Daydream Nation

Probably could have been a single album.

This album starts SO GOOD and falls off for me around the middle.

As far as opening tracks go, Teenage Riot has to be right up there. Wouldn't say this is a record I would necessarily go back to and listen to over and over again, but there is no denying the influence this and Sonic Youth had on American rock/grunge in the late 80s and early 90s. An important record, if not necessarily a great one.

chill

*1988. *I really like these guys about 1/3 of the time. I'm here for the melodic, slower, grungy stuff, but they lose me with the more yell-y punk stuff. *Teenage Riot is a good song. *There are 5 songs on here that are at least 7 minutes, wtf? RATING - 6/10

There are some good moments on this album, but it’s way too long. A few songs are great, others get the noise/song balance wrong and drag on. I can see why it’s respected, but not sure I would return often. Good in parts, hard work in others.

The guitar work was cool, but it dragged a bit.

Solid alternative rock album, surprised I'd never listened to Sonic Youth before!

I quite liked Daydream Nation a fair bit. This album has more of the sound that i was expecting from Sonic Youth, not the more noisy stuff from Evol and Sister. Instead it just has this somewhat hard indie rock sound and i like it since i'm a fan of a lot of indie rock especially when it's the harder, faster, heavier kind. Granted this album is still far from perfect, the noisy parts are still there despite not being nearly as prevalent and the lyrics are a bit on the stupid side but i don't think that those two things were enough to completely detract from the parts of the album that i did like. I was expecting this to be like the other two Sonic Youth albums i heard but this one is actually a fair bit better. Best Song: Rain King Worst Song: Silver Rocket

eh, pretty long, but not too bad

Edgy and youthful

It's okay. Some of their other albums on this list I thought were better. Just kind of noisy. 3/5 Probably won't listen again

Been wanting some Sonic Youth on here. Weirdly a band that has always passed me by so glad to get my chance… Kinda feels like Weezer mixed with Lou Reed somehow, with punk undertones. It’s raw and scrappy, dissonant and chaotic. Nice to have the variety in vox, probably prefer Kim’s with this sound. Can really see how it gave rise to some of the more instrumental rock / experimental bands of 90s/00s and enjoy their freedom in this and the longer arrangements. Whilst I enjoy it, unless you are super into it, it’s easy to feel like you have your fill and goes on for quite some time after. I respect what they’re doing, but maybe I’m just not cool enough….yet (3.5)

3/5

This was alright

Enjoyed a lot of it. But the parts I didn't enjoy I really didn't particularly enjoy.

Enjoyable punk, innovative, exciting and fun to listen to. Though nothing is jumping out as an ear worm

(4/7) "Teenage Riot" then a lot of crunchy guitar

Man this was tough to get through. I do like bands with multiple singers, but the music was just so harsh. If this album was 25 mins shorter I could have maybe gotten to a 4 but this was rough.

I never could get into Sonic Youth. This album didn’t help any. It’s fine, but too much “wall of noise” for my liking. There are roots of things I do like, however.

Not too bad, a bit samey after a while

Very interesting lp that combines a lot of genres. I enjoy the bits that sound more like indie and post rock. Not so much the punk and noise parts. Not so sure what to do with this?

I thought I hated this album, but I didn’t mind it this time around.

2026.01.31

Langweiliges überladenes mittelmäßiges Rockalbum, ging so.

Will definitely be listening again.

Altså, på papiret burde det være lige mig, men det er simpelthen FOR skramlet. Det stikker for meget. Men noget af det er meget cool, i små doser.

I was not in the right mood for this album and couldn’t get through it.

I suppose this is ok. Even a bit better in places, and I’m sure that if I were a fan I’d love it. But there’s too much of it and it’s not innovative or catchy enough to merit anything better than ok I’m sure it was super influential back in the day. It almost certainly should be on this list. But I doubt I’ll listen again

3.6

Best one for sure but still not my fav it is way too long

enjoy it lol

As a person who has spent a lifetime being classically trained in music and obtained a four-year degree in music, this album fascinated me. I heard influences of what I would call contemporary classical, or at the very least some kind of serialism or atonalism. There is a tonal "center" to each song, but not a whole lot of melody going on. Guitars are playing familiar-sounding chords with crunchy notes between, creating a grungy, underground kind of sound. Production is excellent. A very unique sound done well, with plenty of hard-hitting moments and moments of reprieve as well. I thought some of the songs were simply too long and for no good reason. I did not really enjoy the vocals - they were just underwhelming and not very memorable. Instrumentals are strong. This is the kind of music that makes you scrunch up your face and nod your head in agreement, or possibly disagreement if you have different tastes. It's very effective, if not a bit brash. I think this is objectively *good* and it makes sense to be on this list, and I might come back to it in some deeper musical discussions. 3/5; solid, but not really made for me.

Too punk for me

Being a huge fan of 90’s alternative, this album has always been one that I have meant to get around too. Being one of the forefathers of the grunge sound and hearing a few songs of theirs; I had very high expectations for this going into it. The starting track was everything I imagined it to be with power driven riffs and vocals that drone and are at times delivered with snark that are showing that they are everything that pop music was NOT at the time. Sadly, once I hit the middle of this album I started to lose interest. Being an “all gas no breaks” type of project; I think this album would very much benefit from breaking up the chaotic riffs every once in a while. While I respect that this album paved the way for a whole genre of rock music and inspired countless artists to come; my advice would be if you want a more consumable album that paved the way just as much, and better song writing, I highly recommend Doolittle by Pixies over this one

iyo raa ver mivaqcie yuradgeba mara kargad mesmoda

Street Joy is a great tune

Alternative rock/punk/post punk. It's pretty good but it's generally too much on the punky side and less melodic/hook driven than I would prefer. Nice riff on Total Trash, almost presaging pop-punk. Best track - Cross the Breeze, Eric's Trip 3 stars

2.54 / 5 stars for Daydream Nation. It has some winners (Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, Candle), and some real head scratchers (Hey Joni, Providence, Rain King, Kissability). The last song, the 13 minute marathon is pretty good, but will never grace A Mixtape. too long and not really a joy to listen to. there ARE 13 minute songs I don't mind listening to. this is not one of them. I somewhat understand why people put this on those greatest albums ever lists, but it definitely would not make mine. But I get it.

A little heavy at times for me, though I can see the influence it has on more recent punk/rock bands, and thus, their significance.

Sonic Youth are another band I always meant to pay more attention to. The bits I've heard didn't grab me much. I enjoyed this a bit more, but I can't help thinking that Nirvana listened to this and went, 'This is great, but what if it had actual tunes and the vocals weren't drowned in guitar soup?'

I should like noise rock because I like distortion in other genres, but I don't. I think it's the punkiness of it I don't like. Which is odd, because I quite like punk. There were bits I did enjoy, such as the song 'Cross the Breeze, but most of it I found rather unexceptional. Not a fan of any of the vocals either. The length doesn't help. I'll have to come back to this though at some point. I can see this being one of those albums that take a few listens before it clicks.

It's only been an hour since I listened to Daydream Nation, and I've already pretty much forgotten what it sounded like.

I once again mainly listened to this album in the background. I don't think this album was for me, but I also don't outright think it was bad. There are some songs I really didn't like (see: Kissability) but there were definitely tracks that had a lot to enjoy. There are four more Sonic Youth albums on this list to get through, so hopefully there'll be something on those that grabs me more. Favourite song: Candle

Meh, some good tracks but got lost with the noise stuff on a lot of the tracks, 7/10

solid 3/5

It sounds like punk but with a bit of polish which I really like, the album is quite unnecessarily long tho

Mixed feelings about this. Great riffs, but songs are looooooooooong! Not the right record to listen to on a long train journey.

It's cool, but nothing spetacular.

This album reminds me how much I like guitar. Straight up riffing. Very enjoyable. 3 stars. Favourite track - Total trash.

Probably a pioneering album in its day, but a lot of this sounds like amateur hour with a garage band.

Some of the music's OK. Don't care for the vocalists, though. Or the excessive noise/feedback aspect of their sound.

Probably needs to be on the list. Influential and takes rock music in a new direction. Not an easy Monday morning listen though. Teenage Riot is great of course.

I have tried to listen to Sonic youth before. Did not work then, did not really work now. I understand the relevancy, it's just not for my ears personally.

Innovative Noise/Modern Rock, but not an album I ever choose to listen to.

Love the backing music, I can hear so many other bands who hadn't yet formed in there. However what really lets it down is the vocal, I can't stand shouting into the mic with no melody, it just ruins it for me and sounds tone deaf. Can do with less experimental stuff too but that's just personal preference

The Sprawl and Total Trash are great. Gave me Maggot Brain vibes. I liked when they tapped into these long intervals of instrumentation. The singing was not that great but I get that this is not a band where singing is the focus. I probably won’t listen to this ever again but it was quite the experience. Enjoyable noise.

Jesus this was painful! some songs were ok, it felt like a late-90s/00s indie band at times, which I guess speaks well about the album, but it was TOO LONG! it was difficult to get through it...

I like sonic Youth and Teen Age Riot rips but maybe this didn't need to be a double album?

Grew on me as it went on

Very same-y. Had a few notable moments but mostly just kind of sounded like the same riff and singing on repeat for an hour

6/10, 2 liked but jus boring

I liked it somewhat. The out of tune singing was distracting at times, but besides that it was alright

More like 2.5. I feel bad rating it this low when I feel like they walked so Sleater Kinney could run, a band I like significantly more somehow lol.

Thought I liked this more than I did with this re-listen. Great at times, blah for many. the first half of total trash is so good, shame they torch it with the latter.

Innovative, cool sounds and some songs I really like, but at times it feels unfinished and by the end the grinding distortion wears you down.

def need to listen again!

Tengo que escucharlo de nuevo.

I knew their famous songs but I’ve never went more into their discography.

0/18 bekannt 5/10 Beste Songs: electricity, silver rocket, computer age Silver rocket erinnert mich an einen anderen Song (aber ich weiß nicht welcher 😭), electricity wertet das ganze Album auf

Their brand of noise rock is at a perfect crossroad with their pop sensibilities on this one

Bit too raaaarrr for me...but I can see why it's good

It’s an ok album. Obviously inspired lots of bands that followed. For me it gets too dragged out and repetitive. Perhaps you had to be there?

Hard to get through, not bad but not my favorite. 5.7/10

Kim Gordon's vocals are not my thing, but the guitar work absolutely is. It's a pretty good album but not something I'd ever rush to listen to again.

Best Track - "Teen Age Riot"

I typically don’t gravitate to these guys, but I appreciate it the revolutionary noisy sound this time around and I think about it in context.

I think the first song really was the best in this one.

It’s good, and lives up to it’s name in that it is very dreamlike. Teen Age Riot is my fav.

Sonic Youth are such a weird band. Sometimes they are good, other times they are annoying and awful. They just can't figure out what they want to be.

The more I hear these guys the more I get into it a bit - don't love it but willing to check them out some more.

didn't do much for me but there were a couple of interesting points

Again, not my taste, too grungy, but it was still an enjoyable listen

Maybe I’m in a good mood but I actually didn’t mind this. Usually this shit kinda sucks to me but it scratched an itch for me. Interesting late 80s punk. Total Trash starts playing completely foul notes like 3 mins in but I fucking love it? Wtf I think I need to be in the right mood to listen to this. Or it put me in that mood. …Which is anxious. But I actually fuck with this a bit.

Not bad, lo-fi stuff.

Mmm Was okay

Probably my favorite album so far from this genre.

I have dallied with Sonic Youth in the past, and actually happen to own one of their records in "Goo" as another bargain purchase made off the back of the endless praise I'd heard for it/the band. I've never found a huge amount to grasp onto with Sonic Youth on previous attempts, and somehow glossed over this album which appears to be held in some of the highest esteem within their catalogue. Whilst I did enjoy large spells of Daydream Nation on my first listen, appreciating the manner in which they married angularity with relative accessibility compared to some of their other entries, it is a touch too long and my engagement did ebb and flow at varying points. Again, there's never really a focal point within the music that screams out at you and demands your attention; rather, this felt like a "sum of its parts" type of record meant to be taken in as a sprawling, curious experience. There's definitely enough going on here to warrant a revisit, but I'm not sure it's a record that I'd ever come to love or be itching to purchase in future.

It's okay - nothing stood out. Listened on my commute. 3l

Pretty good.

A FOURTH Sonic Youth album are you kidding me??? It's like the list curators only know five bands

This seems like the kind of music that is very oriented to its scene and aesthetic. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. It's just like... Welcome to the Lower East Side, we've pulled the tubes out of our amps and replaced them with tiny cheese graters and loose pinball machine parts. Have fun kids.

Coolio aber zwenig zum uf es 4i z lupfe Aber keep up sonic youth

Punk rock early days.

I definitely get why this is so important…just not my thing sadly. I am hopelessly uncool. A low three because i do get it.

Cool songs. Definitely worth it to listen to atleast once. I don't think I will ever listen to this casually again because noise rock is not something I really enjoy but the album is well put together. I like the song 'candle' the most because of the nice intro

fine

Not terrible, not great.

It’s better than the previous Sonic Youth album but isn’t really worth shouting about. It’s very ordinary.

This album surprised me. I've never cared for Sonic Youth, mostly regarding them as tuneless noise. While too long by half, the great driving groove keeps things interesting. This one might be grower.

3.0 - Ok

Appreciated the listen and reading a bit about the album.

Interesting and sometimes overwhelming guitar sound, but I'm sure that's the aim. Reminded me of Iggy Pop in parts. I'm sure there is a cult following.

A bit all over the place, love some stuff, like some stuff, not bothered by some stuff.

not my thing sorry

I want to go back and listen, but I think these guys are good. My first Sonic Youth so I will explore further

I like this more than I remember, but not every song needs to end in a cacophony of noise.

I always want to like Sonic Youth more because it would be cool to like a band from the 80s and they are so close to being really enjoyable. It's great noise rock, but there are too many spoken word songs, especially by Kim - but I guess the fact that I don't like it makes it even more punk. I will give EVOL a 4 or 5, but Daydream Nation gets a 3.

There were a couple fun songs ("Providence" anyone?), but not enough to justify rounding up from 3.5 stars, if only because this album seems like it could have benefitted from some trimming of fat.

2.8

A very frustrating album that comes down to my own personal preferences. There are some pretty decent tracks on this album that lean more into an interesting melodic melancholy that made for some quality songs. But so much of the ambient noise comes off as completely unnecessary runtime padding - this absolutely did not need to be a double album. Honestly would have preferred more distortion with the ambience to lean into a proto-shoegaze sound. Sonic Youth's best, and it still leaves some to be desired. Top tracks: Teen Age Riot, Total Trash, Candle

Enjoyed at first but tired of it by end

Some good songs, some cool sounds, but mostly not melodic enough for me, and I don’t like one of the (two?) main vocalists.

Ok

Not sure about this, found myself nodding along a few times but found some of it a bit too avant garde, would probably grow on me with a few more listens though

Not bad for punk

Raw and pure alternative rock music.

I've heard of these guys. Definitely one of those bands i have seen from afar, know a couple tracks by them but never got into them. Curious to see what the album sounds like. Interesting. No for me. I get it. These guys have a big following. A feel like they are almost Radiohead level.

Enjoyed it

It was nice to hear music looking for a new sound.

It was okay. 80s alt rock, mostly long songs that all sounded kind of the same.

So angsty!

Enjoyed a number of the songs, but a few too many long sections that just kinda sounded like noise.

I should give this another go, as I really liked the other album I’ve gotten from them, “Sister.” The noise wasn’t working for me as well on this day, though I still liked a lot of elements. on this day.

Rating: 6/10 Some great moments, overall too noisy and long.

This opens with a song I remember from Rock Band 2. It’s loud, trippy, weird, and aggressive but balanced with a lot of melodic passages throughout. Fun in small doses, and perhaps something that could be appreciated over multiple spins, but it’s a LOT to take in over its massive length. Cool, but not really my kind of cool.

I kinda like some of it, a lot of the guitar is very cool, but the same pattern often repeats for the entire song and it becomes very long and kind of repetitive. It's probably technically impressive and very innovative for its time, but I don't find it to be something I'd want to listen to for enjoyment Standouts Kissability 3/5

Good album. Took a few listens to get into it.

I don't get Sonic Youth. Some stuff I don’t mind, but others stuff just destroys my will to live. This album is mostly the latter. Although, Teenage Riot is an all out classic. While I love the distant vocals and some of the distortion, I like it better when it’s less Pink Floyd Art School Noise, and more distorted heavy pop. This album is just noise for too much time. As influential as it is, you can hear every garage rock band since in every note, it is pretty pompous and overblown. It could have been slimmed down by a good half hour. I will never think this album is good, but it does signpost the route that SY will take for their 90s sound, and it is undeniably influential, particularly for the then up and coming riot and grunge sound.

Rock with some alternative and punk vibes. Interesting but drawn out.

- Kan het zelf niet beter - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM

Half brilliant, half bollocks.

Overall I thought the album was fine. There’s a discrepancy between how I felt about the album and the popularity of the band that I think you have to chalk up to “you just had to be there…”

This album, like the youth themselves, is passionate and adrenaline fueled but is also all over the place and sometimes misdirected. When it was good, it was great, but it had some real stinker moments too

This one didn’t grab me. Lacking self me melodies that I gotta have.

This was better than the first Sonic Youth album I got (Dirty), but still didn’t love it. The opening song has like 30m streams but I didn’t like it because it sounded like they were doing a Beach Boys impression. The next 6 songs were pretty good hard punk, and I enjoyed these and I’m basing my score mainly off these tracks. The second half of the album devolved into noise rock, which I hate. All this adds up to a respectable 3/5. Still don’t get the hype around this band.

My favorite of the Sonic Youth albums we have had so far. Low 3.

cool. almost 90s. rock.

I'll admit that this is one of those albums that I completely forgot the sound of. Not sure when and where I listened to it or what mood I was in or if I was distracted, but it just happens sometimes - and without listening notes like these, I have little to no clue what I initially even thought! Teen Age Riot and Silver Rocket are great openers to this release. I find that the issues I have with Kim's vocals (which I also stated in my review for Goo) are also here on The Sprawl and 'Cross the Breeze. Perhaps a few too many (5!) 7 minute songs on this release as well. Long songs can be great if the arrangement is also great. However, I find these tracks just sound very same-y for the whole duration, and the album ends up clocking in over 70 minutes total. Hey Joni and Candle are both great second half tracks, and I think the Trilogy is a pretty stellar album finisher - particularly The Wonder. I think I'm actually going to bump this up to a 3.5, there's a few songs I've come around to on the second listen.

i don't know much about sonic youth aside from, like, knowing who kim gordon is and having heard teen age riot before. and wouldn't you know it? today is the day i learn that kim gordon was in the band that made teen age riot and - why are you booing me?? like, c'mon - i knew she existed but i didn't know which band!! she was just, like, this amorphous figure in the echelons of riot grrrls and at some point in the indeterminate past did cool shit that meant a lot to a bunch of different people - why would i think she was in THIS band in particular?? that's a guy singing teen age riot. they could've gotten any gal off the street to do that voice over. please stop throwing tomatoes at me they're REALLY smelly!! AND THEY STAIN... all elaborate bits to distract from my admitted ignorance aside, i was honestly surprised to learn this album was '88 - if i had to guess (with my approximate and incorrect knowledge of things) i would've placed teen age riot somewhere in the mid-90s. it struck me that, if i really don't know anything about an album aside from one song and i'm placing it ~7+ years ahead of when it was actually released, this album must've really have some innovative and forward-thinking sounds. unfortunately... of this album's sound... if it was any more distorted, any more fuzzy, i'm certain it would've given me a headache. i can see how teen age riot is the breakout hit of this album (and, perhaps, for sonic youth's entire discography), and i'm a little sad that it was kinda all downhill after the first track. granted, i really liked some songs off of this album, and i'm not basing my whole judgement off of the fact that i can't listen to teen age riot over and over again... but getting towards the end of the album i was counting down the minutes until i could call it quits and move on with my day. i get the feeling that there's a lot more going on with this album than i'm able to glean from this initial listen through - and hey, i'm down to put this album on a few more times - but for the time being this is is sitting at a meh three stars. highlights - teen age riot, the sprawl, 'cross the breeze, eric's trip

A very interesting album, musically quite complex, I can see why it’s rated so highly, for me however I found it quite a challenging listen, I wouldn’t put this on to relax to, I’d need to be in a certain mood to listen. Also, this album is quite long, that wouldn’t be a challenge for some albums but for this one I did find myself having to take breaks listening to it to come back to it, there were quite a few songs that could’ve either been cut or shortened

I don't know if I get the love for Sonic Youth but it was good enough

I always feel like I'm going to like Sonic Youth more than I actually do. Still good stuff but not, you know, transcendental.

I want to like Sonic Youth. The truth is that they don't really do much for me. This album has some good stuff on it, but I wouldn't revisit it. I can hear why it's important, and I'm glad I made it through, but it's a meh for me dog. Kinda noisy and meandering post-punk stuff. Maybe if I was in the mood for it it would rank higher?

7/10

Classic, but repetitive

My fifth(!!) album on this list from Sonic Youth. I'm still tired. Interesting to see the numbers drop from track to track as you venture further into the album. I suspect my experience matched up with many others: the first song is pretty good, the second song is pretty good, the third song is pretty good... and then you realise it doesn't achieve the "incredible" status that all the critics are spouting off about. (Plus, some of the later ones are "okay" or worse. I'm looking at you, Rain King and Kissability.) Sounds a bit like if Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Tom Petty wrote a shoegaze record together. The vocal delivery in Eric's Trip is very Dylanesque, the vocal itself sounds Reed-ish, and I just get this Heartbreaky feeling when focusing on the instrumental. Providence is stupid. 160 seconds of people talking on the radio with Fitter Happier piano backing. Soon after, the album takes a nosedive in quality with Rain King, which is severely held back by its completely monotonous melody. You see this a lot in Bob Dylan tracks too (and it's one of the few things holding him back). The A/B/Z trilogy at the end is pretty sick though (or at least A/B are). Some good blurry post-psychedelic guitar solos in there. Generally, the vocal is pretty weak, and I have to imagine it's not Sonic Youth's focus. More emphasis is put on the guitars and adherence to proto-shoegaze (this came out the same year as Isn't Anything!). The two albums are very comparable. 3/5 Key tracks: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, The Sprawl

solider indierock, aber wieder tracks am limit der zuhörbarkeit.

Pre-listen whining: Oh good, a 70 minute Sonic Youth album. I’m sure all of that time is well-used. Post-listen whining: Once again I have heard a pretty good art rock album burdened by pretension and runtime bloat. If this was 25 minutes shorter and less indulgent this would probably be my favorite Youth album of the bunch. It feels like every song ends with the same meandering minute of guitar plus feedback. Alas.

This was... Good. But I got this album hyped up to heck for me, saying it's legendary and influential. I can feel the influence it has on alt rock, grunge, etc. but I just kinda hear it and go, "Oh, yeah this is pretty good." Maybe if I had heard it otherwise, without hype, my score would be higher.

7/10 Nice, but there werent really any songs that stand out for me. Highlights: The Wonder Teen Age Riot The Sprawl Kissability

I didn’t have any friends growing up who are sonic youth fans. Thank God.

This is another one of those bands that I feel are "you had to have been there". I was in a whole different music realm in 1988, so I missed Sonic Youth completely. If I had heard this album back then and had some memories, this album would have sat better. It had its ups and downs with me, and I wonder did they need a double album. I enjoy the Kim Gordon parts more, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Maybe this is one of discographies I need to explore more.

They do what they do well. It was a struggle for me to make it all the way through the record.

Being a teenager in the 90’s really was a glorious gift, that I didn’t realise was such a perfect gathering of alternative rock, heavy metal, rap, dance, hip hop. That would never be repeated in such explosive fashion. A firm member of the grunge scene, I absorbed the perimeters too, bands like Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth. I arrived with Sonic Youth at the much celebrated Dirty album in 1992. I adored its energy, abrasive rhythms, feedback and the radio friendly hits. Daydream Nation did not tick any of the necessary boxes for me. It’s a good album but lacks the sonic punch I’m after. It’s better than many albums around the time, it feels more like jazz at times, lost in swathes of noise rock, but nothing to hook me in. Production is more spacious but empty feeling. Approach with curiosity no expectations.

Another 1st listen for me, and have to say this is v good. Hi praise from someone who hated 80s music😂

Yeah, I guess it's an album. I've heard things and some tracks from the band, but still didn't know what to expect. It didn't have a lot of impact for me, but could use a couple more listens, tbh. Can't remember any moment that really sticked out; not saying it's bad, just wasn't very memorable for me. It did leave me wanting to ehar more stuff from them, but this album (for me) felt underwhelming. At least for now, but it will get a revision, for sure.

alternative rock

bueno, este ha sido un poco mejor que el otro, pero tampoco ha sido algo tan bueno para mí, pero bueno, mao meno.

Distorsión y ruido pero con criterio.

good

I never really knew if I like Sonic Youth. I have a hard copy of another album and it just sort of sounds like this one. I have a feeling of emperor's new clothes about their albums - it's the same 'cool' noise.

Would have been a 4 if it wasn’t so longgggg

Wish I got it...

Jangly and fuzzy... sounds like every other Sonic Youth album. I was a fan in the early-mid 90s but this band didn't stay interesting for me. 2.5 rounding up

7/10

Sonic Youth is obviously great and innovative and everything, and there was a lot on here that I liked. But by the end of the album I was tired of it. 3.5

Got tired of this by the end. 3.5

Decent didn't love it

you can definitely see the influence for other groups when you listen to this and frankly i just like the title

Meh, not bad I suppose

the kings of fuzz do it again.

some good songs

Nicer

I started liking this album the more it progressed. Total trash was my favorite I think.

so i've actually been really meaning to listen to more sonic youth!! but i didnt like this as much as i expected to, maybe need to listen a bit more

Very eclectic, interesting.

It deserves to be on the list even though I don’t like it

Verkligen bra eller dåligt

I really liked Sonic Youth's album "Goo" when it came up on the list months ago. There are commonalities between these two albums that I enjoy, but "Daydream Nation" has a lot more talk-singing going on. I found myself wavering between really liking songs on this album and being somewhat annoyed by these sections. I liked and unliked "Cross the Breeze" multiple times while listening to it because the instrumentals are bangers, but the vocals turn me off. I ended up settling on "like," but so many of the tracks on this album could be improved on in the vocals department.

I really enjoyed this. One thing I noticed in the song Total Trash, in the thrashing part towards the end of the song there is a part where the guitar is making this cat noise? i think the only other time I've heard this sound is in A Perfect Circle's Counting Bodies like Sheep song. Another TOOL thing is later in the album there is a sequence where they have static guitar sounds over someone talking over a radio or phone. It sounds very similar to that TOOL song where the guy is talking about Area 51. Made me think the guys from TOOL are really into Sonic Youth, so that was neat!

Enjoyed this more than other Sonic Youth albums, still don’t know if they’re for me

Good album, pushes the boundaries on rock. Was surprisingly well done and I enjoyed the alt/progressive take that it uses to push boundaries.

Do we really need 4 Sonic Youth albums on the list? Probably not, but I still liked it nonetheless. I had totally incorrectly lumped these guys with the grunge bands of the early 90s, when really they seem like more of a bridge between the Pixies and indie bands of the 90s like pavement or 90s punk. This album wasn’t my favourite of theirs (I think their next two are better) but still interesting all the way through. Side note - Kim Gordon performed on Always Live with John Mulaney a few months back and still looks and sounds unreal (and is just as weird) in her 70s

Calles "noise rock" interesting.. A lot of sound coming instead, more appeal would have been if I have discovered this in my 20s (not the case) . I like it though not my favourite things. 3 Stars.

Соніків завжди цікаво слухати. Їх вміння поєднувати експерементальність із прямолінійним звучанням на деяких альбомах захоплює. Шумний альтернативний рок з різними дуже пасуючими до цієї музика вокалами. Мені хотілось би більше очевидних хітів як Teen Age Riot

Люблю сонік юс 90х, а з дейдрім нейшн якось не склалось в мене.

liked more than i thought i would

Really good vibe for today but I don’t plan to be back. Definitely enjoyed though.

Overrated

samey but decent

Didn't actually pay enough attention to it to be honest, and I don't really want to go back to listen to it again - which probably means it was pretty unremarkable.

Not sure

Favorite Track: Teen Age Riot

i like the vibe, first song is good

I had no idea before now that Sonic Youth's roots went way back into the early 80s. I'd always associated them more with the early 90s alternative/proto-grunge movement since a lot of my friends as a teenager were into them around that time. They have a great sound, and the fact that they were doing this in the 80s rather than early 90s certainly lifts them in my estimation as pro-genetors of grunge. I can hear some notes of Velvet Underground in their sound. High 3/5.

It’s messy, deliberately, but it never feels out of control. Kim Gordon meets early R.E.M. in a noisy alley. I like it. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Teen Age Riot - Silver Rocket - The Sprawl

I appreciate Sonic Youth but on the whole, they are too thrashy for me.

This was the most coherent of the Sonic Youth albums I’ve had. At times sounding downright poppy. BUT, they always returned to form by ruining (improving??) perfectly good pop songs with distortion and noise.

Fine album if a bit self-indulgent...but then, it made it all the way to this list and there's a lot of that around.

A song (500 Up) by one of my favourite bands (Sloan) sounds like a direct ripoff of Teen Age Riot so for that alone I have to give it a 3. Hey Joni and Candle were also decent. I respect it but I don't really like it.

Tsja... De muziek is oke. Niet helemaal mijn stijl maar ook niet slecht. Alleen ze maken elk nummer gewoon echt 3 minuten te lang met een of andere fadende gitaar aan het eind. Zo zonde, dat haalt voor mij het plezier van luisteren wel echt weg... Twijfel tussen 2 en 3. Aangezien ik mij niet echt heb lopen ergeren zal ik het voor de vorm een 3 geven.

Basically the same as Harness. It's close to be something I would like, without being something I like. A generous 3.

Feel like I should like it more than I did. Pretty similar to lots of stuff that I listen to but found it hard going at times. The first song is great but when the album is 70 minutes long need a few more like that

Quelques riffs sympathiques mais quand même beaucoup de BRUIT.

Best Song: Teen Age Riot Not really my thing. 3/3.

Not particularly my kind of genre. The long jams in certain songs have been hit or miss for me. I don't know, I think it's one of those albums I should revisit later on. Very interesting and yet very sporadic.

Dad- 5 Mom- 4.5 Mike- NA Lori- 7.5 Michael- 8 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 6.25

It’s great in spots but man these guys could have really used an editor

3/5

Good

+this album makes me feel like a teenager experiencing the 90s +songs i would give a second listen to are teen age riot and candle -however everything else didn't really stand out to me that much

It's fine, but I find it's gritty boarding on grating.

*** 1/2 Has some good moments

Unremarkable, but not bad

A not quite as good pavement I'd say.

I’ve generally been lukewarm on this group, but I liked a fair amount of this. If it’d been one disc of the best tracks, it’d be a 4.

This was pretty good but a bit long. I can definitely hear the influence on grunge from here that came later.

Not that great but some nice punk rock guitar riffs

I do not understand the appraisal for this band and the almost like cult following; calling it possibly the best album of all time according to their wikipedia is baffling, like are we living in the same dimension? Did I switch timelines? It is so bizarre. That being said did I enjoy it. The first three songs are phenomenal, the rest of the album is so so. Favorite tracks: Teen Age Riot Silver Rocket The Sprawl 3/5

Pretty fun record to listen to. The guitars are so weird, loud and exciting. I was on my toes every track waiting for the next weird riff they played for a song. Lyrics definitely get drowned out a bit in the mix but it could be worse. Very noisey record from a noise rock band, a downside to me was the drums felt a bit samey. I wish there was some cool weird things they did with the drums too. Favourite Tracks: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, 'Cross the Breeze, Eric's Trip Least favourite: The Sprawl, Total Trash, Eliminator Jr.

I bet at the time this was great. Now it is a bit forgettable. 5/10

Pleasantly noisy, and with enough groove to be enjoyable. It's not really my scene, and too damn long by far - 70 minutes is a haul, even when it is your thing. But three stars for its massive influence, and the manifest baddassery of Kim Gordon.

Great guitars, very instrumental, pretty okay vocals and songs tended to be on the longer side

Someone needs to force me to listen to more sonic youth because I will not do it on my own but my life would be marginally better if I liked this band. 3/5

only song I really liked was Kissability

An hour and eleven minutes and it was all white noise to me. I didn’t hate it, nor was it bad, but just so easy to tune out. Just so forgettable. 3/5

A little harsh for my taste, I need more melody. But I could appreciate it. Probably need to give it another listen sometime to catch the subtleties.

These guys aren't bad when they actually try.

Lots of driving drums. I like the vibes of a lot of the tracks, it kind of all blends pleasantly into the background. Some of the mixing seems off, like really loud parts that don't feel like they were supposed to be loud.

I hadn't heard this before, but it absolutely sounds like the next step before Goo. The songs are there, the weird stuff is there, the secret pop is there but maybe the production isn't as slick as the world of Goo. For me, my Sonic Youth experience is Goo and Dirty and I love the nostalgia those albums bring. Daydream Nation is good but it doesn't hook me for the simple reason that I wasn't listening to it back in the day

No és molt es meu rollo però m'ha agradat. Rock cuidat amb certs detalls que anticipen recursos tipics de emo. Moltes parts instrumentals amb molt de renou bastant xules.

For me, one of those albums that's more fun to think about in terms of its influence than to actually listen to.

Good exposure to grunge or punk

I don’t know why we need 3 Sonic Youth albums. They all sound the same.

Guitar string and pedal porn from kids who base their idea of cool on the spoken word parts of Shangri-Las songs and teenagers in pop culture. This is gloriously atmospheric but not the full blown storm you get from Goo and Dirty.

It's not my favorite but I can definitely hear where it inspired a lot of stuff I do enjoy. Some of the riffs were pretty cool. I probably need to hear it more.

Good first song - mid overall.

Favorite track: kissability other picks: the sprawl, silver rocket, teen age riot, hyperstation

This is a bit like swimming lengths in the pool or something. At first it feels like hard work and distinctly monotonous. After a while you start to notice you've zoned-out and you're almost weightless and attuned to the flow around you. You probably finish feeling invigorated and a little stronger for the experience. Not truly my bag but I see its essential upside.

The sprawl - fuck you, are you for sale, i’m going native - spoken word rather than lead vocals but novel enough to warrant a listen.

I think I like this the most out of all the Sonic Youth albums we’ve had so far. (Sister, Dirty, E.V.O.L.) I still think this album is one I wouldn’t come back to, but it was quite nice to listen to. Some interesting and atmospheric guitar parts, at times with too much distortion for me. Some of the tracks just get too noisy for my taste, but for the most part it was a good level of upbeat and it did feel nice and varied. Fav song: Teen Age Riot Least fav: Total Trash

Some pretty slick guitar holding down the top half.

I've never listened to Sonic Youth and always knew I probably should. The first half of this album was great and then the wheels started going off the track for me.

Solid album, but nothing super fantastic. Barely pulling a three star. Probably closer to it 2.9, but I'm rounding up.

Verwirrend

Favorite Track: Teen Age Riot

I liked this more than I thought I would I guess?

Yeah it was alright. Nothing I’ll come back to but nothing awful either

Alt rock album. First song is very strong very wavey. This album is very noisey End of silver rocket is great. Cross breeze is interesting and fun. Above average rock album, tries some different things but as a whole not that interesting. Rain king is really good 6.5/10

it was fine.

This was kind of fun. I enjoyed some of the songs, in fact his voice reminded me a bit of Bruce Springsteen.

This has all the musical ingredients I typically love but for some reason I don't. It's just an ok for me.

Some of the songs on here are hard, gritty songs that are certified bangers. Others make me feel like someone's piercing my ear with a jackhammer.

It is a work of melancholic beauty obscured by a rough outer shell and many prickly barbs. Listening through all of it requires a fan of their work. I don't think I can call myself that. There are a couple pearls here like teenage riot and the sprawl. But other pieces are hard to get through. A true mixed bag.

It wasn't bad, but it didn't do anything for me. Felt a bit underwhelming and middle of the road, with peculiar guitar work that did very little to change my opinion on it.

There’s a teenage riot… And some other good jams :)

Listened to this mostly on the flight from glasgow to london. It had a nice vibe; thoroughly upbeat, but not anxiety inducing.

Mid

Surprisingly listenable, more so than their previous album Sister. More like background music though 3.1

good rock album with some head bobbing music. i didn’t have any particular songs stand out to me but the general vibes are solid

After the previous Sonic Youth album I was expecting to hate this, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first song was great, and the rest was mostly fine, with a scattering of songs or parts of songs that were bad in the way I was fearing the whole album would be (high noise-to-melody ratio, harsh vocals, overly long repetitive songs) Overall I'd give this a 3, but I'm not sure if it's getting a bump for exceeding expectations

Uninspiring rock with shitty vocals.

Yep, still not cool enough to enjoy Sonic Youth. Some tracks were good, some were just a bit ‘ noisy’. Maybe I am just too old…

You have to respect them, but Sonic Youth’s music is an acquired taste. 6/10

Quite a noisy album, there's grunge, punk and influenced from The Clash. It's not something you'll fall in love on your first listen but maybe subsequent ones will?

Inmiddels weet ik wel dat deze band zichzelf afvraagt of ze nu punk zijn of niet. Het eerste nummer heeft niet echt die signatuur, zou ik eerder radio-rock noemen. Ik kan dat prima hebben, al zou ik het nooit zelf opzetten. Direct daarna volgt wel zo'n typische punk'zang'; wel met een catchy herhalend muziekje erbij. Het wisselt verder wat af. In totaal is dit album iets toegankelijker dan het andere werk wat we van deze band krijgen. Het zit daardoor wat dichter naar de 3. Dit had ook prima het enige werk van deze lieden kunnen zijn in de 1001.

I don’t adore Sonic Youth, but they were just so omnipresent in the musical realm of my late teens/early 20 as I transitioned into listening to “secular” music. I never listened to a lot of them, but it seemed like all the bands I loved loved Sonic Youth. This is the third album of theirs I’ve gotten, and it's pretty much par for the course - no better, no worse. I know they're hugely influential, but I wouldn't seek this album out to listen to on purpose.

Oh what the magic of a simple guitar tuner would do for them

Fav: Candle Least Fav: Kissability They must’ve made a deal with the devil to lessen their ability to sing in exchange for extreme tinnitus-inducing distortion. I wouldn’t have it any other way

It was a nice enough easy rock album 6/10

This was something new in the 80's, and it's done pretty well. At most times, bands don't know how to incorporate noise into their songs, but they did it pretty good.

Not God's gift to man or anything, but it was solid and it didn't overstay its welcome even with how long it is.

Honestly I'm just glad I'm done with sonic youth. I didn't hate this but my god there's too much of this band on this list...I'm glad that I was that last one

They did some interesting guitar work and experimentation with amp sounds on this project. But overall the vocals are underwhelming and as a whole the project feels pretty one note.

The whole time I was listening to this album I kept switching between thinking, "Interesting, I kinda like it" and "What the fuck this is just noise." 3/5

First impressions are everything, right? And SY kind of blew it with those first few albums we got served, so I totally get why the gang would give this low stars, or maybe even just not listen to it altogether. I gave it a shot. I'm somewhere between "this really isn't that bad you guys" and "hey some of this is pretty good". They seem like they finally figured out how to make a song build, layering in new ideas and not just stagnant noise. There are actually some melodies, more musical overall. This album is so much closer to the vibe of their other college rock contemporaries - REM, Dinosaur Jr, Pixies, or even Replacements. I had previously saved Eric's Trip - it's a good song, give it whirl - but this time around enjoyed Teen Age Riot, Total Trash. The guitar parts throughout - especially Candle. Not enough return songs to make this anything more than average for me, and I really don't think I'm a Kim Gordon guy, but this exceeded expectations.

uhhhh sure

I really liked it. Maybe a 4

About as accessible as they get, which is still a stretch.

Want to really love this but it washes over me with little enthusiasm. I think they have extended their songs over a double album concept and those 6/7 minute songs wear out their welcome...

Imagine them performing the same repetitive album every week or so.

It got kind of weird in the end, eh?

Veery repetitive

Pretty standard. I was excited for this one, but this exercise has shown me how unlikely it is to make a good album top to bottom. Even for bands that I like.

Not my typical fare, but while there's a lot of noise there generally seems to be a point to it. I'm on board.

Ironically, jam bands are not my jam. Decent overall

OVERALL: Pretty good, but there are lots of noise that I'm not a fan of. The vocals here aren't that good either, especially on The Sprawl and Eliminator Jr. The vocals there sound like absolute dogshit, which singlehandedly prevents me from giving it a 4 or 5. Other than that, though, the instrumentals are usually really good. For most of the songs, the instrumental was easily the best part and carried it so much. I think they knew this, because in a lot of the songs there would be very long sections with just instrumental. It probably contributed to the length of these songs, as 3 songs are over 7 minutes, one is 6:58, and the three part song is over 14 minutes long. The amount of good stuff is almost always in the instrumental, which is by far the best part, but as good as it is, it doesn't completely outweigh the unreasonably long length and/or the horrible vocals. SONG AVG: 7.98 PERSONAL RATING: 6.75 Teen Age Riot: The intro is a little weird, but I really like it, and the instrumental break after it is very good. After that, the instrumental is very repetitive but still sounds good. The lyrics are pretty good, and they work well with the vocals. My main complaint is the length, it does not need to be 7 minutes long, and the instrumental doesn't really do anything interesting. It sounds good, but if it were shorter I would probably like it more. 8/10 Silver Rocket: After the intro, this song goes absolutely insane. It goes absolutely crazy, and the verses work well with the first instrumental. After like a minute and a half, the song decides to kill itself for a minute, before picking back up and going crazy. The biggest negative about this is the weird carcrash like part that lasts over a minute. It's not for me, but I guess I can understand it if you like it. Sounds way too messy and noise-like for me. Basically everything else is incredible. 9.25/10 The Sprawl: I don't like the vocals, I find them annoying and the chorus sounds like a little child in a musical that can barely sing. I guess the lyrics are good. I like it when it's just instrumental, which both sounds really good and isn't too repetitive, despite the long length. Speaking of which, this is over seven and a half minutes long. I love some songs that are longer, but the lyrics being around for like a minute and a half make the rest feel empty despite sounding great. As good as it sounds, it definitely drags on. 7/10 'Cross the Breeze: Why is there another 7 minute song. Great instrumental. The intro is great, but takes way too long. I think the vocals work with the instrumental, but they are pretty annoying and I don't like them. There's also a long ass outro, which I like but doesn't need to be as long as it is. It still sounds incredible. The lyrics are good I guess. The instrumental carries so unbelievably hard. 8.75/10 Eric's Trip: I like the vocals more than the last two longs, but he sounds so conversational and casual while this insane instrumental is playing. Speaking of which, the instrumental is, once again, incredible. Also, it's much shorter than 7 minutes. 8.25/10 Total Trash: Another 7 minute song, this time it has an extra 33 seconds. This is more what I was expecting from this. The instrumental is more basic, but still hits hard and sounds pretty good. The vocals sound actually normal this time, and work well with the instrumental. The break is way too long, but has lots of interesting moments and is very good. The lyrics are fine. 8.5/10 Hey Joni: Same review as Total Trash, but it's much shorter and has the weird, overly conversational vocals sometimes. Really good instrumental. 7.25/10 The Providence: This is 2:42 long, but it feels like an instrumental with how long the other songs on this are. I really like the piano, but everything else is mid or bad. I don't like the weird high pitched noise, and the vocals/lyrics (if you could call them that) are mid and have lots of unused potential. Piano carries. 5/10 Candle: I really like this. The instrumental is, in my opinion, perfect. The only thing I don't love is that it's a little boring at times, but it still sounds good regardless. Definitely stands out from the other, more intense songs. It also isn't 7 minutes long. It's much more calm and less intense, but still manages to capture the rawness of the other songs. Also the vocals are pretty good. Lyrics are fine. 9.75/10 Rain King: The intro is very interesting. I don't know if I like it or hate it, but I'm leaning towards like for now. The instrumental sounds very good, I don't really know how to describe it, but it fits the vocals and lyrics very well. It does suck when it sounds like they are either drowning or strangling a cat. It's good when it's not doing that. The vocals here are pretty average. I don't really know what the lyrics mean, but I guess it works? 8.25/10 Kissabililty: The instrumental is probably my third favorite, and it doesn't do anything wrong and serves its purpose very well. The lyrics are pretty good I guess. The vocals are the same ones in The Sprawl and 'Cross the Breeze, but I find them less annoying. They are still pretty bad, but they aren't nearly as annoying and are a massive improvement. 8.75/10 Trilogy: This is a three part song, so I'll review each individually and the song as a whole. a) The Wonder: The vocals suck outside of the choruses and the bridge. Great instrumental, until it does the weird thing at 2:45. Other than that, the instrumental is very raw and very well done. The vocals bring this down by about 2 points, but that's fine I guess. Pretty good outro. 7.25/10 b) Hyperstation: IT SAID THE NAME OF THE ALBUM. Nice transition. Also, this part takes up over half of the song. Anyways, this is a slower song, and sounds very good overall. There aren't many lyrics here, but the vocals sound pretty good. The instrumental really shines here, and it sounds incredible for the entire part. Unfortunately, it does use a fade out outro. 9.82/10 z) Eliminator Jr.: That was a jumpscare. This part is also shorter than the interlude. Anyways, very intense instrumental that is pretty repetitive. The vocals here are dogshit. The "Take a walk in the park? Shit yeah!" sounds very bad. I guess other than that the instrumental is fine, but it's nothing too interesting. This probably would go so much harder if the woman was better at singing, or if there weren't any vocals at all. This is also the outro to the entire album that is way too long, and this doesn't feel like it should be on the album, much less the last thing you hear. 3/10 Overall, a three part song with a good first part, a fantastic second part, and a horrible third part. The instrumental is easily the best part of each of the parts, with the vocals being a detriment to The Wonder and Eliminator Jr. Hyperstation is easily the best part. It has a fantastic transition, a fantastic instrumental, and pretty good vocals. My biggest problem with the song is that Eliminator Jr. should not be here, it doesn't deserve to be the outro to both this song and the entire album. The song average is 6.69/10, but I'll give it a 7/10. The parts will not count towards the song avg. 7/10

Despite actually owning a Sonic Youth album (1992's "Dirty"), I've never quite managed to enjoy listening to them, and this album unfortunately falls into that pattern too. I feel like this is a personal failing, since they're pretty much in the pantheon of indie/alt rock from the 80s and 90s, and I feel like I *should* enjoy their sound and style far more than I do, but there's just something about their wall of off-key distorted guitar and bass that just doesn't quite do it for me. I *did * appreciate the helpful Wikipedia entry for the album, especially how it pointed out the references and connections in this album, and it helped me appreciate songs like "The sprawl" (with its William Gibson references), "Hey Joni" (with its sprawling references to "Hey Joe", Joni Mitchell and even William Gibson) and even "Rain king" (Pere Ubu homage) and "Eliminator, Jr" (a weird and not very obvious combo of ZZ-top and Dinosaur Jr) more than I might have otherwise. I'm also bummed that I don't enjoy them more than I do, given that this is the first of five Sonic youth albums in this collection. Like too many other artists and bands in this collection, I wish the editors of the book has exercised the practice of less is more with their selections, as there are so many other albums and artists that could have been included in the project with just a little more parsimony. Ah well.

7/10

This is my fifth SY album on this list. Did they include all of their albums? I wonder. Nevertheless, it was okay, too much noise rock now and then, but it was bearable.

It was okay, not my favorite.

Certainly was noisy

I thought the first half was better, it dragged on a bit in the second and felt harsher / more aggressive. A high 2, rounded up to a 3.

Tiny bit better than the Beatles

I've listened to this so many times and it just won't click

There are some good moments on this album, but it’s way too long. A few songs are great, others get the noise/song balance wrong and drag on. I can see why it’s respected, but not sure I would return often. Good in parts, hard work in others. I prefer Dirty & Goo.

Solid 80s early Indy/protoemo

это дерьмо на самом деле очень приятное на удивление. т.е из всего это шумного потока я слышу прикольные темы. но для меня слишком экспериментально

I've tried and tried but I am afraid I just cant get Sonic Youth. Its fine but not for me!