre de tension et de feedback. Mais avec Daydream Nation, Kim, Thurston, Lee et Steve ont trouvé la formule alchimique parfaite : marier le chaos dissonant de l’art-punk avec une production massive, digne du "Big Rock" mais sans la complaisance qui va avec. Un chef-d'œuvre labyrinthique, exigeant, qui demande qu'on s'y perde pour mieux en ressortir transformé. On commence avec "Teen Age Riot" et putain quelle entrée en matière ! Cette intro hypnotique portée par la voix de Kim qui murmure, avant que le riff de Thurston ne vienne tout balayer. C'est l'hymne de toute une génération de marginaux, une chanson qui imagine J Mascis comme président des États-Unis. C'est à la fois solaire et crasseux, mélodique et complètement désaccordé. C’est là toute la magie de Sonic Youth : ils font chanter des guitares qui, normalement, ne devraient que hurler. Je n'ai jamais été un grand fan des démonstrations techniques gratuites, mais l'interaction entre les guitares de Moore et Ranaldo sur cet album est purement géniale. Ils ne jouent pas des accords, ils sculptent de la matière. Ils utilisent des accordages impossibles, des tournevis glissés sous les cordes, tout ce qui peut créer cette texture si particulière, à la fois glaciale et brûlante. Et derrière, il y a Steve Shelley. Putain ce type est une horloge atomique avec une frappe sèche, précise qui ancre les envolées guitaristiques dans une réalité physique indispensable. Sans lui, le groupe flotterait dans l'espace ; avec lui, ils nous percutent en plein thorax. "The Sprawl" nous emmène dans les méandres de la ville, une odyssée urbaine où la voix de Kim Gordon semble planer au-dessus d'un champ de ruines électriques. C’est long, c’est étiré, ça prend son temps pour monter en pression. On sent l'influence de l'indie rock pur jus se mélanger à des velléités shoegaze avant l'heure. C’est une musique qui respire la sueur des clubs de New York, mais qui regarde vers l'infini. Et que dire d'"Eric's Trip" ? Lee Ranaldo y livre peut-être sa performance la plus habitée, un morceau inspiré par le film Chelsea Girls d'Andy Warhol. C'est frénétique, ça crépite de partout, c'est l'incarnation même du voyage acide qui tourne à l'obsession. On est loin de la pop radio de l'époque. En 1988, pendant que certains se tortillaient sur du synthpop frelaté, Sonic Youth inventait le futur du rock alternatif. Avec Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth a prouvé qu'on pouvait être expérimental sans être inaudible, qu'on pouvait être "arty" sans être chiant. L'album se clôt sur cette fameuse "Trilogy" : "The Wonder", "Hyperstation" et "Eliminator Jr.". C’est un final en apothéose, quatorze minutes de pure furie qui résument tout le projet. Ça commence par une tension sourde, ça dérive dans des tunnels de distorsion, pour finir par exploser dans une sorte de hard-rock déstructuré dont seul le groupe a le secret. Quand le dernier morceau s'arrête, le silence qui suit est presque assourdissant. On a l'impression d'avoir traversé un orage et d'être enfin à l'abri, mais avec l'envie immédiate de retourner dans la tempête. Visuellement, le choix du tableau de Gerhard Richter, cette bougie solitaire sur fond sombre, est un coup de génie. Elle représente parfaitement ce que dégage le disque : une lueur de clarté et de mélodie au milieu de l'obscurité et du bruit. C’est sobre, c’est classe, c’est iconique. C’est à l'image du contenu. Pour moi, Daydream Nation reste l'un des rares disques parfaits de l'histoire du rock. Il n'y a aucun temps mort, aucune complaisance. Chaque larsen a sa place, chaque murmure de Kim Gordon est nécessaire. C'est un voyage sensoriel total et si vous ne devez posséder qu'un seul album de Sonic Youth, c'est celui-ci. Si vous ne devez posséder qu'un seul album des années 80, c'est peut-être aussi celui-ci. Je lui donne 5 sur 5 sans la moindre hésitation. Ce n’est pas seulement un "album qu'il faut écouter avant de mourir", c'est un album qui vous donne l'impression d'être plus vivant quand vous l'écoutez. C'est le son d'une nation qui rêve éveillée, le son d'un groupe au sommet de son art, capable de dompter le chaos pour en faire de la beauté pure.

Found myself quite bored with this one

A lot of strumming making a racket I often lost what was going on in the song. They have a few great songs where I think the riffs are clearer.

This was such a cool album. I am too sick to get it a proper breakdown but it’s 5 stars from me

Fuzz, reverb, nice drums, I like

Not for me

por lo general el punk no me gusta y este álbum apunta a eso, está bien a partir de la mitad del álbum pero, en lo personal no me gusta