Reviews (page 3 of 10)
loved it, listen to BAGEL Radio he loves a lot of songs from here😅🤭
Not *exactly* my favorite album by Sonic Youth, even though it's part of of my top-five records under their name. My only real, admittedly minor gripe is its overall sound, somewhat flat and one-dimensional compared to a lot of other Sonic Youth LPs--one can see that producer Nick Sansano was more an expert for hip hop than for guitar-based bands at the time... That being said, this double LP is still a landmark album for US indie music, and its scope was unprecedented when it came out. The first two tracks--"Teenage Riot" and "Silver Rocket"--are absolute gems, and almost everyone other song on it is pitch-perfect, justifying the length of this historical masterpiece. So yes, light a candle and celebrate the riotous impact of this one, indie fans. American music has rarely sounded as essential as this particular album. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 819 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 98 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 46 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 39
CD
One of the greatest albums of my generation
Classic album that still sounds fresh today. You can hear their influence on so much of my favorite music.
An album requiring the listener to meditate on it, Daydream Nation does have the courtesy to indicate that it takes time to appreciate it fully. Mind, does such effort compensate generously. Sonic Youth became the Brian Eno of US alternative rock, in that they occupied a role of in-house philosophers, figures whose experiments and theorising plotted much of the landscape for many who would follow. Rock had investigated dissonant, disjointed guitars before (to exhaustion and nausea with Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music), but it was Sonic Youth who summarised it into a template for your standard 90s alt-rock weasels. Sonic Youth were also one of the biggest proponents of a genreless approach to music that embraced the high, low and middlebrow, rejecting those labels as unconducive to a truly explorative love of music. Sonic Youth had no qualms mixing John Cage, Albert Ayler, Led Zeppelin, the Carpenters, Suicide, Minor Threat, Madonna and KRS-One. Now, like Eno, this seems more driven by intellectual rather than emotional concerns. However, like Eno, they had good heads, so criticising them for that seems slightly churlish, even though someone could legitimately say their intellectualism is why Sonic Youth gives off too much of a chill for them. Another consequence of this is that someone who claims Sonic Youth to be their favourite band is hopelessly pretentious. Still, Sonic Youth have been warranted critical faves since they developed their approach in the early 80s. With Daydream Nation, their most celebrated album, Sonic Youth managed to place simultaneously one foot in the vanguard and the other in the relative mainstream. So gnarled guitars and R.E.M. melodies, basically. Now, Daydream Nation partially suffers from the diluting effects of every Sonny-Jim subsequently pilfering their innovations (which, in fairness, Sonic Youth would acknowledge resulted partially from their own purloinments). This perversely is in scale with their increased ambition for this album; when you break through, you want to hear everywhere the noise you pioneered, especially when others copy you. A double album made for a bit more dosh than their previous records, Daydream Nation is quite the troughful to nosh through in one visit. So yes, once again it's our old pal "rewards repeated listenings". The initial hearing may prove samey, but later the nuances will chime through. That aspect underscores the delightful paradox of this album: whilst ostensibly an uncompromising, punk-infused hard rocker, the real delights are in the subtleties, the details. Now, as it's a double, the disinclined listener won't be arsed to devote the time to comprehend it, and even the well-disposed may feel their joints start to itch at the length. But if you want it to persuade you, you'll find its disparately fluttering eyelashes will make you buy it a drink or five.
I owned Experimental Jet Set and Dirty from back in the day, and I am glad to see that their sound hadn't changed. I enjoyed this album, as they are all journey's through sound. Loved it!
My first introduction to Sonic Youth was the Kool Thing video on 120 min, just loved the song and like any 18 year old boy I fell in love with Kim Gordon too. Not long after I checked out Daydream Nation and yeah just a great album. Probably the only one but I wish Teenage Riot was 20 mins long, I can listen that song forever.
It's noisy, driving rock, but I can listen to over and over again. This is just a great album and probably Sonic Youth's best. Although everytime I listen to Sonic Youth I can hear Ellen Page telling Jason Bateman that "Sonic Youth is just noise!"
It takes a Teenaged Riot to get me out of bed. The most accessible Sonic Youth album.
I remember I didn't care for this album until I listened to it a second time. A revolution in alternative rock and just music in general, bringing the "no-wave" sensibilities and anti-authority attitudes out of the underground, and creating a masterpiece of distortion. Although he is a musical god to many, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, and Steve Shelley were the pantheon to people like Kurt Cobain as they stood for music which was powerful yet uncompromising. In all honesty, the record speaks in gibberish ninety percent of the time but I know it stands against consumerist sexist culture and that's enough. Thurston lays it all out in the first track: the world would be awesome if J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. was the president. If that sounds simple to you, fuck you.
Dig it. Never really checked them out for whatever reason but the guitars are just killer
Seminal album from one of the most intriguing bands in the last 40 years. I remember fondly discovering this work during my teenager years, listening to Teenage Riot and Silver Rocket nonstop, talking to my friends about it. No wonder why it is here!
Even the first song-Teenage Riot- deserves 10 stars.
Really great. Their fuzzed guitars create some immersive soundscapes. I felt hypnotized at times, which is something I quite like out of music. Sort of a punky mix between Joy Division and the Velvet Underground, perhaps? This is the kind of album one could have a nice dissociative episode to.
Teen Age Riot is one of the best opening tracks of all time, it situates the listener perfectly for what's to come on an album of hefty tracks. I love the flow and progression throughout, it all melds together so brilliantly. Favourite SY album to date. To agree with another listener, Thurston Moore is just such a dickhead. I have to attribute most of the band's success to Kim to be at peace with my listening experience; she's a goddess and a saint for putting up with Moore's shit as long as she did. Amazing album, so influential and impactful on a lot of bands I love. I adore this one.
An album that makes me wonder if 'alternative' music still exists. How did a band like Sonic Youth become so massive and influential and could it ever happen these days for a band that sounds like this?
Já conhecia e adoro
everything, even the catchiest hooks, are drowned and enveloped in a layer of noisy fuzz, thumping toms and crashing cymbals. It creates a really cool, edgy sound that you'll hear ripple throughout alt rock during the 90s. Sonic Youth hit the right balance of playful and dark. Some of these riffs sound almost like metal riffs, and then some boarder on pop punk and indie. The vocal melodies toe this line as well with grunt punk shouts and more welcoming bright vocal melodies. Whether it's angry or upbeat, there's always a relentless energy that is at the core of every track. This album is long as hell, but never ever stops moving; it's constantly propelling forward with noise and drums and riffs and raw, kinetic punk soul - and that can probably be attributed to the post-punk present here. It's relentless angsty, but approaches it in a unique and artistic way.
This album in particular is so immensely influential, you can hear it from the very start. The influence can still be heard in music released nowadays. It's noisy, unrelenting, and unapologetically experimental.
Love this album. Was going to give four stars since this is a classic, but on this listen I’m unfortunately feeling the runtimes of several tracks. Then Thurston Moore sang “there he goes again, my magic monkey friend” and the perfect score restored itself.
Just the most lost-sounding album in the world; distant vocals amid swirling guitars. Occasionally a little too discordant, but impressive and influential overall.
Recommended for a friend almost ten years ago. I consider it a fundamental of Sonic Youth. I feel it like a super natural progression from the noisiness of Sister. Over here you can find it as well but in a much worked way, it's not noise because of it rather than be with a purpose.
Possibly Sonic's best
Epic. A classic. There are the obviously hooky bits, like Teen Age Riot, and there are grating that parts begin to sound perfect too with repeated listens. One of my favourite albums ever.
Hot damn this one is a banger. I have liked everything from Sonic Youth I’ve heard in the past, but this whole album takes it to another level.
ну ваще зашло, никак не мог взять их и послушать и тут залетели в уши прям идеально
081225 23:30 4.5
Aunque en mi lista personal le di un 5, le voy a dar un 4. No venga, un 5.
Daydream Nation is the best album of noise rock legends Sonic Youth, though it's not my favorite (Sister). "Schizophrenia" and "(I Got A) Catholic Block" are classic rock songs and the other tracks are great too.
один из лучших их Альбомов у них
Meilenstein! Ganz Groß!
Stevig gitaarwerk, lange instrumentale stukken, veel variatie in tempo. Goed album!
Having heard the name Sonic Youth before, I expected a lot of dissonant jangly noise, and it IS that, but weirdly, I like it? I like it a lot. I think this would fall under the genre “Shoegaze”, but it’s vastly more enjoyable to my ear than Dinosaur Jr. I will probably add this to my regular rota.
Raw sound. Can see where the emulation of others comes in. Good songwriting.
Escuchar loco
I see why this is such a classic. I think I still like Goo better, but this is noisy punky alt rock in rare form
Love it - have had for many years so its a 9/10 from me
Qué voy a decir. Uno de los discos de mi vida.
Classic
This is definitely a familiar album for me. My brother introduced me to the more experimental sounds of Sonic Youth in high school and it has paved the way for my love of indie rock which is where I dwell most often.
A masterpiece.
Insane
This feels so weighty but never collapses or bores. Pretty impressive
Brilliant album!
No lo he escuchado, pero Sonic Youth me gusta.
Loved this album. I think I enjoyed this even more than Goo!
Love sonic youth haven't listened in a while was cool to hear again. Kim songs are a coin flip for me. Record holds up.
This managed to take many of my favorite aspects of music and bundle them all together in a neat little package.
Really good. Top 2/3 SY album for sure. Thurston Moore + Lee Ranaldo guitar sound is amazing. 9-10/10 1. Teenage Riot 2. The Sprawl 3. Total Trash
Amazing album. Want to dig in to more of their catalog now.
hell yeah.
pretty gooooooooood. reminded me of the pixies.
Наконец-то что-то охуенное и не скучное.
One of my favourite albums of the decade, a truly satisfying double LP. Also possibly the only actual rock band of the era I care about.
Oh Kim Gordon we're really in it again
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
Paar echte bangers. Zit tussen 3,5 en 4 in
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.
Super awesome album, elite for night time drives
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).
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..)
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.
Música do Marcelo!
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.
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.
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
Yeah, this is cool
I might need another go to digest it Will I listen to again: 99%
Heartfelt
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.
-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.
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
Too long. But loads of great ideas, excellent sound.
zoals we hen kennen... noisy sloppy punk garage of hoe je het ook noemt... enkel te lang om 5 sterren te hebben
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.
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.
enjoyed
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.
An album that gives a great sense of youthful urgency.
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.
Little bit long but its a real good album!
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.
Pretty solid!
I saw them in concert at West Point in 1990 and absolutely hated them. But this album was really great
Indie grunge starts here
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.
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.
Very good
this is inspiring me to go down the sonic youth rabit hole. I get why theyre NYC legends
grmi, mozda dam 5 u buducnosti nakon par relistena
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
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.
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.
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.
They nailed the "sonic" part of the band name. The "youth" part however seems to fade over time.
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.
Fuzz, reverb, nice drums, I like
Interesting album. Not enough time to really get into it, but you can hear that there's something going on that will just grow on you. Certainly not as immediate as Sister, but a nice collection of noise pop numbers.
Legit. 4/5
I like Sonic Youth in general. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for some of their noisier it more jagged stuff, but when I am it really works.
Bien cool mais un peu longuet comme album
I heard so many other (21st century)bands in this album it was incredible. What influence. Pretty good music as well, not entirely my bag but still enjoyable.
Loved this and definitely worth a relisten, fontaines-esque
Overall: 7/10 I hate talking about Sonic Youth. They're probably the toughest band to put in to words how I feel about them. There's always so many moments of brilliance in their music and an equal amount of frustratingly confusing choices, but it's that confusion that keeps me coming back and wanting to hear what they come up with. It's almost as if I love them BECAUSE they piss me off. I'm not sure if other people feel that way but that's probably the closest I'll get to expressing my feelings about this band. This album specifically is really good but also way too long. There's some bangers on here though and stuff that's easy to rock out to. Fav Song: Candle
Already knew I was really going to enjoy this the moment I opened the page. Alternative rock is one of my favorite genres, so no surprise that I really enjoyed this album. Influential group to many, including some of my absolute favorite acts and its very easy to see why. I could only imagine how groundbreaking this was at the time, since its a project that still very much holds up in the modern day. Raw noise of the guitars here sound incredible only to be followed up by vocals that are sometimes odd, but perfect capture the chaotic sound they're going for.
Great album, full of all-time great post punk songs, nothing but bangers on this album and a good amount of experimentation as well. Sort of nostalgic too
Atmospheric and pleasant. A very enjoyable listen. 3.75/5
Sonic Youth at their most primal and powerful. An absolute sparkling gem in many ways. Sonic Youth can be a tough listen, I recommend toughing it out. You can stare it down.
Anyone who knows me and my music taste knows that noise rock is one of its pillars. I love noise rock, I always seek it out, but I've never really sat down and listened to Sonic Youth. While I don't love it, I'm happy to say that I was mostly impressed with Daydream Nation. It has surprisingly good flow for a double album; it really didn't feel like 70 minutes. But I was surprised at the things I actually ended up liking. Everyone seems to love Teen Age Riot, but to me it's...a little too indie, too lowkey, too Smashing Pumpkins for me. Does that make sense? The album impressed me a lot more when it went all-out, like in the middle of Silver Rocket, or the total disassembling at the end of Total Trash. Not to mention the very tail end of the album, Eliminator Jr, which has that really fast, aggressive groove I wish the album utilized more. Cross The Breeze has that in spades too, but those really rocking moments are too few and far between for me. When I hear "noise rock" I think immense feedback, screaming, songs that go absolutely crazy. Other than a few moments across the tracklist, there's basically none of that here. But there are enough positive moments here that keep me intrigued. I'm looking forward to my next Sonic Youth album, whatever it may be.
This was really good. Know of Sonic Youth, but never listened. This is a hell of an album. Could've been better without all the reverb and distortion over long periods. Album wouldve been 10 minutes shorter and perfect.
A very good album, probably one of the most influential over modern indie rock. The sound is a kind of proto-grunge, with noisy, guitar-heavy songs throughout. It’s something of an oasis in the desert away from the typical manufactured sound of ‘80s music! Highlights are Kissability, Teen Age Riot, and Silver Rocket, probably some of Sonic Youth’s best. It’s probably too long for an album without much variety, but a good 4.
An album combining poppier melodies (like in the opener and ‘Silver Rocket’) balanced with plenty of abrasive guitars and longer improvised sections, that works really well. I enjoyed it throughout, although like many albums (especially double albums) it tended to lull a bit towards the end.
Kim Gordon didn’t start learning bass until she was 27 so I still have time
4/5
My first Sonic Youth album. Really enjoyed the instrumental breaks. Just a well balanced blend of chill and angst. 4/5 for now, but could be a grower.
This is probably the best Sonic Youth album I’ve heard on the list. It really grew on me with each listen. A great early alt-rock record.
This album is a great step up from the last sonic youth album but hot damn this things long. Spending over an hour on an albums when I get bored. I will say this is one of the better things from the 80s
Epic noise, really strong album that ends on a bang
I got lucky to hear two excellent examples of pre-Nevermind albums that led to and helped define the alt rock of the 90s. While this wasn't part of my wheelhouse back then, I'm glad to have had the exposure to them now. Good stuff!
I definitely heard this back in the early 90’s. I can remember being fascinated by the painting on the cover, and slightly confused by the deeply weird music. I’m still fascinated by the cover but the music is less opaque and there’s interesting Melodies hidden in the noise that entrance when you find them
Mmm
I love the vibe of this album. The guitar sound is unique, outrageous, at at times a bit chaotic. The vocals are kinda terrible, but the subdued voices actually compliment and give balance to the booming guitar. Everything works well together. I dig it, great album.
- ooh i already like the sound - providence is a cool break up -- i feel like these types of interludes are much less common in the age of digital media - this kind of sounds like if you poured the smiths and nirvana into a bowl and stirred and then spilled something else in - also banger album cover - favorite tracks: the sprawl, a) the wonder - rating: 3.5/5
some CRAZY SHIT started to happen at silver rocket and i loved it a classic that i never took the chance to listen to until now teen age riot is a banger but my feelings on slacker rock r neutral noise rock at one of its most influential favs: silver rocket, a) the wonder 4/5
Probably the only Sonic Youth album I like.
I love Sonic Youth but sometimes they do too much. I love their riffs and their straight rock & roll, yet this might be a little too “Avant Garde” for me. There are some great songs but there’s too much noise. I’m not sure how to rate this. 4 stars feels like too many and 3 stars feels like not enough. Either way, I would rather listen to this than The Black Album.
I generally associate Sonic Youth with with 2 minute guitar feedback interludes. Which I would give a 0 / 5 to. But this album was void of those and I actually liked it. Also - they are pretty iconic as a band.
Sonic Youth is amazing. I feel as though either you really like them or hate them
Can't complain with immaculate 90s vibes
Something about the distorted guitar and the vocals speaks to me. Solid indie rock
When I was around 16 or 17 I went through a Sonic Youth phase so this was a great way to return to their music. 'Teenage Riot' is so brilliant and such a stand-out track. I was mainly obsessed with their album 'Goo' and even had a picture of that album cover in my phone, which sparked intense discussions with my film studies teacher about how he viewed their music as just 'sound'. Even now, I disagree with him - Sonic Youth are brilliant with such a distinct ‘sound’ that draws you in, something that this album exemplifies. I think it's one of those things where if you get it, you get it. Anyways, loved listening to this. Rating: 4.5.
The Daydream Nation was the collective noun for Len Houmous’ wives 31-34. 4.1 1/14 Teenage Riot
I always want to sing ‘we are a part of a daydream nation’, like the Janet Jackson track, when I think of this album. Teenage Riot is one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs, so it’s always good to revisit it. This album as a whole though kind of washes over you like a daydream after. I have trouble recalling specifics after the end of track one. It’s a good daydream though, one which would have seemed like the coolest shit in the world when it came out, and one that’s still pretty cool today. I listened to this while jogging this time around, and the beats/repetitive guitar strums really do well to keep pace. They all inevitably lead to a catastrophic cacophony toward the end of the song, a trend which bands who want to sound cool still utilize, although it really messed with my running groove, I can’t lie. I guess the dissonant parts represent the train of society, barreling into the brick wall of Reaganomics. Or it could be general rhythmic life hurtling into the chaos of unavoidable death. Or perhaps the musicians thought that disrupting the rules was interesting. Makes me feel more indifferent to the music than I want to be though.
Sonic Youth my goats…
Have heard Teen Age Riot a few times but not very familiar with this band. The late 80s period of alternative rock made some pretty underrated music looking back and this overall a very well made record. I like that the songs are long and experimental.
The opener, Teen Age Riot, I was familiar with. It's a noisy album, which I like. I heard elements of early 80s post-punk influence on the sound, despite it being late 80s, including some Cure-like elements. I suppose my main criticism is that the overall sound gets quite samey. A solid four.
A true 80s alt-rock foundation for so many bands that followed. Sonic Youth can be hit and miss for me, particularly in album form, but not here. Opening with the best track they ever wrote, Daydream Nation somehow manages to perfectly balance their noisy, weirdly-tuned distortion-heavy brand of alternative, with a layer of polish and accessibility. 5⭐️
el hijo no reconocido de system of a down y pink floyd, con tintes de the strokes
👍🏻
Previously rated: #84 - E.V.O.L. (1/5) #462 - Goo (4/5) #654 - Dirty (3/5) #924 - Sister (2/5) ************************ Album #1,050 This was a bit on the long side, but it rocks pretty hard. Teenage Riot and 'Cross the Breeze are my favorite tracks. I felt like I needed to something happy and simple afterwards after 70 minutes of the down-tuned off kilter stuff here.
puno gitare koja u mnogim trenucima preuzme celu pesmu i zapravo zameni tekst kao narativno sredstvo što mislim da je baš kul; generalno, jako dobra gitara na ovom albumu, sa raznim melodijama koje se nekad ponavljaju na različitim pesmama (opet kažem, narativno sredstvo) ili promene tonalitet (ili šta već, nisam profi za teoriju muzike) u sred pesme i sve to doprinosi veoma dinamično iskustvu slušanja ovog albuma, baš mi se to sviđa. vokala nema mnogo, ali kad ih ima ne mogu uopšte da provalim dal su muški ili ženski ili ima više pevača, veoma su misteriozni, moram da guglam sad to, zanima me :) generalno atmosfera je veoma zanimljiva i tome doprinosi dobra produkcija i dobar miks, jeeejjj! sviđa mi se "trilogija" pesama na kraju, te tri pesme su kao jedna velika pesma sa milion promena u tempu I čega već, so fun! a i ne samo na kraju albuma već i u sred njega imamo "prelive" (tranzicije) iz jedne u drugu pesmu, a zna se da ja to obožavam hahahahah
It feels youthful
Crunchy guitars
I don't think it's a stretch to call Daydream Nation one of the rawest albums of the '80s. The energy harnessed in this behemoth of an album is absolutely unmatched. I think the reason this album works so well is just how balanced the Noise Rock sound is. I've found that a lot of noise-based rock music from this period leans heavily on the guitars for said noisiness, see You're Living All Over Me and Atomizer. While Daydream Nation absolutely has noisy guitars, the rest of the band matches the energy and grittiness to an insane level. All of the vocal performances manage to capture such an anxious and manic energy, pairing perfectly with the apathetic lyricism. Above all else the album is just infectious and fun while still maintaining tons of edge. There isn't a dull moment over the course of this record, a monumental feat for an album 70 minutes long. I don't think Noise Rock gets much better than this.
until i get home im not anyone
Vildt lækkert. Den mest dreamy SY vi har haft, men der er fanme også noget fed tråd på
Nice and noisy! Loved it.
Okay this one is really good. First track was great, same with The Wonder
sufficiently definitely not cool enough for this but i did enjoy listening
I’m still not entirely sold on Sonic Youth but this was my favorite record of theirs we’ve heard (and I would argue the only one we need on the list). Teen Age Riot was by far the best song, and I also liked Total Trash. But I thought it was interesting how many callbacks there were to previous songs in the different riffs and overall sound. Think I’ll spend more time with this one.
This is good, raw indie rock and roll. I want to love this band but I really don't. Did enjoy this album though.
Daydream Nation is a foundational work of the 1990s grunge and alternative rock era. The band's blend of noise and melody from their late 80s and early 90s experimental rock and punk sounds opened the doors to the underground and underappreciated chromaticism for the Indie mainstream, paving the way for bands like Nirvana, Pavement, My Bloody Valentine, Hole, Cat Power, and Dinosaur Jr.
3rd time listening. Hated this album's endless chugging sprawl when I first heard it years ago, then loved it on a second listen. Now, I'm slightly less enthused but still greatly admire this one. It goes against a lot of the things I instinctively like - it's long, there are endless guitar sections, and a lot of it merges into one drone - yet I do like that aggressively in-your-face attitude. And Teen Age Riot is a true masterpiece.
No way this and deserves multiple spots on this list. I’ll listen and know what to expect. Ok this was way more sophisticated and deeper than the other records I heard. At times dare I say upbeat. This was actually really interesting and good. I’m shocked. SHOCKED I SAID! 4 stars.
Think this album absolutely would have benefitted from being about half this length. I know this is a revered album, but I still think I prefer Goo. The songs are less fun here, and a bit samey, even though they are absolutely dripping with cool in the way that sonic youth does so well. Liked this more than evol for sure.
Big fan. Influenced so many of the big 90s bands
Magical
No. 82 I really liked this album more than I thought. You could hear the punk influence in a lot of songs.
Experimental, but decent. Garage, punk, rock with some noise to boot. I liked it, but I admit I didn't love it. There's something that wanted me to go back for me.
while a lot of the album has similar sounds, it feels so original. teen age riot will FOREVER be a classic. i love it favorites: teen age riot, 'cross the breeze; total trash
Awesome
No wave with pop sensibilities. Starting point for anyone interested in SY. Kim also was fundamental to riot grrl starting here.
good
Ok this is my preferred sonic youth album!
Definitely an influential band. Some songs are too long but probably are good live.
yess
The daydreams this album conjures are of college radio in the early to mid 90s. By most metrics, that was a pretty good time. Sonic Youth themselves are somewhat the equivalent of the Velvet Underground in that they didn’t make many “sing-along“ songs. But much like the VU, I’ve come to appreciate them more as I get older.
Really engaging and raw, I've never heard a full SY album. I think it's a solid 4.
This is an interesting record that I don’t listen to often cause it’s hard to stay focused on. It challenges the listener. They did some weird stuff with tunings and played more open arrangements that were very arranged. It reminds me of a very experimental free jazz record.
a solid album. great instrumentals. classic alternative grungy sound. plenty of interesting chord progressions. I only wish i found this album like 25 years go.
Undoubtably the greatest Sonic Youth album. Favorite track: Hey Joni
Interesting. Solid effort.
grungy
Classic. I appreciate its influence, which I hear on many of the bands I love. That said, its not something I would listen to regularly.
#816. The worst part of this project is not the hundreds of terrible albums on here to listen to, but the good ones that you've never listened to and have been missing out on the whole time. 4/5: great
This album baffled me, because I did not really enjoy the last Sonic Youth album I had to review (Sister), but this sounds completely different. The punk inspired instrumentals, especially that guitar tone and drums, really worked on this thing. This album really intensely focused on instrumentals rather than vocals, which was quite refreshing. There were some parts of this, especially in 'Cross The Breeze, that I thought I was listening to to a King Gizzard offcut. Nice stuff. 'Cross The Breeze was the favourite. Really good punk vibes on this one. Total Trash and Candle were both also great in their own right. Candle especially for the trashy shoegaze vibe it applied to the guitarwork in the latter half of the record. Really solid stuff from a band I thought I was indifferent to. Keen to listen to some more stuff by Sonic Youth.
It is difficult to make a RAIN KING (har har) of the songs on here. More or less everyone song on this album is good or great, but unfortunately none of them leave a particularly strong impression on me. As an album though, it rocks. This probably could have been cleaned up and cut up into a single LP but I am happy that it plays more like a focused jam. Honestly it is a bit long, but I am not going to harp on about that. I have listened to some extremely short albums on here that dragged a lot more than this. I don’t find the need to fall back on the historical significance of this album and the influence it has had on a number of genres. I can appreciate and enjoy this in a vacuum. Highlights: Teen Age Riot, Candle
Good 1970-80 music
Very solid album. Industrial indie tones make this album stand out and the opening track is my biggest standout for me.
Fun and eclectic
4.5 - I am 17 again.
3.5, added several songs to my own playlist, even tough I don't think I'd listen to all the albums in order again
il tipo di musica che piu mi prende
This really rips. It’s the first sonic youth album I’ve listened to, and I get it. Bands still want to sound like this. That being said, it’s too long, and I don’t love some of the extended dissonant sections. But all in all, very good.
LOVE. Always have a good time with a Sonic Youth album.
Возможно, я люблю идею Sonic Youth больше, чем музыку Sonic Youth. Это лучший их альбом несомненно. Лучшая песня - Teen Age Riot.
Nice - pretty strong. Perhaps some of the discordant meanderings are a little lengthy in places, but good stuff nonetheless. I think Goo tops this slightly for me.
Sounds like what I imagine being an angsty teen in the 80s felt like
Opens up with a really really good song. Then the rest of the album feels more raw, more chaotic and less polished. I enjoyed it though.
it was really good i love how long the songs were(brong back songs longer than 3 minutes pls) it wasnt the best album ive ever listened to but still it was really good
class
I’ve never really managed to get into Sonic Youth before. I’ve tried on a few occasions, but Daydream Nation was my first proper listen — and now I finally get it. Daydream Nation is a genuinely great album. It grabs you immediately with the brilliance of “Teenage Riot” and never really lets go, carrying that momentum all the way through to the closing trilogy of tracks, which are absolutely superb and a perfect way to end the record. Musically, the album sounds fantastic. The drumming, bass, and guitars are all outstanding, but it’s the guitar work that really stands out — noisy, inventive, and endlessly engaging. The lyrics are dark yet strangely catchy, giving the album an edge without ever feeling inaccessible. I’m not usually a fan of grunge, but if this sits anywhere near that genre, it’s easily the best version of it I’ve heard. Favourite tracks: The closing trilogy — an incredible and immersive finale. Least favourite track: None. Every track deserves your time. Album artwork: Simple, understated, and very effective.
Early brit punk sound. Classic
Teenage Riot starts this album off and it is a masterpiece. One of the greatest alternative songs ever. This song itself deserves to be heard and celebrated. The rest of it makes you want to listen to the opener again
Super solid album, front to back. You can hear the influence that this had on dozens of other massive bands that came after. The album does have a bit too much going on at times, but it's not too much to be horrible. Definitely knocks it down a bit, but it's still really good. I'd have a hard time giving this album only a 3, so a 4 it is.
Sonic Youth's magnum opus which is filled with anthemic songs, especially with that explosive opener that is "Teenage Riot;" A song which calls out to all the outsiders, far and wide. This would be their final independent release (if you don't count the Ciccone Youth side-project album,) after this album they would depart to a major label. Coming around in the point in time of music when alternative rock became mainstream for a while. They manage to balance the harshness of their early days whilst bring in more melody. I believe the album cover says it all, in my opinion. Bleakness. There's this moodiness/nocturnal sound that's present on the album, which I always happen to love. Highlight Song/s: "Teenage Riot" and "Silver Rocket"
Groupe connu, par l'album 'Washing Machine' dont j'avais découvert quelques morceaux à la Fnac à l'époque et qui m'avais paru intéressant. Je l'avais acheté, mais finalement j'ai fini par me lasser et l'abandonner, et je n'ai pas eu envie d'en découvrir d'autre. Si j'avais eu à le noter, à l'époque je lui aurais mis 3/5. Donc c'est la première fois que j'écoute 'DayDream Nation'. J'apprécie le son rugueux, les harmonies parfois dissonantes, les structures non standards de la plupart des morceaux, et les plages instrumentales sur les morceaux les plus longs. Chaque nouveau morceau est une découverte qui donne envie de continuer, ce qui, à mon avis, est finalement plutôt rare dans cette liste : j'ai noté 4/5 ou 5/5 à peine 10 % des albums proposés ... Morceaux particulièrement remarqués : 'The Sprawl' 'Cross the Breeze' 'Total Trash' 'Trilogy' Je pense qu'il va rejoindre ma collection ! =>4/5
Solid, little overrated
Really grows on me with more listens. Perhaps lacking in breadth some but all of the tunes are enjoyable.
This came out a year before I was born, and while I've heard of them I've never pulled the trigger. Growing up I was a big fan of Dashboard Confessional, AAR, The Verve, Death Cab, etc. I can hear so much of them on this album. Coincidentally, I read the first two books of Gibson's The Sprawl trilogy a month or so ago and that track has to be a reference, yes? Their whole sound just...oozes, like the grungy underbelly Gibson builds in his books. Fave Tracks: Teenage Riot > The Sprawl > Total Trash (last half was legit) Current Fav Album: Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth (#3/1089)
Really amazed I don’t listen to them more
Jaime bien l’énergie
I continue to love Sonic Youth. Thanks 1001 Albums for teaching me this. This one gets a little self indulgent in the middle, but overall a strong album
Great running album
Highlights: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, 'Cross The Breeze, Eric's Trip, Hey Joni, Candle
It was good
Okay WOW I used to think that I wasn't crazy about these sonics (no pun intended). However, listening to this record directly after Heaven 17 is like "okay, at the very least it's in my neighborhood of interest...it's got something I can bite into". For whatever combination of reasons, now that I'm older this record has been much more accessible to me, even evoking some strong emotions at times.
Takes some getting into but the noise does turn to music eventually.
Not an album done to create radio hits, this one pulls you in in a different way. Lots going on in here, and really compelling. Broad sound, definitely dense.
hell yeah
No real notes, this is the first album I'd already heard before this project recommended it and I do like it and Sonic Youth in general.
It’s a powerful experience. They have many albums that could be considered their peak and for me this is the one. They realise everything they are capable of, the recording and production is refined, but just enough to maintain direct links to their roots. They have smothered the artwork with mystery and lore, mostly tongue in cheek and poking fun at themselves. The double album format, though unusual for the genre, allows them to stretch out, letting songs breathe and groove. The energy simply drips from the album. So much has been said about Daydream Nation before, so I’ll just give a mention to something I’ve noticed more and more with recent listens. As I kid I would enjoy the many intros as tension builders, helping elevate the moment when the song explodes, but lately, those intros have taken on new life for me. They are moments of genuine and sometimes surprisingly delicate beauty. Having said that I can find a lot of beauty in even the most intense adrenaline filled moments too. A strong 4
This album was a trip. I somehow missed Sonic Youth the first time around. It is an excellent album, even as they get a bit more experimental as the album progresses. I'm not as effusive as some but still really enjoyed the album
I was prepared for overly self aware weirdness but there are legitimately great tunes in here. I really like it. For a 70 minute double album it really doesn't feel like it overstays its welcome.
无感
Pretty cool punk/noise rock album.
Great album!
There's no denying this album's legacy or influence, and Teen Age Riot is an incredible track... I just think some of it devolves into noise rock and it's not as cohesive as some of the other classics on this list. Still, there's a lot I loved here.
Teenage Riot one of my favorite first tracks ever.
There's something moving over there to the right Like nothing I've ever seen
I really enjoy this, there is a sense of envelopment and taking up of space.
Pretty good
It turns out that while I like the concept of Sonic Youth, I don't like their music. Just kidding . . . kind of. As long as Kim Gordon isn't "singing," their music is pretty dang good. There are just too many times over the course of any Sonic Youth album where I'm thinking, "Alright, already with the noise jam. Get to the song." My favorite Sonic Youth albums are the ones with less noise jamming (and less Kim) and more song. Daydream Nation is pretty coherent and has some really great moments, but there's just too much stuff that I feel compelled to skip to go higher than a four. And even then, I feel I'm being a tad generous.
Remarkable and great all the way through. Starting with Teenage Riot, this album goes uninterrupted until a few songs in, blistering guitars, powerful drums and lyrics that cut deep. Always recommended.
Classic
I just had Goo pop up on here yesterday. Well, Goo is really great - and to me, Daydream Nation is just as good
Oh here we go... More Sonic Youth. The band I've desperately been trying to like for the majority of my life. I bet if I wore that Sonic Youth t-shirt that everyone had in the 90s that had a washing machine on it to a party when I was in high school I would have been chatted up a by a girl that was much cooler than me (named Raven or Skye or Tempest or something). I've always felt like they're one of those bands that everyone likes the idea of, but nobody can really get into because their guitars are so unpleasing. I wanted to dismiss this album based on my preconceived notions... but WTF- this album actually rocks. Maybe if I checked this out back in the day I could have worn that shirt unironically and without fear of being a poser and Raven and I would have been high-school sweethearts. Fuck... I guess timing is everything.
First time I heard Sonic Youth was this album in the late 80’s. Still sounds great.
Favourite track: Teenage Riot
Very cool. I love some of the guitar on this record. The playing is energetic and swings between melodic and dissonant with great sensitivity. The tones are really beautiful too. I feel like it melts into my ear in a buttery way. I think I was slightly more into the atmospheric ambitious tracks on this record more than the ones that felt like simple punk pieces. With it being a double record, I find it a little hard to appreciate as a whole piece of music in such a short time.
Quem disse que é barulhento tem ouvido sensível 😂 isso é rock, bebê.
Very good album I slept on way too long. 4 *
Got served with back-to-back Sonic Youth albums. This one was at least twice as good as Goo, so it gets double the stars. Tracks to Track: Total Trash
this album is simultaneously very cool, weird, important, noisy, experimental, annoying, and influential. it's so clearly an inspiration for many bands that came afterwards, and if you close your eyes you can hear shades of nirvana, other grunge, post-hardcore, and much more. that said, it is 70 minutes long and kinda loses its grip after the first few tracks. there are five seven-minute songs, each somehow more identical than the last. i'm not gonna put this album very often (beyond teen age riot, thank you for introducing me to it, rock band 2) but i sure am glad it's here. favorites: teen age riot, silver rocket, the sprawl, 'cross the breeze, eric's trip
Great noise rock, can see how influential this is. Not something I would come back to full album that often. 8/10
En 1988 explicando todo el rock alternativo que se vino después. Unos genios. Unos pioneros. Y un gran disco. Un poco largo, eso sí. 8/10
Good album - ambitious, sprawling, and clearly influential
As a teen in 90s, I had a certain subset of friends listening to Sonic Youth's albums released in the mid 90s. For some reason, those never hit my ear right, and I just thought "I don't like Sonic Youth." Simple as that. Here we are, a whole lot of years later, rocking the fuck out to this album, missing all the years I could have been listening to this. I absolutely cannot believe this came out in 1988. It sounds fresh today, and is undeniably a major influence on the staples of my music diet. For context of how different this was in 88, MJ's Bad, The Joshua Tree, and Luka by Suzanne Vega won Grammys that year. Incredible. I can't imagine what it was like to hear this when it came out. After 400some albums I have listened to from this list, this is the first that has changed my preconceived ideas about a band. I think what I'm so interested here is that the album has basically all the things I complain about on other albums, especially discordance and limited vocal talent. However, they take all the things I don't like and make them very palatable for me.
This was a Teen Age Riot.
Yeah good
My Apple Music algorithm keeps trying to get me to listen to Sonic Youth. And the songs that I haven't skipped, I haven't loved. However, their music works so much better in a full album context. It's still not my favorite, but I can see why the streaming algorithm overlords thinks I'll like them.
I enjoyed this album. I would like to take a deeper dive into it. Every song is different yet somehow has a similar theme.
Grew on me alot
How important to me are the lyrics in a Sonic Youth song? Honestly now. I mean, of course they're important in general; they wouldn't be here if they weren't. People just like having words in their music, y'know? But to me, specifically: how much do they matter? I've often said I'm melody first over lyrics. Mostly it's just a result of my being AuDHD and having a hard time deciphering some of the more complex lyrics out there, but at the same time ... isn't melody what most people come to music for? And I stress "most people"; I know hip hop has never been a terribly melodic genre, and there's always been a place in the world for the more atonal experimental material. For the average person, though, among which I count myself, melody should be important. Otherwise, it's just poetry with some pretty sounds underneath. Some folks would dig that — I wouldn't. And in Sonic Youth's case, there's an additional factor to consider: **their** genre, shoegaze. It's one I remember struggling with early on with My Bloody Valentine's 'm b v', but this deep in the list, I think I get it. It's ambient music. Heavy, guitar driven, noise drenched ambient music. It's vibes shit. It ain't purely instrumental, like most ambient music is, but the vibes are strong nonetheless. And as ambient music goes, I'd prefer the electronic stuff, but this "rock version" ain't all too bad. With this framework in mind I absolutely loved 'loveless' back when my group got it. That album is **the** name in shoegaze, and if I like that, hey, I could probably maybe like any of it. Honestly, it occurs to me I might not've liked the last two Sonic Youth albums my group has gotten **because** I wasn't using this framework. So that's what I tried to do here with 'Daydream Nation', rival to 'Goo' for **the** Sonic Youth album. And a long one, too — 76 minutes! I've heard longer, but goodness, a double dose of shoegaze? A slightly younger me would've revlused at the idea. But maybe this current me, wiser in their ways nearly 700 albums deep into this list, would like it more? Maybe? Does it work if you take it on vibes and energy? I'd say it works more than it doesn't, and in the spots where it doesn't it's more down to my tastes than anything. I'll tell you, for me the vibes peaked within the first three songs. "Teen Age Riot" is often considered one of the greatest album openers of all time (so I've heard), and I think it lived up. The intro section especially was incredible. I maybe could actually listen to it for an hour. Then you have the closing section of "The Sprawl", which is pretty much exactly what I wanted from this album. It's this mesmerizing guitar line that repeats into disintegration. In an attempt to fit with the album cover I tried to stare at a video of a candle the entire time — unfortunately, I kept getting distracted. But listening to the outro of "The Sprawl" and staring at this candle, that was probably my favorite experience of the entire album. Afterwards, the albums get significantly less ambient. Sort of disappointed, but whatever. Do the vibes still hold up? Well, it's here where it starts wavering and where my tastes start coming more into play. See, a lot of this album strikes me as ... stressed. And more than a little peeved. So there's quite a few songs and sections that come off to me as a little tense and unnerving. And if I were taking the lyrics in mind like most people would've, I imagined it'd fit quite well. But as a vibe — strictly as a **vibe** — it's not much my flow. Unless I'm imagining some scene with my OCs where it calls for tense music, I don't often tend to seek it out. Frankly, I'm much more of a fan of the disaffected ambience. **That's** the good shit. At the very least the soundscape carried me well enough that I never really cared that this thing stretches over two discs. That ain't nothing. Even if it ain't one of the more "justified" double albums I've ever heard; I know one of 'em was on a writing spree when this album was getting made, but you really couldn't have cut **that much**? Not that I could think of anything to cut, anyway; as a "vibes album" it all sort of mushed together to me after side 1. Which, y'know, that's not a bad thing as far as "vibes" are concerned, but I'm just saying: if I didn't mind it being long, I don't think I would've minded it being a little shorter either. But in the end, my question: how important are lyrics to me when it comes to Sonic Youth? I think they are a little. The mood of some of these things just ain't my thing, and they'd probably need the lyrics to justify them. All the same, it was probably for the best anyway. I remember my sore spot with 'Goo' was the lyrics: not even that I disliked them, but because I could just imagine the audience who'd love them, and they weren't people I'd wanna be friends with. So maybe I'd like 'Goo' better as a vibe? I'unno. But I did like 'Daydream Nation' more this way than I didn't. And if nothing else, "Teen Age Riot" and "The Sprawl" are worth the price of admission. And that's a ... pretty kool thing, y'know. (Wrong album, I know.)
The tracks feel a bit samey, but that doesn't make this a bad album. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
Yah this list is making me into a pretty big sonic youth fan. Before I started the list I genuinely only knew the song kool thang. But now I can say all theee albums from this list have been excellent! This album started slow, for some reason I don’t care for that starting track, but for the most part this is a no skip album. Great instrumentation as always from them. The only critique that I always have for this band is I just find Kim Gordon to have the more interesting voice and vocal performances. The other singer isn’t bad just pales in comparison. It’s like the Ozzy vs Dio debate. Yah Dio is immensely talented and awesome and a super nice guy, but Ozzy’s energy and vocals somehow just work better with the sound of the band than Dio does. That being said yah I can’t actually hate on the album for having 2 singers, it adds variety which I can appreciate. Honestly the only thing holding this album back from a perfect 5 is I just don’t have that personal connection to it. I loved all the songs but I didn’t have that moment with a song where I thought it was perfect. This is another example of getting as close to a 5 as possible without achieving one.
Chaotic, noisy and fantastic. Kim Gordon’s tracks on this all stand out as top tier. Only thing preventing this from 5 is a few songs on the second half are just not quite perfect. 9/10 Favorite tracks- “Silver Rocket” “Total Trash” “Cross the Breeze” “Kissability”
4.5 stars. Indie rock that borders on noise rock but in a good way. Heavy punk influences (as well as some shoe-gaze, but heavier) and a clear precursor to grunge alt rock. So many catchy hooks throughout that. Long stretches of instrumental-only that highlights the talented guitar work and drumming. Only skip is the interlude-y "Providence" with its dubbed phone messages. "Hey Joni" is their art rock at it's best. Standout is the iconic leadoff "Teenage Riot".
Daydream Nation is hard to classify on first listen. The only things that jump out at you are masterful guitar sounds, from over an hour of runtime. What can be said is that these guitar sounds are enough to give this a place on the list, they’re pioneering as well as being really rather great too. Can you tell I haven’t much to say? What’s best here are the longer (over seven minute) tracks, that are given free rein to sprawl. See, well, The Sprawl for probably my favourite example of this. I’m a fan of these sorts of loud bands that started at CBGB in the 80s, Swans being another. This is by all accounts one of, if not the most influential record of that ilk, so I’ll be listening to it a lot more, I can guarantee that.
Sonic Youth's magnum opus captures the band at arguably the perfect time in their transition from pure (and sometimes nearly unlistenable) noise rock ("Bad Moon Rising") to alternative rock megastars ("Dirty"). This record gets a bit sprawling and might have been served by a bit of tightening - I'm not sure the 14 minutes "Trilogy" was a necessary end to the record - but the highlights here are among Sonic Youth's best work - led by the terrific "Teen Age Riot". A great album worth the effort to appreciate.
Between yesterday and today I've listened to this about 3 times. In each listen I was able to hang on with attention for about 5 or so songs before I got distracted by other things. So rather than try to give something of a comprehensive review, I'm running this one off of vibes. I'll start by saying this is a rather long album weighing in at ~70 minutes. Be that as it may, I don't think the album suffers in any way for running as long as it does. On each listen I was happy to be locked into Sonic Youth's world for the entire time. Their sound varies stylistically from track to track, but there is a cohesive / consistent quality to their sound that I really enjoy. While I can see how the deluges into noise rock might not be everyone's cup of tea and could see someone making an argument that this is pure musical masturbation, I personally enjoyed the loose ends and messiness throughout. Tight drums, fuzzy guitar lines, and some solid bass. Favorites that I remember from my listens are Silver Rocket, 'Cross the Breeze, Rain King, and Teen Age Riot. Solid 4 for me, could see this one growing on me.
Arguably their greatest album. I saw them at Glastonbury many years ago. Nice and noisy before Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros took the stage.
Later punk vibes. Long songs that descend into chaos at times, very little melodic singing, mostly monotone but with feeling. Driving songs. Heavy beats. Kind of good to zone out too. I haven't listened to the lyrics much, but I like the sound. Reminds me of Dinosaur Jr (love) but more droning and heavy.
It's the sound for me. I understand if people complain about the repetitiveness, but I for one enjoy it quite a lot. I feel like a 3.5 is more accurate, but sliding it up to a 4 based on the unceasing toe-taping. TEENAGE RIOT, THE SPRAWL, RAIN KING are class!!
It’s a classic. I thought I overdid it but happy I took a break from it and came back after a while
а че это за жанр
Classic alternative/punk album. That boss chorus pedal never gets turned off all album long and it’s great. Best SY album imo
I like this better than the last Sonic Youth album I had. It is a double album though so we'll see if that feeling holds up across over an hour of "noise rock". If you asked me what "post-punk" meant, I would say this album. Sonic Youth is the 90s Velvet Underground. There are a lot of long songs on this album. Noise rock is right. I just got a flash of their collaboration with Cypress Hill on the Judgement Night soundtrack, I Love You Mary Jane. I guess I like this better than most Pixies albums? There's a lot of this era of music on this list for the amount of popular appeal it had. I can't tell if I like the more punk songs more or less.
Sonic Youth is a band that I know I should be more into, that I want to be more into, and I absolutely appreciate their contribution to music, but I am really just a casual enjoyer of their legacy. This album is a huge part of that legacy, and songs like "Teen Age Riot" prove why.
I enjoyed it, this is probably the best Sonic Youth album on here. I still think they're a bit pretentious though.
The only Sonic Youth record I sort of "get"
7/10
Like Helen of Troy, the album that launched 1000 indie bands Its great, but I think maybe a little unfocused at times - Providence doesn't bring anything to the table. Teen Age Riot might be one of the best openers ever.
not normally a big sonic youth fan but this album was good
3.5
This was an interesting album I had trouble rating. Probably one of the more enjoyable thus far. The guitars were mesmerizing, vocals intriguing (especially Kim Gordon), and there were plenty of odd instrumental moments to get lost in. The whole album flows together well but also sounds different. This is that anxious, dark, moody indie/alt rock that’s addicting to some and feels like lightning in a bottle. I was not aware of Sonic Youth before and I can’t tell you any other music by them, but discovering an album like this is the reason I did this project. To be fair, I can see how other listeners may feel the vocals can get annoying, or the art/prog sounds too unappealing. Will it be a permanent staple in my rotation? Ehh - hard to say. Will be it my album of the month? Possibly. An easy 3.5 boosted to a 4.
really fun to listen to
Love Sonic Youth. One of their best. Not much more to say.
Top end of this is great. But by the end I remembered why I hardly ever listened to them back in the day.
Saw them at the Paradise in Boston in March of 1990, and it kind of gives me anxiety to remember that trip because I was with a group of ne'er-do-wells that I had no business hanging out with, but somehow got invited and said yes. Great album though.
There's too much of it and it gets pretty repetitive, but I found it surprisingly listenable.
i love sonic youth. i dont think this a 5 star record. ill give it 4.5. I can't justify giving it anything lower.
I love this kind of thing. Noise is fucking epic. It’s too long tho so minus 1 star.
College-y and slightly rock-orchestral.
Sonic Youth's blending of post punky guitars with their background in no-wave and noise are perfectly balanced. Their influence on 90's alt-rock is palpable on Daydream Nation.
Don’t mind Sonic youth, used to like them more back when this was new than I do now, probably down to me not being a youth no more, alas. But good to revisit and Out of the 3 albums of theirs that I have had on this list so far this is probably the one I have enjoyed going back to most, being a little more accessible if somewhat sprawling. Good balance of melody and the dissonance and highly influencial. As said Nice to revisit, would have been a 5 years ago and probablyshould for it'sinfluence, but this is my take today so. 4 Star
What a great album, I have always loved Sonic Youth and felt they were underappreciated in their time. Really started the whole shoegaze thing. What they do sonically is really unique. They aren't all winners but the ones that hit are so good.
I need to listen to this album more often
*Fuzzy guitars, cool indie vibe. *Don't love the sing-talking but the guitar tone and faster tempo tracks are solid. *I think I will like this more each time I listen to it.
Good energy. ★★★★