Daydream Nation

- Heard this album before - Sonic Youth's best and I like every album I've heard by them - Teen Age Riot is one of the greatest album openers of all time and one of the best songs of the 80s - Unbelievably ahead of it's time, wouldn't have half the alt rock and grunge records from the 90s without this album - Fav songs: Teen Age Riot, 'Cross the Breeze, Total Trash

I just didn't like it, really thought i would.

Noisy and hypnotic, alternative rock at its most essential.

Suits a mood, doesn't it? Mostly discordant, knotty and tough, but then grittily beautiful and nascently sweet. There are passages, once heard, that one struggles to get out of one's ahead, this being art rock at the highest level. "Teen Age Riot" and "Candle" are particular faves, but it's the sustained spikey attitude and mood that is most memorable. One much prefers Moore and Gordon as vocalists to Shelley. Not sure what's so different about the trilogy suite at the end, though "Hyperstation" is one of the record's highlights.

Sounds a bit too monotone sometimes

Brilliant album, less experimental than early work, many catchy songs like Teen Age Riot and Kissability to the long guitar tracks. Too bad these guys (and Kim Gordon) broke up. Will never forget how they ended a concert by making pure feedback and noise with their guitars, doing all sort of things guitars are not made for.

Probably my favorite Sonic Youth album I've received on this list, but it's still... long. The noisiness gives almost a bludgeoning effect after a while, with the songs somewhat swirling together into one great big wall. It's good, just listening to the entire thing gets tiresome. Favorite tracks: "Teenage Riot", "'Cross The Breeze", "Hyperstation"

I quite liked this album, had a good vibe to it, plenty to keep you listening with good punchy beats.

Not for me

Teen age riot is the highlight of this album and just a great song. the rest is pretty rad too.

Better than i thought beforehand

Daydream Nation is generally seen as SY's best album. For me: 1. Sister. 2. Dirty 3. Daydream Nation 4. Evol 5. not sure: too much choice. Differences are small though. In any case, great album, 10/10.

This album has some extraordinary guitar playing scattered throughout and the band sounds great overall. However, in contrast to some of their other albums none of the songs really appeal to me, sometimes because the vocals are slightly annoying, sometimes because the rhythms are too simple and monotonous. A double album then feels very long indeed.

Ok, let me settle on a four star, in the low end. It's very intriguing, rich and diverse; the thick noise can be hard to digest though. I think we've now had most of the Sonic Youth albums and I conclude Dirty is my favourite.

I just had a Sonic Youth album 10 days ago and I said I wished I liked them more. This album helped. This was SO good! I was shocked that it came out in 1988 because it sounds newer. I realized that a lot of the musicians I liked in the 90s and 2000s must have taken inspiration from this album, because it reminded me so much of other, newer bands. This album absolutely should be on this list.

Crazy, but strong songwriting makes it work no matter how experimental. A bit longer than necessary to get the albums statement work, even if it is intriguing all the way through. A great record.

I like sonic youth and I appreciate what they did but lots of their stuff doesn’t so much leave me cold as much as I don’t really feel the need to listen to it all that often This album is the exception. Could listen to it on a loop. Sprawling magnificent masterpiece.

Perfect art rock, art punk pretty much never got any better.

Not as good as Sister. 4 / 5 stars.

More punk than I thought - enjoyed this one.

I quite enjoyed the whole thing. Very experimental in parts, just straight up enjoyable in others Saved tracks: Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, Rain King

It's alright, "does this sound simple? Fuck you." Is a great line in the sprawl

Rock alternativo. Incómodo de escuchar.

Unique with replay value. Enjoyed this

Im glad I listened to this. I put a few song s in my library. But overall I didn’t find it fantastic.

Rating: 6/10

Feb 6: Maggie gets this album and we start to listen together. She turns it off almost immediately and leaves 1 star rating "It stressed me out." I say I'd have enjoyed it on my own. April 6: I get this album and it doesn't hit. I wait to be in a better mood and leave it unrated. May 16: Maggie shows me Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore's collaboration with Bernie Sanders. This makes me want to like Sonic Youth even more. +1 stars for this June 1: Accepting defeat. It stressed me out

I like Sonic and I like youth so I went into this with high hopes. The first two songs made me wish they had a different singer. I bet they did it on purpose as the third song has a different singer. Nvm, she sucks too. The outro in The Sprawl is beautiful, and the instrumentals in general are way better than the singing

it was pretty good actually

Not a fan of this one. Sorry.

if this wasn't a double album if will would be excellent 5 3.5

Interesting listen. A punky, American counterpoint to the Cure.

Had to listen to this one twice and I'm still not sure how I feel about it

Chaotic at times but an enjoyable first listen. Can hear plenty of bands I like in this they obviously influenced. Will be back for more.

Absolutely class. They are just absolutely class. One of the few bands I liked as a teenager that I still like today, and easily one of the most influential alternative bands of the 80s/90s. Noisy, punky, experimental, complicated, straight forward. Just mint. Probably prefer Dirty, just, but I hope I’m never forced to pick between the two. I met Thurston Moore once in a tiny pub in Byker. First time I’ve ever been starstruck. Sonic Youth also led to one of my more embarrassing life moments which ended up with me stark naked in a hostel lift with a very angry Spaniard. Despite that, they are still one of my favourite ever bands.

Listened to most of this in one or two song pieces across a couple of weeks which probably isnt the best approach but the sound is pretty consistent the whole way through. Reminds me a bit of psychedelic smashing pumpkins stuff but felt like most songs were missing something that would make them work. Lead singer reminded me of the guy from Ash which I appreciated. Solid 3.

I found it a little noisy. Can definitely hear the influence on other bands though.

I thought this album was decent but could have been a lot tighter if they trimmed the fat a bit. It's great in places but the "noise" of a whole album got tiring. Highlights Teen Age Riot Candle

I listened to this album for the first time last year. Enjoyed it more this time. Quite progressive and slow to get going in parts but I love the punk sound. Having both male and female vocalists make it really interesting. It sounds before it's time. Can see it likely inspired a lot of bands I grew up liking. Highlights are teenage riot, silver rocket, hey Joni and eliminator jr

Mjög alternatíf töff, og sumt er hressandi, en ég veit satt best að segja ekki hvort mér finnst þetta beinlínis skemmtilegt. Rennur svolítið saman í eina súpu. Held samt að ég myndi fíla betur ef ég væri að spila þetta sjálfur.

La disonancia hecha álbum. Me frustra, por que se acerca mucho al tipo de música que me encanta, pero parece que se esfuerza en no sonar bien. Lo que más me enoja de él es cómo en muchas partes tiene el potencial de ser memorable y, por alguna extraña razón que no logro comprender, decide estropearlo con disonancias que hubiera sido mejor no tener. Si el objetivo del álbum es ser tan "oscuro" que apenas es disfrutable, entonces lo lograron.

This one made me wonder what these bands did to be on here? Maybe they were the first with this sound and I’ve only heard copies and that’s all I know.

Nigh on impossible to rate after a single listen, just so much to digest. Can certainly see why it is held in such high regard and will grow on me after a few listens but a lot of the album just meshed into a single sound. Have to say, unbelievable that this is came out in 1988. Still sounds so far ahead of its time.

overall pretty enjoyable listen but there weren’t any great songs or anything really special

Wanted to like it more ... But to was noisy. Self indulgent. Unpolished. Unpleasing... Not a single standout good track. Listed to it twice.

Dramatically pedestrian. Awful off key singing, its jarring, flat and tuneless. The tunes are borderline The Fall, its that bad. Geez they've gotten away with a lot of rubbish this lot, I know Goo has some good moments but this is dreadful. There's a whole lot of noise covering up their lack of any discernible talent. I made it to Hey Joni and cracked.

I wasn’t able to give this a really good listen. From what I could take in, I’d say I can see why it’s significant, and some tracks I quite liked, but it’s not something I’d reach for again.

Well, whadya know? This is a terrific listen. All over the shop, as usual. When I now listen to the great opening track, Teen Age Riot, it sounds like they’re trying to channel The Go-Betweens. They follow it with Silver Rocket, which feels a lot like Kool Thing Part2. I love Kim Gordon & it’s hard to believe her vocals on tracks like this didn’t influence PJ Harvey. I love Gordon’s Kissability, which precedes The Trilogy - three tracks that end the album with what’s been described as “convulsive beauty”. About right. Hadn’t heard the album for a very long time, but it still stands up.

Weird. Yesterday's record was EVOL, and I finished my review with "Wake me up when it's time to review Daydream Nation", and very next day here it is. This was the first Sonic Youth album I listened to a lot. I'm pretty sure that Peter Prichard recommended this record to Tim, who bought it and let me make a tape copy. I have since bought my own copy. This is the album where they really started to write songs, without sacrificing the noise. The noise is now in service to the song, rather than just for its own sake, which is the weakness of most of their prior albums, none of which have ever grabbed me. I love noisy song approach, and it still influences what I like in a record (ie, I like some noise). Some great songs on here: Teen Age Riot, Eric's Trip, Kissability, Hey Joni. Steve Shelley is the secret ingredient who keeps everything grounded and rocking. Bless him. And Kim Gordon is too cool for words. I really dig this record. I really enjoyed hearing it again for the first time in a long time, and, despite my well known distaste for long albums, I didn't feel like the double album is too long.

old rock, bof

Je comprends l'impact que ça a eu. La production et le mixing est excellent. Overall un album très bien construit. Mais je trouve les compositions un peu faible par moment et l'album aurait pu être un peu plus agréable s'il avait été écourté.

Not the best Sonic Youth I've heard.

Noooot into ittttt

Ya know, you had a good song there for a bit. WTF is this shit? Jesus fuck. I only made it halfway. Unlistenable. The one star is generous.

I kind of discovered Sonic Youth following the 1001 list, and I still don't know if they deserve 3 spots on the list (until now), but I must assume that I'm learning to like them. Even listening to the albums in the "wrong" order, this one is the best until now, and I really learned to discover the music behind the noise. I'm enjoying the noise and the attitude somehow. I'll probably become a fan if they have 2 or 3 more albums here.

Sonic Youth is such a cool fucking band but I’ve never been able to get into them. I tried a couple albums and this one easily hits the hardest for me. Killer fuckin blown out clean tones on a jazzmaster with blaring noice and catchy hooks. Every time I put on this album I don’t remember a single song. Do I have some sort of disease? I’d give it five but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is proto indie alt. its a solid meh from me.

I tried to like it but the lyrics and vocals were too much to overcome. The music was at best droning

Some really classic stuff on here, probably their best album

Not for me

Brilliant at times but also a little irritating at times, pretentious.

Too punk for me. All I hear is noise.

An absolute treasure, a gem, the GOAT. King of noise albums. Ruins the rest of Sonic Youths discography for me because the other albums can’t come close to this. Perhaps a little too long would be the only criticism

Brings me back!!! One of my best friend's favorite bands who I lost to drug addiction. Listening to the album was bitter sweet. </3

Very nice. Very chaotic and with a lot of energy. I’m not a big fan of those sections where it’s just noise though.

Had a sonic youth album on this the other day and really liked it. This was a bit of a dud however They’ve upped the noise and lost the songs

27th February 2023 Listened while on the way to and from Showcase. Finished while sorting recycling etc when home in the evening. Long day. Difficult because there were the softer tunes here that I enjoyed, but the more experimental punk I couldn’t get in with again with Sonic Youth.

repetitive in 90s, repetitive now

Despite this perhaps being the most well-rounded Sonic Youth album, it is not what I would consider the best entry point into the band and its catalog. As someone who did start with this album, the first go-around was something I knew I enjoyed, but was difficult to process due to its unconventional instrumentals, offbeat lyrics, and dry vocal deliveries. I had known of the band because of Kool Thing, but I didn't expect something so raw and drastic, yet collected and catchy, especially for 1988, and it made it hard to realize the album's overall quality at the time. Now, however, I see it as an album with an immense amount of power, not just within its own chords and melodies, but also as one with an iron grip on the shape of rock music to come. Sure, not everyone today knows Sonic Youth, but they know the sound they helped create, and the destructive yet intricate nature helped spawn dozens, perhaps hundreds of bands that would now be considered rock staples. Obviously, within pretty wide music circles the band is blatantly known, but it's that slight injustice of ignorance in the population that is more of a shame than anything. They're missing out on vicious yet catchy guitar riffs to get you jamming instantly. They're missing out on lackadaisical yet devastating vocal deliveries to be unlike anyone else in the industry. They're just, in general, missing out on the most wonderful kick to the head that a person can encounter. It's rebellious, being the exact opposite of pop's late 80s sheen and precision, yet still has better hooks than most songs from the time. It is the perfect balance of most things music, and while genres like noise rock and mainstream grunge were certainly not born from Sonic Youth, those genres would not be commonplace were it not for Sonic Youth's help, and I think that alone deserves this album recognition, if it wasn't for the amazing overall sound, pacing, playing, lyrics, etc., etc. already. For a cherry on top of it all, note that Kim Gordon is yet another S-tier female bass player, pretty much solidifying my opinion that women are just the best bassists. I'm glad I gave this album another go, or I may have too thought of this album as nothing more than good. I'd say go listen to one of the albums right before this and one of the ones from right after, then return and experience rock bliss.

Really good. Creative, hard-hitting, wide range of influences.

Art rock at the highest and most smoldering level.

Not really my jam. Kind of hard punk Brit rock towards the end

4.5 One of my favorite bands. Not my favorite album of theirs. Also, it goes on too long.

Awesome tracks

Petit fait cocasse, je ne me suis pas rendu compte que l'album était terminé et commençais à me demander pourquoi Sonic Youth avait intégré un chanteur à voix de merde dans leur groupe avant de me rendre compte que Spotify avait enchaîné avec un morceau de Joy Division. Évidemment.

Les Sonic Youth sont toujours aussi jeunes et toujours aussi peu interessants. Il serait temps de passer à leur forme adulte des The Sonics, et ce dans les plus brefs delais.

My experience with Sonic Youth before listening to this was that I liked a bunch of their songs, but that the majority of their work was unrelenting shoegazey noise. I had some hopes after the first track 'Teen Age Riot' - It's got a real groove and energy to it. The rest of the album doesn't hold up to it though. There's a lot of general meandering and extended takes. I do like a bit of distorted guitar and shoegaze at times, but it gets more and more oppressive the longer it goes on, and this is a long album. I end up feeling completely drained by the end of it.

lowk overhyped

love love love

It stressed me out.

i listened to this but recall nothing

Decent punk album. 3/5. Favorite Track: Teen Age Riot

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Of course I've heard of Sonic Youth before, I've listened to couple of their songs and just like that decided it's not for me, case closed. And this is one of those rare instances, where I'm grateful to this list, because otherwise I wouldn't give them another chance. Daydream Nation is an amazing album. It has some bad post-punk influences, but I think in general they have a unique sound, which I really like. Variety in vocals across the band is pretty nice, but the best feature of the album are the elongated and stretched passages, melodies and riffs, creating this perfect atmosphere. Songs like "Trilogy", "Cross the Breeze" or "The Sprawl" have some amazing motifs, almost magical. Also, the nonchalant way of playing (as It seems, at least) is really catchy and feels fresh even 35 years later. It sounds like a recent record with a small homage to 80s rock. Great stuff, going straight to my daily listening list.

I loved Teen Age Riot, Eric’s Trip and Hey Joni. I loved parts of the other songs too, often the first 3-4 minutes. You can definitely hear the breadth of influence this band and album had. But I just can’t be doing, personally, with the long experimental instrumental bits. For me the song was fine before you started mucking about on the distortion pedal for minutes on end. Just write a good rock song and get out, which these guys are definitely capable of. Others will disagree and no doubt I’m a casual, but I got bored at several points.

Bland, uninteresting but inoffensive.

Seminal album, it's influence is everywhere. Blueprint for the alternative rock scene. Anger, angst and sheer guitar brilliance - not in a showoff Yngie J style but in here's what else you can do with 6 strings and a distortion pedal. Some might find that it rambles but I love the way the guitars move in and out of a theme. Opens with Teenage Riot, as close to as an anthem as they will get - and the best song they ever did. Album does taper off at the end.

while i have the unpopular opinion of liking sister more than daydream nation, this album is still very great and the moments that are good are incredible. compared to sister, the songs are way longer, more pop-leaning (well, as pop-leaning as you can get for sonic youth), and more energetic. and though i like more of the experimentation on sister, the bangers on here make me question that a little bit. i want to give special mentions to "kissability" for the amazing guitar tone and "rain king" for the questionable lyric "your sister is a beauty when she's naked, like my kid" (insert druski quote here.) overall, great album.

Ear grating

That was a thousand times better than the other Sonic Youth album. But it's still only average. Their other album was horrendous. This isn't a band I need to listen to.

Incoherent.

What a great record. Raw, energetic, powerful. A truly unique blend of rock flavors resulting in a sound many would try to emulate. There are a few meandering songs and ideas but the diversity of songs makes up for it. Favorites were "Candles" and "B) Hyperstation."

I don't really like much of Sonic Youth's music. I have liked about a third of Goo, but almost nothing on Sister or Daydream Nation (just teenage riot and candle really). Whilst it's good to hear a lot of guitar, I find the general lack of structure and cohesion difficult. Accomplished as they are, it just doesn't appeal. I'm tempted to call Emperor's New Clothes on all the muso critics, but I do think Thurston, Lee and Kim (and drummer... sorry...) are capable musicians and trying to be unconventional in a post punk hardcore manner.

I like this a lot, but it's probably not for everyone. The singing is not that great. The production is noisy. Guitars are out of tune. But it wouldn't be as intense if it was all tight and tidy. Favorite song: Eric's trip.

Surprisingly stronger punk flavor than I was expecting. Solid showing from SY

It started off being mediocre with the hope of getting better. But it most certainty did not. The album progressively got worst so much to the point it was on volume one where I could barely listen. Not only was the music just plain and boring but also the singing was intolerable. I don’t know which came first- the album or my bad day, but I think the former based on my recollection of it.

First impression this morning upon just seeing the name "Sonic Youth" was something bordering between anger and frustration. But fk it - we'll give it a shot - even though I am (was) petulantly expecting noisy low-fi awful vocal indie trash... .... a curious thing though.... this first song "Teen Age Riot" is way way different than my expectations. It's more polished than I'd feared - it's a bit more structured - the vocals aren't (yet?) completely annoying... ehh but then here comes "Silver Rocket" and I just don't get the appeal. It's far from the worst thing I've heard but it's sloppy and while there are bits that I can see were honed and perfected by bands like Smashing Pumpkins for example, this is a lot of what I'd feared - noisy, tempo swaying, and not really catchy or dramatic - if you're going for pure energy as the overwhelmingly prominent feature in your music then you'll probably feel the exact opposite of me in terms of enjoying music. Double album and i'm on song 2. Sigh. This is gonna be a long morning. Ehhh to save myself the trouble of live-blogging this ("The Sprawl" - it's the vocals, ugh, it's just not appealing let alone good) let's sum this up after the hour of discontent...: So many of these songs just devolve into nothingness - not only am I not against experimentation, I think it's important to branch out - but branching out isn't 4-5 minutes of two chords back and forth and 3 guitars meandering aimlessly over the top. That's just a mess. Would have been nice if a strong producer would just yell at them to clean up your rooms and come out in a day and let's see what you have. Because many (most?) of these songs start out pretty nicely - it's just they can't cross the finish line. "Candle" is alright (minus the vocals yeah yeah) - some really progressive and interesting twists and turns that again, I can definitely hear in bands that were to immediately follow. Overall dammit - there is some occasional intrigue here which almost makes it more frustrating - I like a fair amount of the unique guitar playing (e.g. "Hey Joni" uses some good aggressive rhythmic playing; muted chords, harmonics) that actually are reflected in a number of early 90s bands I like infinitely more. So perhaps some credit is due here. It's just ... the songs, man. Sum: This album is like a relay team with a good runner off the blocks and then handing off to a bunch of guys in potato sacks carrying giant bags of ketchup. It's a goddamn mess that could have used better coaching. 3/10 2 stars.

Cool, grungy sound. I enjoyed this more than I thought he would.

Every song has its own unique feel to it. For such a long album, it manages to stay fresh and interesting the whole way through.

Absolute masterpiece. First time I've heard in full, this sounds like all of my favorites from before and after distilled into a single album. Killer riffs, great lyrics, plenty of changeups to keep you guessing. Could not like this album more.

Sonic Youth has a unique sound. Weird tunings, odd chord progressions, dirty production in spots, and it's awesome. I love the guitar tones on this album. It's dirty, metallic and muddy. I like Z) Eliminator, Jr. as the final track because of that, it's like the guitar sound throughout the album progressed and culminated in that harsh tone. So many of the songs have such pretty progressions, though, and it makes for a cool contrast. I enjoy how long some of the tracks are. It creates a kind of soundscape for me that I can fall into and it doesn't feel like I get pulled out of it too early. Favorite tracks: -Teenage Riot -'Cross the Breeze -Total Trash - the chaos in the middle might be my favorite part of the album -Rain King - this got borderline sinister -Kissability - I wish more songs were led by Kim's vocals like this track -Z) Eliminator Jr. is my top track. Least favorite track is easily Providence. It didn't have enough going on to be interesting. Not related to the music at all but it's a drag they were so mean to Nardwuar. Very few artists have done that and it's a real bummer.

Great album

I think I missed their last album but I quite enjoyed tjis. 3*

We've had a few Sonic Youth albums. Thought this was the best of them...

Good

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Total Trash (6) 2 - 'Cross the Breeze (4) 3 - Teen Age Riot (1)

egregiously overrated

This album felt insanely long, and some songs were too long for no good reason. The melodies weren’t memorable enough to back up the excessive instrumental breaks that occurred on most of the songs. I’m trying to get into 80’s music more, but I don’t think I can get into this album. It’s just not for me.

This is the third Sonic Youth album, and I hated the other two albums that I have gotten so far. So I am not very optimistic about this one, but I am going to try and keep an open mind about it. Overall some aspects of this album shined way more than their predecessors, however the album went on a bit too long. Everything started to blend together towards the end and I was getting ear fatigue. I might give this one a second chance as it has annoyed me the least of the three albums.

This was fun. Some of the songs felt too long, but I’m not huge on long instrumentals so that’s probably a me problem.

:) meh

This album seemed very avant-garde and experimental. There were a few songs on it I did not like at all, but most were okay and I loved the two penultimate tracks in particular. Also, while I would say I didn't really like the album as a whole, I can appreciate all the work that must've been put into it and all the interesting, new sounds I heard in each song. In fact, every song had a really cool soundscape of its own. I also enjoyed the meaningful lyrics. I also want to praise "Kissability" for being so forthright in what was probably a controversial song for its time! Overall, not a bad album. Most of the songs were pretty lengthy and I can tell it was a work of love.

Heavy, sprawling and distorted. Sonic Youth may a band that are easier to respect than to enjoy. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Teen Age Riot Date listened: 06/01/23

This is outstanding - it's got everything I want from a classic album. Light and shade, great noisy guitars, songs that go on the right length of time... Cracking.

too many lyrics, a little same samie

This is my third Sonic Youth album and I haven’t even gotten 30 albums yet?? This is obviously good, but it’s never reached me like my favourite Sonic Youth albums, maybe someday, but it still didn’t today.

Honestly it's way too long an album. Just going on and on. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the instrumentals but I feel like too much of it is a bad thing; songs are unnecessarily long and the music isn't exactly blowing me away. 6/10.

Obvious take alert: this would be a great single album. Silver Rocket, Teenage Riot and Eliminator Jr are all immense. It starts and ends in great style. However, the middle of this ('sides' 2 and 3) is not their best work, although it does point towards their more commercial Geffen material / phase. Generally not a fan of the Ranaldo vocal tracks (on any SY album), and that holds here with Hey Joni. Half an excellent album, so 2.5 stars.

This album chugs away. It sounds like the perfect driving music - if I could drive. It's an ambitious record that never strays far from its key message. I'm not really sure what that key message is, but that doesn't matter. It makes you feel as though you are part of something - whatever that something is. I love the mixing up of the vocals between Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. Sharing these between male and female responsibilities might sound confusing with other other artists. But not for Sonic Youth. They blend in and out without you ever realising that the interplay is taking place. Decent.

Poor recording quality and noisy guitar fills make this uninspiring at best. Not sure what’s so special about this album. I think the name “Sonic Youth” gives this band and their work an extra push into credibility.

Good

I listened to this album for about 2 years solidly in my 20s - the sound spoke to me - and it still does.

This will be the second Sonic Youth album I’ve listened to after Dirty. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a fan of Sonic Youth - my experience so far has been some decent songs, and some dull/annoying songs. Let’s find out how this one ranks! Songs I already knew: None Favourites: Teen Age Riot, Kissability This album started pretty strong, and it had me thinking I’d prefer this over Dirty. However, after only a couple of songs things went downhill pretty quickly. I’d find very few songs hooking me, to the point where 3-4 songs could pass and I wouldn’t even particularly realise. Certainly, even straight after a song had finished, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how it went. I think this kind of music (noise rock) just doesn’t click with my brain. Overall, I didn’t particularly enjoy this album. I can appreciate parts of the music, but overall it just wasn’t enjoyable for me.

Ah, good. Always been a fringe can of Sonic Youth but only really ventured into two albums, this one and EVOL. Both great. Glad to see I'll be visiting a few more on this project. Teenage Riot is fabulous, obviously. First half of this is packed full of 7 minutes long masterful tracks none of which feel overlong. I won't lie though I start to tire on the second half, however good it is. The end though, is an absolute beast.

Great album

Kinda mid. Listened to it while lifting. But I already knew that I don’t love Sonic Youth and that’s ok.

Sonic Youth kallar einhvern veginn alltaf á fílinginn sem myndaðist í menntaskólakjöllurum í gamla daga (og gerir kannski enn?), allt frekar subbulegt, sófar með risastórum pullum, fólk tvist og bast að chilla. Fíla þetta.

This is perhaps my favourite Sonic Youth album. I loved the avant-garde stuff of their beginnings, but I like that this had more songcraft while still embracing the outside.

Very mixed on this, quite liked Teenage Riot and Total Trash and the sound is right along the lines of where my taste sometimes go, but some of this experimental noise material doesn't land with me. 2.5 stars for me.

Angsty rock with some cracking tracks.

In recent years Iv really come to really appreciate and love Sonic Youth. This is their double album masterpiece. Takes a while to appreciate but once you do it will become an all time favourite.

Love this band, their second best album imo.

Nothing too exciting here - lots of these now feel like filler rather than seminal

2. Kinda neat and experimental, but not much else going for it.

It surprises me every time when I find out that Sonic Youth was around in the 80s. I literally cannot name a Sonic Youth song off the top of my head but I always think they were part of the grunge/punk movement of the early 90s. Anyways this album is entirely to long. All the songs definitely could have be shortened significantly. The music itself was alright if you remove all of the distortion. I am not listening to it again.

Another listenable album

Did not really enjoy

Great stuff

Not really my thing

These guys always make me feel like I’m missing something, like I’m not cool enough to get what they’re going for

Their best shambolic, fuzzy, cacophonous album. Still has the power to disturb.

Sunday up for liv, exiles, liked the vibes, sunday drinking is bleh, home and tired then dawsons ($10 cookies bleh), and park to call in cloudy, home and tired, begin interviews awkward and nervous, not sure about change

I can't recall if I was aware of the band before this moment but forever etched in my brain is the first time I heard Teenage Riot. It was New Years morning 1989, I was a few months off turning 16. I had taped a few hours of film clips from the show Rage and set about watching them or fast forwarding through them. I can't remember if it was the sounds or the vision that hit me first but I made a pact to discover and listen to all the bands in the clip. I did eventually in that pre-internet age and the stars of that clip became my bible, my university and my North Star. The rest of the album stands the test of time. Pop perfection through an angle grinder

Un bon album de sonic youth . Dans leur best 3.75

Oh come on. I've already had to listen to two Sonic Youth albums. Mercy, album generator, I beg of you. Teenage Riot is just about tolerable. The rest is not. I liked this album less than E.V.O.L. and Goo, neither of which I liked much at all.

Man -- that was great! And unexpected. Great bridge between punk and grunge and doesn't feel dated in a way that a lot of the 90's albums I've listened to so far do.

Oh dear... it's a no from me, I just don't get it!! I find it way too chaotic and noisy to get the point of the lyrics which do seem really cool when I read into it a bit. It's just stressful to me. Having said that, I can see how influential they are and specifically listening to this album. They just influenced a lot of music I also don't enjoy... I can also appreciate the musicianship, with creative tuning, insane guitar playing and distortion, and also the creative genius behind the noise. Unfortunately, although I appreciate the "fuck you" passion and the artistry, it's too noisy for me.

Got my favourite SY song on - Teenage Riot. It is a fantastic album - I loved it!

I've tried to get into Sonic Youth a few times and although I generally do like them, it's never really clicked for me. That aside I did like this album

Standard 1988 post punk. Ok. not more

Blew my mind!

Incredible testament to noise and dissonance featuring the most playful duo of guitarists in the same band ever (example 1: 'Hey Joni'). The album is creative as hell, blending genres and creating a highly chaotic cosmos of its own. I have to mention Gordon's bass and Shelley's drums as well. They really are extraordinary and drive each and every song (almost metal-like on ''Cross the Breeze'). Also a shoutout to 'Eric's Trip' - what a tune! I do have a few issues with the record - the runtime IS exessive, and stuff like 'Providence' feels like filler - but by the time the last trilogy of tracks roll in all is forgiven and forgotten. What a way to close an album.

What an insane trip Daydream Nation is. Sonic Youth grips my by the first notes of the extraordinary “Teen Age Riot” and doesn’t let go until after “Trilogy”. Shelley’s drum and Gordon’s bass goes together perfectly and provides more than just the backbone of the songs, but it’s Moore’s and Ranaldo’s whirling, disorienting and unorthodox guitars that stands out as the main characters of the album. Even after dozens of listens I’m still blown back by “‘Cross the Breeze”, “Eric’s Trip” and “Hey Joni”. There’s simply no denying the greatness of this entire thing - even though they’re probably pushing the limit with the 70 minute runtime.

This is my 2nd Sonic Youth album and I did not enjoy it as much as the first. Too long and not that interesting to me musically. Definitely could have been half the length and had more impact on me. 2.5/5

This must have influenced a ton of bands, for some reason the one that jumped to mind was Nada Surf. It was hugely long, and a bit noisy, but mostly worth a listen.

After listening to this and "Dirty" in the last few weeks, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a Sonic Youth fan.

Post punk shoegaze guitar is one of my favorite styles of guitar. This album & band are right up my alley. I only wish I had listened to this album when it was first released. 4.5

i am really just doing my work and vibing listening to this

Classic and influential album. Set the stage for 90s alternative rock, and alternative rock in general.

Much too rambly for me

i love them

Awesome. I was in tune the entire album. Definitely going to be in my playlist from now on. I can see why it was so critically acclaimed. I'd feel like trash giving less than 5 stars

No, not my kind of music.

None of the records I love would have existed without Sonic Youth. While “Daydream Nation” is not my personal SY fav, it’s obviously more than worthy on this list. Someone clone Kim Gordon. She invented cool.

Alright. I didn’t give this one the closest listen, but it’s cool

Well, it's a bit too much noise for me. 2

So incredibly mediocre I upped it from a 2 to a 3 because I am so impressed with its unwavering ability to be benign

noise rock has to be special for it to do anything for me 3/10

3-4 star

Nice one

Ok in parts

5.0 - A blockbuster, a masterpiece. The guitars create other-wordly soundscapes, like impossibly dark, craggy mountain ranges on an inhospitable planet. I especially love the extended jams on "The Sprawl", "Total Trash" and "B) Hyperstation."

first song is amazing, teen age riot. I love the sound of the song, kind of lo-fi which I love. I'm excited to listen to this album. teen age riot is the song I could live in. the album is good but long, the songs are too shoegazy for my liking and can be hard to follow but it is overall interesting to listen to. maybe this just affirms that I need a melody to songs but I'm not so stringent that I can't appreciate it

not enough vocals or dynamics. Songs felt kind of boring and I only got half way through the album before giving up

Need more time with this one

Teen age riots- not quite an anthem, bit too laidback for the subject matter Silver Rocket - instrumental pretty insane👍 The sprawl- long outro which made me feel nothing 'Cross the breeze- like the Guitar work more on this track👍 Eric’s trip- sounds pretty cool👍 Total trash- very interesting but not I would want to listen to often. Again quite long, maybe for good reason Hey Joni- this is a well put together song, I don’t really connect to it Providence- this isnt really a song, just random shit Candle- all a bit obscure, enjoyable 👍 Rain king Kissability-👍 Wasn’t very focused on this today, might be worth relisten at some point 3/5

This one clicked with me more, the influence is undeniable too:

Bueno, estaba bien pero no lo escucharía de nuevo. 3.5-

A little overwhelming in total. There were some actually catchy songs with what seemed like classic alternative arrangements. There were other songs that were a complete assault on your ears. Loads of distortion and trebly noise. Lyrics that are intelligent and different, but sung in an almost chanting way. I can see the appeal, but it’s not an album or a sound I’m going to be very interested in going forward.

Great album. I had listened through parts of it before, but never the whole thing. I did feel at times like it's hard to differentiate one song from another, but the overall sound is unique and enjoyable. 4/5

It's very long but kept me engaged throughout. An enveloping noise rock experience that goes from catchy to downright trippy and heavy on stuff like 'Cross The Breeze and Rain King. Awesome stuff. Highlights: The Sprawl, 'Cross The Breeze, Rain King.

This was one of my favorites in my alt rock-obsessed phase from high school/early college, and it’s probably my favorite Sonic Youth album. It still sounds so big and fresh, the rare double album that doesn’t overstay its welcome… mostly. A-

Plain af

Sonic Youth's magnum opus, still one of the best records ever, though perhaps I have a strong bias in favor of my "musical discovery" years. Don't just listen to me though, listen to all of the bands and artists that cite this work as a major influence. Starts off with two amazing singles (or what passes for a single for Sonic Youth) but my favorite is probably the Trilogy that ends the second side.

Sounds like Sonic Youth but more pop. Another foundation of alternative rock. How many albums would not exist if these songs weren't recorded? A lot, probably.

Just realised where most of my favourite bands of the past 30 years were getting their inspiration from. Amazing album.

What an album!

Too repetetive

I have always felt that Sonic Youth made great albums, but that frequently their work is brilliant, but flawed. Daydream Nation though... this is the album where they got everything right. You have all the really beautiful wandering experimentation in feedback and noise the band is known for, but it's a bit more restrained and structured. I don't know how they manage to be so catchy and dissonant at the same time, but they do it. Occasionally, there are even moments of true loveliness. It may still be a difficult listen for some, but for me it's exhilarating to hear. Fave Songs (All songs from most to least favorite): Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, 'Cross the Breeze, The Sprawl, Total Trash, Candle, Kissability, Hyperstation, The Wonder, Rain King, Eliminator Jr., Eric's Trip, Hey Joni, Providence

Una de les fites més importants del rock alternatiu als '80. Aquí va ser on els novaiorquesos van ser capaços d'aglutinar l'experimentació, el feedback de guitarres i la seva actitud nihilista dels discos anteriors amb unes cançons més accesibles i punyents. La seva proposta va agafar la seva forma més perfecta. El gran cim de la seva carrera

Definitely some substance there. To fully appreciate this one, I'll need to hear it more though. Might be a five in the future.

It was OK.

Meh

Welp, now I'm in love with Kim Gordon, so yeah 5 stars. Pure rock perfection.

Meh.

Really quite good. No filler; even the lesser-known tracks are solid. And the production is perfect.

loved it, listen to BAGEL Radio he loves a lot of songs from here😅🤭

On kyllä SY:n parhaimmistoa. Grungehtavaa ja indiehtävää mutta jotenkin hyvällä tavalla niin että soundi on tiukasti oma! 4/5

Indien peruspilareita ja mageeta kitarointia. SY on about sitä musaa, mikä vois omassa kodissa soida hiljaisella koko ajan. Hieno tunnelma.

Vähän tylsä levy, tosin en ehkä keskittynyt ihan 100%. 2/5.

Loved it!

This fucking sucks. Hard pass. At least it makes you appreciate how great other artists are? On the other hand, I hate the velvet underground and Lou reed too, so… Sounds like Hawkwind or Motörhead without uniqueness.

Listened Before? N So Sonic Youth is a band I've heard much about (being a GenXer), but I have never listened to. Now I see what the hype was. They were basically making the music that would become the hot alternative rock of the 90s, early. All this with very little fanfare. That being said, they were a little bit experimental on this album, and their average 6-7 minute song length put me off. Overall not bad, but I understand why they never gained the notoriety of some of the bands that made catchier music. Side note: "Total Trash" is exactly that. At least they were self-aware. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Silver Rocket

Folks in Seattle were looking up to Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, & Co. right about this time …

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

Lots of guitar. Felt tame

CD

Cool

LOUD. NOISY. Not very good. 2/5

Yea not bad

Could be a 4. Could be a 3. 3.5. Round down due to how fucking looooong the album is.

Really like the sounds

I still don't love Sonic Youth's music, but this is a likable album with some good moments.

One of the greatest albums of my generation

As I noted in my review for Goo (weird that I got two Sonic Youth albums in the same week), I've loved seeing Sonic Youth live, but never really gotten into their albums. I think this album actually captures them pretty well compared to a lot of the other SY albums that I've heard. It makes sense why this album is so highly regarded within their catalogue. It feels a lot more like the energy that they bring to live shows than most of their albums, which feel a bit flat to me.

Classic album that still sounds fresh today. You can hear their influence on so much of my favorite music.

Very punk

Daydream Nation is a decent listen, mostly when there's no vocals, but it creates a fairly interesting and consistently engaging sound, nothing groundbreaking but it's good. 3/5.

Listened to this first last week, and didn't get it at all. Listened again this morning and get it a little bit. I do want to give it another listen to see if it keeps growing on me, but need to move on to catch up with the rest for now (and also to give my ears a bit of a rest, that album is quite hard work!). It's too long, but there's some glimpses of gold in there once you dig a bit deeper, it's not accessible by any means but I will certainly go back to it. 3/5 for now, may well update to a 4 in a few more listens time.

Shit

If im being honest, their sound grabbed me at first but just bcame repetitive for the remainder of the album. Will have to give it another go soon. Best: Teen Age Riot Worst: Undecided

Kinda good but just off putting and not for me

Opener is decent, but not much for me after that.

I liked it. Had some things that started to run a little long, but I we all enjoyed.

This is frustrating because the opener, Teenage Riot, is exceptional. But the rest of the songs are buried under a bunch of unpleasant distortion and fuzz. Not looking forward to the other 4 (!) Sonic Youth albums we'll have to endure, since my understanding is that this is their most accessible.

Didn’t get much out of this. Seemed like a lot of noise.

I just… it’s like they made every production choice I wouldn’t.

I liked this a lot, but too many of the songs sounded the same and were too long

Didn't enjoy this, and it was way too long.

I like other sonic youth stuff, this one not so much. Lot of jamming and unintelligible singing.

9 : )

Everytime I hear an album of Sonic Youth I absolutely adore it and wonder why I'm listening to it more often. Everytime I tell myself to dive deeper into the whole discography and listen to the rest over and over as well till all the creaks and squeeks of every album are ingrained in my head. Until the next time I'm hearing a Sonic Youth album and I tell myself the same again.

I gotta say what said in regards to their album "Goo" and reiterate that Sonic Youth band members are clearly inspired by The Velvet Underground, every single band after 1960's was too, but they are HEAVILY inspired by them, it's too noticable for me. I will say I did like this more than "Goo" but still, not as exciting and groundbreaking as I was led to believe. Not to be a cynical asshole, but I'm gonna be a cynical asshole. This album is only groundbreaking to the people who haven't listened to "White Light/White Heat" & Kraftwerk's first album, that's the kind of noise I want to listen to. 3.5/5

Very experimental and noisy, although I don’t love it I completely understand why it’s sets the foundation for other important American rock music :)

not a very easy listen

If I was to be critical of this masterpiece I would say it is 15 minutes too long.

Clear influence on lots of bands I love, but doesn't resonate the same way, probably because I didn't hear it when I was younger. Really enjoyed it, hope to hear more from them 4 🌟

In theory, I am a Sonic Youth fan. But I've come to realize that I don't really like early alt rock

Solid SY. Not my fav tho, too long :)

I listened to the radio somenthing of Sonic Youth but It's not the kind of music I like.

Listened to it on shuffle and got real impressed by the form. Not great but listenable, which is a feat for double albums for me.

Not that bad of an album however I don’t see myself returning to it. It was pretty good with the instrumentals. Some songs I enjoyed more without the singers. Felt like both singers weren’t that great. 5.4/10

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.

First time listen for me and pleasantly surprised by the melodic and tuneful nature of this album. Love the tracks that Kim Gordon Sings on. some great obviously influential tracks here, taking on the Mantle of the Talking Heads of intelligent indie post punk. You can hear their influence on Grunge and Math Rock on this album. I love "The Sprawl" "Cross The Breeze" "Total Trash" "Hey Joni" "Candle" & "Kissability" Yep can see why this is on the list just for it's influence on music to come.

Love this album! Live, many of the songs on it are even better.

After like the first two songs, which were great, it became just like the other couple sonic youth albums I’ve gotten. Pretty standard I guess

I know I’m not a ‘music guy’ and more of a ‘guy who likes music’ because I still listen to Sonic Youth and go “…okay?”

Liked this quite a bit more than Dirty. Maybe it was my mood, but I liked the fuzzy electrical energy throughout this album. I would add this to my rotation, especially tracks like "Silver Rocket" "Eric's Trip" and "Providence"

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!

Drugi raz na liscie material od Sonic Youth, kolejny ktory slucham pierwszy raz, wiec bez uprzedzen i oczekiwan, Daydream Nation z 88 jest piatym studyjnym krazkiem bandy, tym razem jest to o wiele potezniejsze wydanie niz EVOL, bo jest podwojny album z 70 minutowym longplejem, co go zdecydowanie odroznia od szybkiego i chaotycznego pierwszego picka jest budowanie albumu wokol jakiejs mysli przewodniem, ktora jak dla mnie zdradza sie w nawiazaniach do neuromancera, wiec tak jak w ksiazce znajdzie sie miejsce na eskejpizm w inne swiaty, czy to komputrowe, czy narkotykowe, odrzucenia nie tylko zawodow milosnych, ale takze zawodow na plaszczyznie socjalnej, wiec jako fan sci fi czulem sie jak ryba w wodzie podczas tych 70 minut wedrowki po brudnym swiecie przyszlosci, ciekawe czy cos z tego krazka znalazlo sie na OST cyberpunka, bo jesli gierka bylaby tak dobra jak miala byc z zapowiedzi, to widze tutaj kilka solidnych pozycji ktore mozna by bylo przemycic, a ta cala fantastyka podana nadal w dosc punkowej formie, ktora jednak przechodzi juz w indyjskie czy alternatywne rokowanie lat 90, ale nie boi sie jednak eksperymentowac z halasami gitarowymi, bo mocno przesterowane dzwieki sa tym co wyrozniaja instrumentalnie album, a nie brakuje miejsca do ich prezentowania, bo samo nagrywanie mialo forme mocno jamujaca, wiec zdarzaja sie kawalki w ktorych 5 minut z 7 bedzie czysto instrumentalna, ale nadal swietnie budujaca klimat, ktory narzucaja wokalnie, bo jesli chodzi o spiew to glownymi wokalami nadal sa pan Moore i pani Gordon, ale kazdy czlonek jest zlistowany jako lirycysta, nadal o wiele bardziej przypadaja mi meskie wokale na takich nagraniach, ale slychac mocny progress w zenskim wokalu, nie jest to juz takie wycie jak na EVOLU, no moze poza zamykajacym eliminatorem, na ktorym dziki wokal pelen zabojczego erotyzmu eksploduje zamykajac plyte, ktora sluchala sie wyjatkowo dobrze, czy to tylko zasluga dobrych wpomnien po neuromancerze, czy jednak jest to az tak skladna calosc, na plejke dodam openingowego teen age riot i pierwsza czesc trojutworowego endingu krazka, czyli the wonder, dwa pierwsze traki idealnie sie lacza i sa spiewane przez Moora, a wspomniany eliminator eliminuje ten efekt

It was an interesting album with some original stuff

Not a huge fan

Cool

Varied album. Enjoyed most of it though

Considering my past experiences with alt-rock, I was not expecting to like this album as much as I did. I may have to attribute it to the more noisy elements that embed each song. Everything feels so raw and noisy. My only flaw with the album is that it can get a little repetitive in nature due in part to the long run time of 1hr 10min. If it were a little shorter, I think I’d like it more. Highlights: Teen Age Riot, Silver Rocket, ‘Cross the Breeze

Rock alternativo. Se me hace pesadísima esta gente... Un 1.

Cool band name. I gave up after the 3rd song, and that after skipping the first 2.

Daydream Nation is the third album from Sonic Youth that I have reviewed for this 1001 album list, and I still have one more in my queue from the band that I haven't had a chance to review yet. My review for Daydream Nation is the same as for the previous albums. Some of the music is okay, but it doesn't take long for the band to make enough noise and clatter for me to dislike what they have recorded. "Cross the Breeze" starts out okay, but once the vocals come in I'm done. I do not like the vocals from Sonic Youth. "Teen Age Riot" was the one track I thought was okay. Daydream Nation isn't terrible, but I did not like this album.

This is mostly pretty good (aside from some intervals of truly intolerable noise garbage) but I’m having a hard time getting past the (yes, it’s getting to be a monotonous refrain with me) egregious over-representation of Sonic Youth on this list. Five albums! This isn’t the Beatles or The Rolling Stones (neither of which I think need 5 albums to be adequately represented, for that matter). There is an awful lot of music in Sonic Youth’s genre space. What a waste of an opportunity to elevate some more obscure offerings.

Just not for me

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.

I’m definitely a fan of Sonic Youth. Teenage Riot kind of tricks you into thinking it’s going to be departure into more radio friendly indie rock, which it partly is. But there is still plenty of dissonant noise art punk to be had.

I know how important this band was. I know how important this record was. I've just never been a big Sonic Youth fan. That being said I liked this record more on this listen then I did 10 years ago. I'm torn on how to rate it.

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!"

Not a fan

I was not a fan of this album. The guitar riffs seemed very generic and monotone. Vocals were not exciting either. Found myself skipping a lot of the songs. I could have sworn I liked whatever other album they had on this list but this one missed the mark for me.

I've heard of Sonic Youth many times, but haven't heard their stuff before now. I wasn't really in the mood for this kind of music today, and unfortunately a lot of it didn't connect. The one song that did was excellent though, so I'm going to be generous here and recognize that it's probably a good album that I just wasn't feeling today. Favorite tracks: Providence. Album art: Very simple shot of a candle. I've definitely seen this one around, nice to know what it sounds like. 3/5

Huh this came out in 88? When I was listening I absolutely thought this would have came out in the mid 90's. Which makes me either think this was way ahead of it's time or that it had a huge hold over music for a while.

My earlier conception of Sonic Youth remains accurate: Worth listening to, stronger with Kim at the front, noisy, accessible. While the female vocals are more spaced out here, the band feels generally more present. The songs seem to get lazy and stretch out, and it suits Sonic Youth's sound. Not quite the rock blueprint I was promised, but it's got a nice suite.

Not quite singalong, but the first album of theirs where noise and melody is in balance.

Noise rock is a tough sound. It's loud, it's heavy, it's wooshy. It's easy to get bored or annoyed by it. But when used right, it can evoke powerful emotions and create a mind-blowing journey. Sonic Youth nailed it here, in "Daydream Nation". Their brand of indie rock driven by grotesquely distorted guitars and heavy noises, it's quite a ride. It might be very loud, confusing, and wooshy. It's also interesting, fun, and uplifting. For me, this mess is what good music is. Takes you somewhere you've never been before.

They have the 1 song

So many Sonic Youth albums on this list. I'm not getting it. Maybe they are really talented musicians and it takes someone who knows and understands music to get them. To me, it's just ok. I didn't hate it... actually, I think with time I could start to enjoy it. But, after one day of listening... nothing stood out. 2/5

I had a t-shirt back in the day, must've been lucky enough to catch them live at some stage. Dirty is still my favourite album, Teen Age Riot is a killer of a tune, Eric's Trip is great and I'm sure I could grow to enjoy this more with a few more listens.

I'd love to run a marathon with this on repeat. I''d finally break 3:30. But. I probably won't be able to walk for a week.

Post-punk had been done earlier and much, much better.

Nothing special. They were a pretty good concert, however. There were a couple of songs that had a hook to them, but that's about it.

It takes a Teenaged Riot to get me out of bed. The most accessible Sonic Youth album.

A bit too much of a good thing when it comes to the song structures on this one. The grungy wall-of-sound guitar approach means there's plenty to love sonically, but things do tend to blur together with how low the vocals and other instruments sit in the mix.

I’ve herd goo before but not this one… The album starts with teen age riot, the first minute is completely different as it’s just an intro song. Then forms into a great rock song that guitars wise is a bit of a teen age riot. Silver rocket starts with this creepy guitar riff then explodes into a punk bash only to shatter down half way through. Yeah it’s cool. The lyrics aren’t great on the sprawl but it’s cool instrumentally and 7 mins works well for some songs but not this. Cross the breeze has a killer intro but with this and the last song I’am not sure about the female singers singing though. Eric’s trip is alright it has a cool sound to it but no where near my favourite. Total trash is no where near total trash it’s actually (probably) a favourite and I’am happy we’re back with Thurston moore on vocals as I think he’s the strongest vocalist! I love the fade in at the start of hey Joni only for the punky sonic youth sound to crash in making for a really good song. It’s just cool to be fair. Then is providence it’s one of the better interludes I’ve ever herd but still the worst on the album. Candle is good, like all of them are great intro, the song is probably the one I would want to revisit the most and I do really like it! The drumming on rain king is class honestly. The song is amazing too. Kissability is technically the penultimate track it’s cool I guess but the female vocalist is so much worse in this band. The album ends on a trilogy the first part the wonder is alright just a really typical sonic youth song but there’s nothing bad about that. Then is hyperstation technically the album’s title track. It’s the perfect mix of everything good about sonic youth from the guitars to the drums. Still not my favourite on the album though. Eliminator jr is really bad in comparison not a satisfying ending one bit still like the album though. It’s really good overall, the album does drag but it’s so likeable it doesn’t matter.

A younger me would have liked this but found the dissonance quite stressful to listen to. May be different in the right mood, but had to stop halfway through this time

I’m definitely going to want to spend more time with this one but it’s made a strong first impression. I like the mix of melodic guitar and harder blasts of feedback. A lot of these songs are shapeshifters, moving from one mode into the other and sometimes back again. Beautiful album cover too. Highlights: “Teen Age Riot,” “Silver Rocket,” “‘Cross the Breeze,” “Total Trash,” “Candle,” “Kissability,” “Eliminator Jr.”

Pros: - Really dig the lead singers voice. I'm going to bastardize it by saying it sounds like bands/singers that are way younger / newer but it's the only way I can describe it. It's like punky while also having an approachable sort of Rivers Cuomo type of sound to it. - I don't know what this lyric means but it's funny to hear "Marshall stacks" in a song. This means really big and loud amplifiers in their biggest form/configuration- something that bands like this really loved. "Everybody's coming from the winter vacation Taking in the sun in a exaltation to you You come running in on platform shoes With Marshall stacks to at least just give us a clue" - I really love the spoken word parts (similar to what they do 2 years later on GOO)- like the track "providence". - I love how the second track "Silver Rocket", just stops around the 2 minute mark. It just falls apart. Experimental structure! Cons: Misc:

Never really got into Sonic Youth when i was a *ahem* youth... (i'll get my coat :-) ) Gave them a really good go this time - wanted to give them a chance. yeah, didn't love it. I can see they're great musicians but the whole thing feels, well, 'grunge' and underproduced and woolly. meh!

3.5

It's a daydream worthy album!

Can't really finish it. Too much noise.

Not a majoy Sonic Youth fan but this was a great album

Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth (1988) For a first-time listen 34 years after its release, here’s a double LP that merits serious consideration of its creativity and craft. In retrospect, this early Sonic Youth recording sounds like a cross between Neil Young and Nirvana. And, as in the oeuvre of U2’s the Edge, the guitar work here demonstrates that you don’t have to be a rock guitar virtuoso (Hendrix, Allman, Page, Clapton, or Santana) to produce stunningly innovative sound. Now the engineering and mixing on Daydream Nation leave a lot to be desired. Vocals and percussion are hiding behind a curtain of sound. The recording needs more separation and dynamism. Maybe the technology had not yet caught up with the band’s unique electronic palette. Much better in this regard is Sonic Youth’s Washing Machine (1995). Key guitar features here include alternate tunings, sustain, and distortion, all combined with admirable symphonic complexity and disciplined performance. Discord is elevated to the level of expressive artistry. It is not random; it is well constructed tone poetry. And guitarist/songwriter Thurston Moore’s compositional technique very helpfully extends or repeats each experimental phrase long enough so that the listener can grasp it before it moves on to the next quasi-harmonic mystery. It’s very mesmerizing—less like Mozart and more like Anton Bruckner. If you’re looking for lyrical profundity/passion/politics, vocal beauty, memorable melodies, and soul, you won’t find it here. But what you will find is lavishly devised music for the mind. 4/5

Mjög góð plata út í gegn, hef náttúrulega hlustað á hana oft í gegnum tíðina. Sumt er kannski acquired taste en hún heldur sér mjög vel.

Yndisleg plata sem er í miklu uppáhaldi og búin að vera í aldarfjórðung eða meira. Annar hár fjarki.

Nokkur verulega góð lög, en nokkur full strembin fyrir minn einfalda smekk. Heilt yfir skemmtileg, mun hlusta aftur

Sigh I tried - but very little hooks

A little slow for my taste

The nineties landed two years early. Sonic Youth years ahead of their time setting the guitar heavy template with a laid-back soft edged voice, no hair-rock roaring or screaming here. Prescient stuff.

Compared to the last Sonic Youth album I listened to, this one wasn't nearly as unbearable. There were some parts that I thought sounded pretty good, but the whole of the album was still not enjoyable. I'm glad there was less pure noise in songs and more musical sounding elements, though. Favorite track: Teen Age Riot

There are a lot of elements that I like about this album, but I think other bands have perfected that sound in my opinion. I like the sound, but its a bit stale to me. Highlights: 1, 3, 12, and 13.

Really enjoyed this one actually

3/25/22

I wouldn't listen to this again but it was fine background music. Nothing really jumped out at me.

This is a pretty good album. I can hear so many different bands that too influence from it as it played. It definitely fits the Jam Band vibe that the recording sessions ended up being. The guitar can be a bit screamy at time and the feedback on some of the songs is not kind on the ears. All in all it doesn't really do that much for me. "Candle" is my favorite song on the album.