Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Ah, a breath of fresh air after the last album. This is good, really good. I think I will be coming back to this album, which maybe will even make this album go up in my rating, we will see. But I have to say I loved it, I just need to hear it few more times to decide if it will be one of my favorites.
Es ist ein kraftvolles, raues Stück Grunge-Geschichte. Das Album vermischt eingängige Melodien mit noisigen Gitarrenwänden und einer ordentlichen Portion Attitüde – besonders Songs wie „100%“ oder „Youth Against Fascism“ stechen hervor. Zwar wirkt die Produktion stellenweise etwas roh, doch genau das macht den Charme und die Energie des Albums aus.
Dirty puts the RAWK in noise rock, bringing Sonic Youth closer to their alt-rock contemporaries. It’s not as interesting to me as EVOL or Daydream Nation, and maybe an odd choice for this list, but a totally solid record
81% Best: Drunk Butterfly; Shoot; Sugar Kane; Youth Against Fascism; Chapel Hill; Purr Must-Hear? Maybe
I know of Sonic Youth, but I don’t really know Sonic Youth. I know Kurt Cobain often cited them as an influence and I can definitely hear that here. I’m sure I have heard this album before but I’ve never really listened to it, if that makes any sense. I genuinely enjoyed it, might have to do a deeper dive into their music.
I had forgotten how much I liked this album and Sonic Youth!
liked it. noisy and distorted and dirty
Grunge with musicality and I'm a sucker for Kim Gordon's insane vocals.
The tracks where Thurston is the singer is a 5 star album. The tracks where Kim is the singer is a 2 star album. I'll round up to 4 because I love the instrumentation in every song
Really appreciating my Sonic Youth education this year. Not quite as good as Daydream Nation but it's got some equally high highs and isn't far off as consistent. It's just the right kind and degree of chaotic and reminds me a lot of bands I loved in the late 90s-early 00s who were very much influenced by this.
This is only the third full album of Sonic Youth’s that I’ve listened to and I’m not surprised that I like this album so much. Goo is obviously their magnum opus, but this album I would say is their runner up to that title. It’s got a lot to sink your teeth into. With the deluxe version this album is over 2 hours long, which is way way too long but thankfully you could just stick to the original track list and I think that benefits the experience just from being more focused (that being said I really like “The destroyed room”, “Hendrix Necro”, and “personality crisis”). I don’t really have anything negative to say about this album, I do think Kim is their best vocalist but I like variety, and having several different people sing brings a lot of variety to an album. Definitely check this album out, I think this is one of their more accessible albums.
Ok
A cool avant-garde album. I especially like Theresa's Sound World.
I’ve never listened to a full Sonic Youth album but I dug it. The album itself was ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but I added a nostalgia star cause I vividly remember my high school crush skateboarding in his Sonic Youth T-shirt. Yum.
holy shit the guitar work on this album is out of control. incredible shit.
Mr. President, we've been hit by... 5th Sonic Youth album?! Okay, I get it, they are a good band, nice songs, interesting stuff, now please just leave me alone.
One of their best
Probably among the most normal Sonic Youth album, which also manages to be the grimiest and sexiest (title is rather appropriate), and it works pretty well. It's not at all coherent musically, and it took me a while to really get some of the weirder, grimier stuff, but I get it. Probably would've been like a 3 on my first listen but since I first discovered it about a year ago I've found myself inexplicably coming back to it.
Noisy in all the right ways!! Still too long for my liking but still a stellar offering
I don't care for the vocals, but everything else is perfect. It gets a little drony at times, but its nostalgic to the 90s kid in me.
I always try to listen to Sonic Youth. On paper I should love them and I never find songs I like. Hoping this goes different. Ok, I’m really enjoying this record. I love the sounds, the noises, the chaos, and the organization of it. This is fun. I really like “shoot”. I love “Sugar Kane”! “Chappell Hill” is another great song. I really like this album. I feel like maybe I have heard “Purr” before? “Crème Brûlée” is so out of tune, I don’t know how she sang to it. 🤣😂
Didn't quite know what to expect from this album. I only knew their name and not anything they did. Didn't recognize anything on this album. However, it's a pretty solid representation of the Grunge era. Songs are mostly easy to bop to. Suger Kane is great, as is 100% which will be making it to the 1001 playlist. I'd go out and listen to more of them, but considering they're on this list 5 times, It won't be long before they show up again. ~ 4 Stars
good :)
If I was able to appreciate the vocal structure of many of the tracks on this album a bit more, it would be a five-star winner for me. As it is, though, I've no hesitation in giving four stars - the riffing alone is worth that.
I was given Sonic Youth tapes for my birthday one year, so I'm biased. This is a great album. If you aren't into the sound wall type of music that's fine, that isn't the whole album. Sugar Kane is a personal favorite, Nic Fit is a very fitting song for it's title. This is a solid Sonic Youth Album. It's worth a listen as they have influenced so many other bands. If you enjoy this give Daydream Nation, and Goo a listen.
all rock should sound like this. love it
You know that book the Tipping Point? The connectors and mavens and salesmen.... This is a connector album. I love that Sonic Youth uses the work of famous artists on their album covers. Tho, was Raymond Pettibon famous before Goo, or did Goo make him famous...? Mike Kelley was on a healthy trajectory to achieving fame if he hadn't already been so when Dirty came out. But it made me pay attention to the art world in a way that I hadn't before. So many connections with this album, 100% features Guy Mariano and Spike Jonze in the same video before Girl started, what about Kathleen Hanna being completely annoying in that Bull in the Heather video? X-Large / X-Girl stores on Vermont in Los Feliz .... B-Boys! B-Girls! Art! Skateboarding! Noise Rock! Riot Grrrls! Sonic Youth's mainstream apex is right here in Dirty. But I don't think it's the music that makes this as relevant as the connections it provides.
I should listen to all the recommended sonic youth and pick my favorite. I am a fan but I could see it getting old in long format, seems mlre like a singles to Playlist type band for me
Filthy in fact
Think I need to listen to it a few more times.
So good, they are my old man guilty pleasure replacement for the Talking Heads of my youth
Sugar Kane, Swimsuit Issue, On the Strip and Chapel Hill(the best for me) are the highlights of the album On Orange Rolls, Angel Spit Kim Gordon sounds like the drummer from the band of Scott Pilgrim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoS7b0u79mw
You shouldn't let poets lie to you. Bjork only tells the truth.
9/10 Pretty big album for me in high school and it surprisingly still holds up today, I think Sonic Youth making a legitimate attempt to appeal to a mainstream audience while not compromising with their noisy and experimental side is a really funny result. It’s a bit of a shame it didn’t really succeed in mainstream success, there’s songs here that feel like they should be recognized amongst other iconic Alt Rock records, but they’re Sonic Youth so it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of underground Rock music lol. It’s just an extremely well made Alt Rock album that feels fresh today, it’s just unfortunately eclipsed by the acclaim of the surrounding albums, they’re just too fucking good. https://imgur.com/a/7Mey6Tp I made this a year ago, is this anything to anybody?
kim gordon my beloved. i've technically already listened to this but only a few of the popular tracks. 100% - 5/5 Swimsuit Issue - 4/5 Theresa's Sound-World - 4/5 Drunken Butterfly - 4/5 Shoot - 4/5 Wish Fulfillment - 4/5 Sugar Kane - 5/5 Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit - 4/5 Youth Against Fascism - 5/5 Nic Fit - 1/5 On The Strip - 3/5 Chapel Hill - 5/5 JC - 4/5 Purr - 5/5 Creme Brulee - 1/5 Average score: 3.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ first 2/3 were pretty strong. the album drags at some spots after Youth Against Fascism (with the exception of Chapel Hill and Purr)
Big fan of Sonic youth so I’m happy to see this album wind up in this list. And just look at that lil guy on the cover
I’m a dirty boy I guess
Didn't need to download this one since its on my regular playlist. Definitely one of their best discs and some great Thurston Moore guitar work.
Ooooh yeah, this felt like, just when I wondered if they were a little overhyped, the point when Sonic Youth really clicked for me. It's scuzzy, loud but super-melodic and with enormous hooks in places. This made me really wish I could see them live, but in 1992 (although ideally I'd be 19, rather than 8). You can totally see how this would translate into a live show, and the sparse production really helped with that. Lovely stuff.
Good album
Ever since my group got PSYCHOCANDY I've been a little on edge about any album labelled with a genre prefixed by "noise." Like, I gotta be fair, maybe PSYCHOCANDY was just a bad first step into noise music. After all, that's an album which reverbs itself out to the point of being dull, undecipherable mush. If there are any pleasant melodies to be heard, they're buried under a mile and a half of reverb. It struck me as music made by people who're so far up their asses about how they're "too good" for popular music, for people who're up their own asses for the same reason. That's not typically a mindset I like to have musicians and their audiences, but I can't even begin to stress how that album was the most unpleasant experience I'd had in a while. So it really does make me happy to report that this album wasn't even nearly as bad an experience as PSYCHOCANDY was. In fact, not only would I say that it's actually a pretty good one, but that's more comparable to something like Nirvana's IN UTERO than anything else. For real, it's a good thing my group got to listen to that album recently,'coz it really did help me in understanding this one. There **is** a lot of noise here — feedback and atonal guitar noises and all the stuff you'd expect — but it never gets in the way of the fact that these songs just rock, plain and simple. None of it is just loud for the sake of it, I wouldn't say. There's a lot of hard and heavy guitar tones, and dang it, I'm down for it. Of course, a lot of this music would still probably scare away... Well, let's call them "people with lesser limits." I was gonna say "untrained ears," but there are just people who aren't gonna like some styles of music no matter how much they "train."I know **I** won't probably won't ever like PSYCHOCANDY — although let's not bring that album up again, huh? And I know what I just said, but I still feel it's kind of a shame that some people would hafta miss out on tunes like these. I don't think I'd wanna say I'm **completely** over the moon for this album; there's a few moments here where the album relies a bit too much on "mood" for me to be completely into it... But all the same, I can be pretty simple: I hear a good guitar, I'm happy. If nothing else, this gets my expectations up for the other, bigger, more famous Sonic Youth albums that're no doubt on this list. If this, one of the lesser big ones in their discography, is as good as this... Woof, goodness. But, yeah, it's a 4 all around from me. "It was not an assault on my ears — a triumph!"
I mean, I like it, but there's not much that I can say on my end asides from this being some good 90's alternative. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. I haven’t heard of Sonic Youth until today, so I had literally no expectations going into this one. I was just sort of hoping it would be good 90s indie rock, and I think it succeeds at that. However, I also think this album just doesn’t commit hard enough to the sound it’s trying to go for, and when it does fully commit, it overcommits to the point of near-parody (pointing directly at the wall of sound on “On the Strip” that would make Phil Spector rise from the depths of hell if it could). In a sense, this is pretty good indie rock, but it’s also trying to be grunge, punk, & straight rock all at once, and it cannot decide on a clear cut universal sound throughout the album. It’s not bad at all though, & they’re pretty proficient at all the styles they try, and that’s mainly why I’m at a 4 – for as indecisive as these guys are about their style, the tracks, for the most part, still shine through to have at least one good moment, even on the flatter tracks. The only one I really, really hated was “Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit”, and even that has a pretty good guitar solo around the 2:31 mark in that track. This album shines at its best when the band does know what it wants to do, and keeps a consistent tone for a few tracks, probably best exemplified by the stretch of “Theresa’s Sound-World” to “Youth Against Fascism” (again, save for “Orange Rolls”). The album sort of falls down after that, save for the excellent “Chapel Hill”, but it never really got boring. For a first impression of Sonic Youth, I’m left… not underwhelmed, but I feel like I’ve gotten a good appetizer that isn’t cooked as well as it usually is. I hear the potential these guys have, and I do want to check out another album from them. They’ve probably got better stuff, and even then, I thought this was still good. Not overwhelmingly great, but I enjoyed a lot of the instrumentation, vocals, and lyricism here to the point where I feel good bumping it up to a 4. You can’t hit on every track, but if you can hit on over half of your tracks, while still providing some good moments on those flatter tracks, then you’ve still made a pretty strong album.
This had more to like Daydream Nation, way more listenable - 100%, Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill - giving a bump for exceeding expectations, and an album I could perhaps come back to in the right mood.
Гранжевый Соник Юз. Любимая группа в доступный период. Лучшая песня - Theresa's Sound World.
Rocking album. Disjointed at times but always rocking.
Close to being a 5. Sugar Kane is such a great tune.
It clicked for me on this one. Noisy, but song structures I could follow.
Generous 4 but it impressed me
7.5/10. The inclusions of Sonic Youth in the "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" compilation do seem excessive. That being said, this may be my favourite of the bunch. I'm not the biggest fan of noise rock, but this is a rather nice listen!!! :) Also, the cover art is adorable, and I wouldn't want to hurt that plushie's feelings!!! I have a plush duck named Macgaga, and he means the world to me!!! :)
#446. I've never really listened to Sonic Youth before, but is not too dissimilar from stuff I do listen to, so I'm not sure why. Maybe I should've been, because I do think this album is pretty good 4/5: decent
I enjoyed the album, very much my type of music, but the singing in Drunken Butterfly was unpleasant lol
For someone who’s not familiar with Sonic Youth, I think Dirty is a good album to start with. This album is more refined, polished, and accessible for a new listener. On the flip side, it also covers their diverse sound. It has some alternative tracks, noisier grunge tracks with distortion, and even a bit of upbeat punk-influenced elements. Although this is a more polished album, it definitely showcases their experimental nature, unconventional song structures, and gives you a taste of their raw and gritty feel.
The only Sonic Youth album I own - and actually purchased it shortly after it was released. Did not get it then and it has taken quite a few listens over the year to appreciate it. Until doing this list I had not listened to any other Sonic Youth albums and can now say that this is my favorite Sonic Youth album as it feels tighter and more focused. It also features Sugar Cane which I believe is their best track.
This album has some classic tracks. I'm particularly fond of "Sugar Kane". But the album is a bit long, and some of the songs are tough listens. I gave Siamese Dream a 4, so this should also get a 4.
The aesthetic of disillusionment and cynicism that is so popular in alternative music & counterculture is very tiresome and annoying. However I actually do really love this band's music lol. Somewhere between 4 and 5 for me
More of this please!
I've known of Sonic Youth for quite a while, but this was my first time listening to them. Boy, was it an experience. A good one at the very least. It was very experimental. Very crazy. I liked it.
Dirty is an apt title for this Sonic Youth album. It sounds like it’s being performed in some filthy back alley you wouldn’t want to be in at night by yourself. That’s not a bad thing. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-dirty-by-sonic-youth?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
3.75 Really enjoyed Kim Gordon's songs most of all.
Great stuff, doesn’t seem to have aged
Decent
This has to be noise rock at its most melodic, accessible, and thankfully at its best. I love how the albums alternates between Thurston Moore’s more simplistic vocals and Kim Gordon’s sometimes subdued, sometimes vicious vocals between songs. It keeps the album fresh and stops it from becoming stale. Considering its length, the noise did get somewhat grating the more it went on, but this is still a good piece of grunge coming from Sonic Youth. Though so remain curious about the albums prior to this one. Favorite track: Sugar Cane Other hits: Wish Fulfillment, Drunken Butterfly, Chapel Hill, Youth Against Fascism, 100%
I shockingly found myself really enjoying most of this album. The last SY record I had was definitely not for me. This one seemed more accessible somehow or maybe just caught me on the right day. Got me with this one Jon....
Low four. Usually I don’t go for this style of vocals, but I did enjoy this album. I believe I’ve listened to another sonic youth album, and I’d say this one is definitely better.
Thoughts before listening: I think this is the 3rd or 4th Sonic Youth album I've gotten on this project. They are very hit or miss for me with some of their songs really resonating ("Teenage Riot" is one of my favorite songs ever) and others just sounding like an atonal jumbled mess. This being one of their 90s, post grunge explosion albums makes me think it will likely fall into the good category for me. Review: Like with most Sonic Youth albums, there are some songs I really enjoy on here and others that fall into the too abstract and weird category to appeal to me. I think I see why Sonic Youth was always a band that floated around on the periphery of the music I loved growing up, but never actually became one of my favorites. They have moments of brilliance where I can see that they were a huge influence on bands like Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, but they just never quite allow themselves to tip over into the overt poppiness that those bands thrived in. Or maybe its more that every album has a couple pop tracks surrounded by a bunch of songs that are very alienating to casual music fans. Sonic Youth remained underground heroes while the bands that emulated them went on to massive success....and maybe that's exactly what Sonic Youth wanted. All that being said, there is a lot to like on this album. "100%", "Wish Fulfillment", "Sugar Kane", Youth Against Fascism", and "Purr" are all going on the playlist. This is a 4-star album.
This album fucking rocks.
There were a lot of songs that I liked on this album. There were quite a few that didn't quite grip me, but were okay to listen to. And then there were a few whose experimentation veered straight into feeling like my ears were being drilled with a jackhammer. But, overall, quite good. Favourites: Chapel Hill, Sugar Kane Least favourites: Nic Fit, Creme Brulee
Sludgy, harsh and full of energy. The good is really good, others in between are tough to listen to. Go punch a nazi to this album.
4+ Stars (12/15)
Not as good as the two that came before it, but still excellent. 4/5
So much noise...I love it! Liked Songs Added: 100% Shoot Youth Against Fascism Chapel Hill
Sonic Youth's "Dirty" paradoxically polishes their sound while keeping their subversive spirit wonderfully unwashed.
Let’s talk about Cool. Sonic Youth are indisputably cool, they look cool, their attitude is cool. If I met someone who said that they listened to Sonic Youth, I’d think that person was cool by association. The problem is that their cool image overshadows most of makes other artists of a similar nature, scene, or style stand out. Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground had a similarly cool aesthetic, but Lou Reed was also in the top four singer-songwriters of the Sixties, and wrote at least a handful of genuine Rock Standards. Every cool band formed since 1968 has rehearsed Sweet Jane, Waiting For The Man, or Pale Blue Eyes in their garage. I’m not sure that Sonic Youth have anything that essential in their catalogue. I would go to bat for Daydream Nation being a pretty good album, and I enjoyed Dirty a lot when I was listening to it. I’m just not sure that there’s any relative cultural staying power in their music. I’ve not ever met someone who’s talked about Sonic Youth, I’ve only ever seen one mention of them in film or TV (a joke on How I Met Your Mother about any Bass playing woman called Kim in any cool band being hot for what it’s worth) and I’ve never heard any of their songs out in the wild. Any time I’ve ever seen them mentioned in discussions of music online (which is also rare) most of the conversation is about how cool and influential they are. This will be their legacy. The band that was too cool for big, lasting hits. Your coolest friend’s favourite band. And if we’re being honest, I’m not sure it’s any big loss. I like this album, I like Daydream Nation. But Sonic Youth’s coolness has always left me a little cold. I don’t think there’s really much to connect to. There’s not that relentlessness, that obsessive search for meaning or human connection or truth that I feel makes for the greatest art. Lou Reed, the coolest of all cool Rock stars, wrote some of his biggest songs by writing about his own insecurities regarding love and sexuality. Bowie spent his time pretending to be a literal fucking space alien writing about the frailty of human connection. Leonard Cohen, who was again just so cool, wrote almost exclusively about the obsessive intersection between sex, death, religion and his own ego. I feel something when I listen to their music, I feel a connection to another human. All I think when listening to Sonic Youth is, ‘wow, this is cool.’ I’m going to give this four stars, because I do genuinely think that this is good music. I’d happily listen to it again. But I’m not ever gonna love it.
Love the tempo play and crustiness of Swimsuit Issue. Actually I think I'm finding any of the songs where Kim Gordon is on the mic/writing are my favorites. Drunken Butterfly > Shoot is a great one-two punch. Shoot is wonderful in its ability to sound off-kilter while retaining a locked in groove and spacious atmosphere. Also love the drum break on Sugar Kane. Found this to be a bit more polished than Goo, with some higher highs. I enjoy all the tempo play and interplay between all of the instruments -- especially the guitar scratching, etc. This is a low-mid 4
Fuzzy noisy rock at its best.
Really good album, but not great, and a little too long. Best tracks: 100%, Wish Fulfillment, Sugar Kane, Nic Fit and Purr.
Loved this. So edgy. Hard mix of punk inspired in your face unflinching walls of sound. Keeps you guessing with interesting tempo changes, distortion, tension, & sparse melodies. Very unique sound. Neil Young chose them to be his opening act when I saw him at MSG in 1990. He was clearly an inspiration to their sound along with many other 90’s grunge bands.
Great memories. I'm a fan of the gritty rawness of the sound and lyrics. Some songs shine more than others, but it's a fun ride all the same.
Aww yeah. Another one that sounds incredible 30 years later. Not as hazy - musical or lyrically- as previous releases. It's got some tracks. there is some amazing playing here (theresa's sound world), sounds that resemble singable if not quite sing along tunes (sugar cane/purr) and then some Kim Gordon tracks (maybe one too many, maybe...). Much more organized but still enough breakdowns to scratch the itch.
Compared to E.V.O.L., this is much more accessible for me. One reason is, that they made this album grungy, which works well with their dissonant guitar play.
Sonic Youth are really growing on me, I got Sister a while ago, and didn't really like it. I have revisited that album a few times and I do actually really like it now. It was cool to listen to another album of theirs knowing that I should like it this time, and hell yeah dude this is a great album.
I’m ashamed to say I don’t know much Sonic Youth given their contribution to much of the music I love, but this album changed that.
I hadn't seen this album cover before but now I wanna crochet my own little orange guy. Very noisy and loud and good. I loved this. Kim's vocals are certainly something, but I think they fit the music. Favorites: "Swimwuit Issue", "Theresa's Sound-World", "Drunken Butterfly", "Sugar Kane", "JC", "Purr"
There's so many layers here - not just throughout the album, but within each track itself. Sonic Youth had a real buzz about them. The songs aren't going to trouble the Top 10, but they remain upbeat and joyous, despite the subject matter. Youth Against Fascism had more than one repeat play. It was good to hear a LOUD album to start the week.
My second Sonic Youth album on this list. I liked this one a lot more, but that's not saying a lot as the first one didn't exactly set the bar very high. This album drops the ball a bit at times, but never completely loses its way.
I've stated in my last few Sonic Youth reviews (on this site) that "this is probably my favorite so far, but..." I think there's a part of me that really wants to like Sonic Youth: they exude effortless cool (especially Kim Gordon), and a really big "I don't give a fuck" attitude. However, that attitude sometimes gets in the way. What is an incredibly strong start really hits ground hard the moment "Youth Against Fascism" starts up, wobbles to a stand a few times (namely "JC" and "On The Strip"), but lands with the blasé "Creme Brulée". It might be that this album had the producers behind "Nevermind" giving it a more favorable sheen, but it can't cover everything. Favorite tracks: "Sugar Kane", "Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit", "JC"
One of the finest American bands doubles down on their noisiest impulses only to lose the plot on certain tracks, offer an uneven work, and thereby creating their first real polarizing effort. Can you tell these kids came from the NYC No Wave scene, which was fun and brash as much as it was directionless? And yet, calling this Sonic Youth's worst album feels like a stretch to me, especially since this is the album that contains "100%" and "Youth Against Fascism." Make no mistake: the tracks that whip ass certainly whip ass. And the tracks that don't can be forgotten. If you listen to enough Sonic Youth, a track that's forgotten feels like a disappointment. But 10 years into their career, bum tracks were inevitable. 'Dirty' is indeed the word. None of the ethereal dreamlike quality in Sonic Youth can be found on this affair, produced by Butch Vig and released in 1992. What we have is a post-grunge Sonic Youth, exploiting the now-ubiquitous soft-loud dynamics in a milieu of major-label privilege. Thurston Moore's guitar tone has never sounded more ferocious and chaotic. On this record, I think of his strings as less up-and-down and more of a circular clockwise-counter-clockwise movement, almost like how a roller-coaster is composed of steel loops and corkscrews, with the car grinding in every kind of direction. This is especially the case on the guitar solo on "Sugar Kane," which belongs smack-dab in the middle of a Greatest Hits compilation (a little bit of a research would show that this would be the third track off of 'Hits Are For Squares'). I always viewed 'Dirty' as one of the best albums to showcase the vital work of drummer Steve Shelley. On "Swimsuit Edition," the drums come in like a brutal gallop; when everything starts to swell and soar on "Theresa's Sound-world," the drums propel everything in an upward direction, like being scooped up by a tornado. The floor toms do some serious work in making "Drunken Butterfly" heavy and swampy, only aided by Kim Gordon's lugubrious vocals. Kim has to be given credit for the amazing bassline that opens up "Youth Against Fascism" and making the song an absolute earworm. To me, Sonic Youth's lyrics never really MEANT anything: some cool turn of phrases here and there, some stray observations on liberation that sometimes work but sometimes don't. In fact, they're quite clunky. Still, I know Thurston's heart is in the right place and sometimes it takes agitation to get people to really understand how they're being oppressed. I gotta say: I love that the chorus to this song is "it's the song I hate/it's the song I hate." Perhaps he's commenting on the nature of producing an overtly political song (a cliché, which of course was dominated by a whole-ass generation of preachy, idealist Baby Boomers that turned out to be massive hypocrites) or commenting on the fact that hatred - in this case righteous hatred - has to be in your heart to stand for something. I would consider "Shoot" to be one of the forgettable tracks, but the bassline that opens the song manages to be cool and approachable in its simplicity while still retaining a sinister quality. "Wish Fulfillment" is a skip and I can hardly remember how "Chapel Hill" goes, which speaks to the coherence in sound found throughout the album as well as Sonic Youth's misguided urgency in releasing this so soon after 'Goo' since it's clear they're using some scrapped ideas. If you're doing that however, why not just go with "Genetic" which was the B-side to "Wish Fulfillment?" I know that "Nic Fit" is just too swift and unserious to contribute meaningfully to this album. It's simply another way for Sonic Youth to flex their cool-kid bona fides. At this point though, it's like, "yeah, we get it." An Untouchables cover that would then help the L.A. hardcore band get some greater notoriety, but really doesn't do anything other than...whip ass! At least that's what I thought when I was 15 years old and ate this shit up like breakfast cereal. After this song, things really start to blur together, with the exception of "Purr," which has such a killer riff that then explodes into the type of screams you'd hear on a Mudhoney record. A little over two mintues into the song, you get what could be some of the prettiest guitar work on the record, only to be met with a blistering melody that probably was noodled around with while writing "Kool Thing." While the lyrics could really be about anything, I'm inclined to think that the references to love, howling to the moon, scratching a dog, "do it again," and "come back tomorrow" suggest the song is about sex, a subject that Sonic Youth excelled in. So at the end of the record, we have "Créme Brûlèe." In case you care, the accents are placed incorrectly! A creepy, cobweb of a song about a hazed-and-dazed summertime hangout. After the sweaty, lusty Saturday night exhilaration in "Purr," we're now met with the Sunday-scary realization that someone thinks, "I'm so happy that we're just friends." Uh-oh. But don't worry: Sonic Youth would do Sunday, and sex, and Sunday-sex on a better record. The album art? It makes a great t-shirt. A-
Solid pacing throughout, knows when to rip and when to chill.
I like this band, 4 stars
me gustó buco this shit was fire as hell. high 8/10
8/10
All over the place, but very unique and compelling
Sonic Youth are always pretty consistent but they were really on a roll in the late 80s and early 90s (I’m a Goo fan, sue me!) This is a kind of grunge inspired album but still keeping true to the harsher and noisier climate of SY’s earlier records. It kicks things off with the super catchy 100% but gets a bit weirder as it goes on, with Gordon sounding absolutely feral on some tracks. Very energetic, very cool, and just very fun really
I want a 3.5 star review here. It's fine. I like it. I'm probably never going to play it over another Sonic Youth album though.
This is what I am talking about. Fractured songs. Noise. Loud and soft. Interesting lyrics (for the most part). Pushing the sonic range of electric guitar and bass.
Noisy.
Not always easy to listen to, but always fun, interesting, and challenging.
"100%", "Sugar Kane", "Theresa´s Sound-World", "Orange Rolls, Angel´s Spit", "Youth Against Fascism", "On The Strip", "Chapel Hill", "Purr" - consistently pretty good grungy songs. But especially on the fist half of the album also some weaker tracks. Hard for me to decide between 3 and 4 stars!
Great early 90’s rock
Great. Reasonably easy to listen to for a Sonic Youth record. Still quite harsh, but it's actual songs. It has their biggest hit and only a couple of misses. Good starting point if you want to get into the band. Favorite song: Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit
Really enjoyed this which surprised me as not really got sonic youth before
post punk
Pretty good, but pretty repetitive.
I found most of Sonic Youth not all that easy to listen to. A friend was a rabid fan and this is the record from his collection that I enjoyed the most. Today, I found that I liked it quite a bit.
Good
I think this is my favorite Sonic Youth album that I've heard so far. I have seen them live twice and thought they were amazing both times, but their albums always leave me a little cold. I'm not sure why this one hit me different, but I really enjoyed it. The songs are melodic in the weirdest goddamn ways 4/5
Ik zie dat er maar liefst 5 albums van Sonic Youth in onze snoblijst staan. Dat lijkt me ietwat overdreven en ook hier zou weer een maximum van 3 moeten gelden (en misschien zelfs 1 of 2). Nu ken ik maar 2 albums van ze, dus op zich is het wel een kans om die andere albums een keer te ontdekken. Op het eerste gehoor doet dit me iets meer grungy en postrocky aan, eigenlijk minder het Sonic Youth geluid zoals ik het ken. Het is minder diRty dan wat ik me er vooraf bij had voorgesteld. Meer een mix van Nirvana en de Pixies, of Hole op de nummers waarop Kim Gordon zingt. Maar dat vind ik helemaal niet erg eigenlijk. Het klinkt erg lekker en er zitten een paar heerlijke nummers tussen. Het is moeilijk voor me om de albums van Sonic Youth onderling te vergelijken. Daarvoor zou ik ze in korter tijdsbestek achter elkaar moeten luisteren. Nu was het al weer een tijdje geleden, dat ik iets van ze gehoord heb, dus beoordeel ik het wellicht anders. Ik vind het wel lekker voor op een vrijdag.
не знаю, вроде солидный альбом, но есть и просадки прям между 3 и 4
прикольно что есть дуальность между мужским и женским вокалом. Я не помню чтобы встречал это (имею ввиду чтобы прям весь альбом так чередовался, а не куплет/припев) Алкоальбом: мартини
this was more in line with my taste and seemed pretty good, though i didnt really get super into it because i was only half-listening. so i might listen to it again later.
Harsh gritty guitar balancing mixed with a combination of melodic and grungy vocals. This album does a great job of encapsulating teenage angst. Similar to the first Sonic Youth album I got on this project I share the same sentiment that none of these songs really stand out to me. Like there aren't any that I would look up just to put on. But at the same time none of them stand out as obvious skips either. Any of them could come on in a alt/punk rock playlist and I wouldn't bat an eye.
Sonic Youth is better than the music you like
Fedt album. Vender helt sikkert tilbage! Havde jeg hørt den i en ung alder var den sikkert blevet fast inventar i min musik smag!
Another great SY record ✌️ great mix of their pop era and their noisy roots
Sonic youth är nog nice. Ingen har riktigt samma swägä o deras poppiga stuff är jättenice
I'd never listened to any Sonic Youth music before now and I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was actually very good and enjoyable. Hints of Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins and someone else (Weezer? Not sure), with a cool pop/grungy sound that was very cool. The one song Nic Fit was absoltuely awful (bad enough that I almost couldn't sit through its 1 minute runtime), but I guess that's bound to happen on even good albums from time to time. Four stars.
deep dive soon
Frábær plata, elska hráa, ókláraða sándið hjá Sonic. Ekki alveg jafn góð og Daydream nation. Eru þarna eitt og eitt lag sem hefðu mátt miss sín.
My my my finally a Sonic Youth record and can honestly say I loved. I have finally found Shangri La, and my Rosebud.
Heavy, dense while still being clean and listenable. The ol Butch Vig sound.
Never listened to Sonic Youth but this brings back 90s memories.. 4/5
The more I hear Sonic Youth, the more I like them. Cool stuff from a band I somehow missed in the late 80s and early 90s. Can't wait till Daydream Nation is generated as my album of the day.
Good, bordering on great. Sounds a lot like early Biffy Clyro - anyone who liked this (and everyone else!) should listen to Blackened Sky, Biffy's first album. A clear influence on Nirvana as well, but manages to steer clear of the "soundalike" issues some bands run into when their fans become stars.
Great Punk Rock
Some albums work best when you are in the right mood. Turs out the right mood for this one was "slightly annoyed with a lot to do". Cranked it up in my headphones at work and got shit done. Thank you Sonic Youth! p.s I really like the songs Thurston sings on a lot better than Kims d.s
I'm not angsty enough any more. Good album though
Please just more.
pretty loud! 3.5
Rating: 8.5/10 Great album overall. The combination of the band's trademark noise rock and pop was very well done, this album seems a bit more polished than their previous releases while still maintaining their sound and energy. A lot of the songs were incredibly catchy and creative, especially on the first half. The noise elements were done in a unique way while having a beauty in them as well, making for a very enjoyable listen. Many of the song structures and guitar riffs were odd as well which both add to the enjoyment of this album. The vocal performances mostly work, the singers of this band are not good technically but make it work for the most part. Some songs were not as interesting due to poor singing or ideas but the majority of this album is great. Favorite songs: 100%, Swimsuit Issue, Theresa's Sound-World, Drunken Butterfly, Shoot, Sugar Kane, On The Strip, Chapel Hill, Purr. Worst song: Nic Fit.
I like it. A nice balance between indie rock and their noisy aesthetic that Sonic Youth loves. It's not a sellout its a natural progression to SY carreer. 4 stars
These geniuses form their own competition, great album again with sensual singing by rock goddess Kim Gordon, but only 4/5= 80% now, baby for this one.
CD
A decade after their self titled debut was released, Sonic Youth drops a heavy hitting album. Over an hour of quality material. The best there was to offer at the time. This is the unique and original shit that satisfies that itch. Everything feels new on this album and I enjoy all of it. Except the run time. Too long. The songs start to blend together and become indistinguishable if you let it run too long. 4/5
Punk rock, killer guitar tones, and female vocalist on some tracks. THPS vibes
Love this! Diverse in vibe and lead singers.
Despite some small problems (out of whack vocals), this one was still enjoyable. The sound of this is raw as hell and with a bit darker lyrics. This one had a lot of thoroughly enjoyable tracks. Cool!
4/5
Alternative rock as art. I like it.
Knotty and intense as usual. And as usual, the more one can get past the gratuitously and intentionally difficult stuff, the more one can actually, you know, enjoy the music. "Sugar Kane" is coolest cut, once again showing how the edgiest-artiest-most difficult bands often have a counterintuitive knack for groovy and melodious hooks. It helps to be in right mood and conditions – both psychologically and climatologically – to get fully engaged and thus the most out of this record.
I really enjoyed this more than I expected. Some really good guitar work and drumming. I think I would have really enjoyed this album as a teen. Not sure how I missed it. Album art is great too! Kind of album you could hang up on wall as art.
When you peer past some of the bells and whistles, at its core this is a good rock album. Ah, but all the dissonance and feedback are the seasonings in the soup though, right? Yeah, I guess they do elevate Dirty somewhat. Count me as a fan - big, scuzzy guitars, a meaty rhythm section and an interesting range of voices are often the bedrock to a winning formula, especially married to astute songwriting. I always thought Sonic Youth were for the kids who were simply too cool, and that's probably still true. Nonetheless, I do detect a hint of the 1990s 'XXXtreme' attitude that seemed to permeate everything going on at the time. Radical!
Really, really liking this. Somehow I've gone my whole life without ever owning a Sonic Youth record. Seems strange, too, because the guitars are so up my alley. I think I've probably just struggled to hear the "songs" amidst the chaos in the past, but it's clicking for me now. "Wish Fulfillment" and "Sugar Kane" is a hell of a one-two punch. And "Chapel Hill"!
This is a fantastic album. Funny and serious when it needs to be, heavy and soft when It needs to be, mixed great, very good drumming and interesting vocal melodies and lyrics, gnarly guitar, a true blend of new wave, punk rock, and indie before its time, and does what later artists do way before they did it. Its contemporaries like the pixies and nirvana among others share its energy, but sonic youth is still unique enough to put a darker spin on the music while being adventurous. It lacks a staple song or two to sell the album, but sonic youth embraces that and thats what sets it apart, it doesn't need cheap tricks to shine. An easy 4 for me.
Bua ❤️
It's more of that great Sonic Youth sound, but this album is just a bit too long and unfocused
fed støj! meget mere for mig end jeg troede. Første Sonic Youth album jeg har hørt hele vejen igennem
i felt like some songs dragged way more than needed, and that made me not like them as much as i would, but overall it was a great album, i think the best one that i rated so far. idk if its a 5* material, so im gonna go with a 4,5 - 8 adds
It’s always fun to listen to an album for the first time that so clearly influences many of the band you love today. 4.5/5
I've listened to one other Sonic youth Album before and didn't really like it. There were a few catchy songs and a lot of noise. This one however got me. Really enjoyed the guitar, bass, and vocals. Will listen again.
crunchy guitars with distortion for days. some female vocals, some male vocals, depending on the song. this was pretty good to me. no complaints. highlights: “100%”, “drunken butterfly”, “youth against fascism”.
very nice alt rock/noise rock. sometimes the songs kind of meander, but overall it's very great with some stand out songs with very interesting instrumentation. 8.0/10
its a good sonic youth album, prefer others
Very good
послушал я значится главный альбом соников. ну что сказать, это кайфово. я в целом люблю нойз рок, и здесь он супер хорош. правда вокал Ким Гордон мне не всегда нравится, ну да ладно. в целом это очень эмоционально, чувственно, особенно зная бэкграунды треков, а тут почти нет песен ни о чем. тоже думаю буду слушать на фоне время от времени. фавориты - Sugar Kane и Youth Against Fascism конечно же, это прям база база. короче кайф оценка - 8/10
This kind of hits all the marks you want a Sonic Youth album to hit. It continues the band’s transition to more approachable songs, but it’s still a challenging and noisy album. I always preferred it to Goo and this listen reinforced my opinion.
some annoying yelling but otherwise decent 100% swimsuit issue theresa's sound world drunken butterfly wish fulfillment sugar kane youth against fascism chapel hill purr
I enjoyed most of it after hating it the last time I tried to listen 10+ years ago. It was snotty ‘fuck you’ Gen X punk. I would listen again.
Liked the way that having two different voices let them almost capture two different vibes in songs, such a long album needs the variety. The female led songs packed a punch that a band like Hole lacks in my opinion, and the male led songs were able to go into an almost metal direction that I was a fan of.
Can see why it’s loved. Lively and full of different ideas. Great listen
I was shocked by how good this was. There was only a few of the vocal performances I didn't care for.
I still don’t care too much about the lady singer, but the rest of the album is great.
Great noise rock, not Sonic Youths best album and other bands would go on to take the noise rock sound farther and better (lightning bolt) but this is a solid album thats great to listen to
Not for everyone, but I love it. I'd probably go 3.5, but rounding to 4 in case I dont rate another Sonic Youth album
Favorite Songs: On the Strip Sugar Kane Very versatile album containing sounds in many different styles. The contrast of melodic alternative rock and grunge makes it a fun album.
I didn't expect this to impress me as much as it did. I love it, not sure how they remained a complete blind spot for me for so long given some of my listening habits but it'll teach me about presumptions, I'd just thought they were a bit too sludge and scuzz to appeal to me but it's just in the right spot to end up in my regular rotation. Not outstanding enough to get a 5 but a high 4.
mm
I really liked this! I’m already a casual Sonic Youth fan but I’ve never listened to a full album. Kim Gordon’s vocals are sometimes off putting but I did enjoy it though it was a bit long.
I really enjoyed this album. I think it's a 3 but i'm giving it a 4
Oh man! One of the formative albums of my youth. A nice mix of bangers like Swimsuit Issue and more meditative tracks like Theresa's Sound-World. A couple are kind of cheesy, like Youth Against Fascism, but I guess that was the spirit of the times. This isn't my favorite Sonic Youth album, but the songwriting is better than I remember, and it's definitely got its place in their discography.
4.0
I like it. Four stars.
A band I discovered way too late when exploring the 90s... Another classic, but I would not recommend to 1st time listeners. This band is always an afterthought but their music is still great to me.
This one surely is dirty, but in a very good way. Like that one snackbar you always go to when you’re drunk.
Second installment of Geffen's advance, more grandfathers-of-grunge sharp rock tunes. Spread over a double it doesn't have quite the focus of Goo, but several high points (100%, Sugar Kane, drunken Butterfuly) and an overall sense of a band both tight and loose at the same time. That old trick.
Epitome of sonic youth
Sonic Youth were already well-established when the whole grunge/alternative craze erupted, and most the prominent figures of that scene looked up to them. If anything, SY's sound was more adventurous than their contemporaries in 1992, so it's not surprising that they distilled their ethos a bit to have a shot at the scene they helped spawned. Dirty sounds like an édition raisonnée of everything Sonic Youth has been and everything Sonic Youth would eventually become. As such, it is their most direct album to date, the noise is still there, but it's even more structured than Goo was. Sometimes it works in their favor (100%, Youth Against Fascism, Sugar Kane), sometimes it makes them sound like a tame version of themselves (Shoot, Crème Brûlée). If all the lesser moments would have been cut, this would have been the classic it aimed to be. But the album sadly feels too long for its own good, and I think it would have worked much better if they had cutted 3 or 4 songs from it. That being said, there are also a lot of strong points to that album, mostly placed in the first half of the album. Theresa's Sound-World has to be one of my 10 best SY tracks, and 100% is up there too.
Another Sonic Youth classic. I feel this one is well balanced between their noisy/chaotic side and their strong compositions skills with more structured arrangements. Again, well played SY.
3.9 the songs that are good are GOOOOOD but some are just a drag but overall has lots of songs that sound like they came out 15 years later fave songs: theresa's sound-world, wish fulfilment, Sugar Kane, JC, Chapel Hill
If Sonic Youth would just stick to the great stuff and avoid going on too long and or being too full of itself with its experimenting, this would be an amazing album. Like look it me, I'm making this annoying scratchy high pitched sound (or singing gibberish) just because I can - see Nic Fit and Creme Brulee. In contrast, Tom Morello would drag his amp plug across his guitar but make it sound melodic. That said, the first half/9 songs is really good. When Kim Gordon sings, especially on on Swimsuit Issue and Drunken Butterfly, there's this great combination of screw you and what do I care. And the music twists and turns but it fits just right; ditto on the Thurston Moore-sung 100%, Theresa's Sound-World, and Sugar Kane (these ones are so smooth). And there continues to be some gems on the back half - On the Strip (great first half to the song, then gets a bit decadent), Chapel Hill, and Purr (bonus track Stalker also good). I guess there were only a few annoying songs. It could've been tighter but there's more to like on this album than others of theirs. They finally won me over for a full album.
Always nice to see Sonic Youth pop up on the list. Dirty is a double whammy, but completely justifies the runtime. Every band member gets a chance to showcase their skills, and with only a few misses like 'Nic Fit', the quality on this record is undeniable. A special shout out to 'Theresa's Sound World' - 'The Unforgiven III' by Metallica anyone?
Two observations. A) There seems to be quite a bit of Sonic Youth on this list and B) I'm not complaining.
Tiukka ysäri! 4/5
Harvoja "raskaampia" bändejä, joita jaksan enää säännöllisesti. Jälleen tiukkaa laatua. Vähän liian pitkä, mutta silti 4/5.
I really like this.
Between a 3 and a 4. I've been enjoying the Sonic Youth records more then I was expecting.
It's good. But it's sort of like you ran Sonic Youth through a generic 90s Grunge filter and this is what you get. No where near as good as Daydream Nation or Goo. But still not bad, I enjoyed it and will listen again.
Solid album, I'm starting to come around on Sonic youth, especially goo and post goo
Second time listening to this album. Actually digging it more than the OG list. More saves this time around and just general better vibes enjoyed
its a hit and miss album. there are a few tracks on here with absolutely no purpose.
Not as iconic as some of their other albums, but still very strong. Not sure if they were trying to be “poppy” but this definitely has some of Sonic Youth’s most accessible tracks. Sugar Kane is fantastic, so is 100%. Some interesting topics explored on the album as well. Would definitely come back to dig into this one more.
7/10. This sounded a bit like Garbage, but not quite as immediately enjoyable. I could see myself coming to like this album after further listening though, and I definitely liked it better than some other Sonic Youth albums.
Apt name. 7/10
Þetta er partý. Sérstakt partý, en partý þó.
Slightly more refined, messy fun!
This album is more accessible than some of Sonic Youth’s other work, yet still retains many of their best noise rock impulses. My biggest complaint is that some of their political points weren’t taken to a fuller conclusion. Other than that, I really enjoyed this album.
Loud and discordant. Loved it Saved tracks: 100%, Drunken Butterfly, Sugar Kane, Youth Against Fascism, Nic Fit, Purr
not sure i've ever listened to this. it's gloriously noisy. sounds exactly like how the 90s sounded for me.
Transports you back to the 90s
I love how messy and noisy it is, especially the guitar sounds throughout the album. Amazing Noise Rock album overall. I liked Theresa's Sound-World, Chapel Hill, JC. Only complaints would be that some of the vocals sound like they cant find the right key, but whatever. 7.5/10
Wonderful achievement here creating so much beautiful dirty noise. Not a SY Gan but may need a deeper dive. I assumed this was early due to how raw it was but the production value screamed established artist and boy oh boy there established art on this one
J'aime, c'est en effet un peu sale, drôlement défoulant.
While this is a decent enough album with some really good songs, some of the other tracks just drag.
This guys/girl fucks
Great atmosphere/production Vocals are great Great grunge album
When I was a teenager and first starting to get into music, Sonic Youth were one of those groups that challenged my tastes almost immediately. I sometimes get this drive when I have trouble understanding the appeal of a band or film that is surrounded by a lot of positive criticism. I can live with not liking it, but not understanding it is unacceptable to me. I remember coming across Teen Age Riot and falling in love immediately, it might as well have been a song built in a vacuum just for me at 16, but that was about all the further I’d get in the album proper. As soon as Silver Rocket’s screeching beginning would play, I could feel my ears begin to bleed. This felt wrong to teenage me, I couldn’t accept that I could love a song so much by a band but not enjoy their other stuff. I kept digging, and I eventually found more songs I liked. That started pushing me further into the stuff I didn’t like, and even the nosiest bits began making sense to me. I never became a fan of their entire catalogue (is anyone?), but I had developed a healthy mix of songs I loved and the ability to play Daydream Nation and Goo front to back. I never made it to Dirty, and I that was a mistake on my part because I think I would have loved it then. There’s no Teen Age Riot or Kool Thing on here, but this is probably the best melding of everything they had done up to that point. There’s still plenty of noise, but it is more refined here. It takes a few before it hits its stride, but things really pick up by the time Sugar Kane comes around. I haven’t spent much my adulthood with Sonic Youth, maybe it was a mistake to leave them with my teenage self, but it was great to have an excuse to revisit a band that became a gateway to many other bands I’d grow to love.
I have only ever been a casual listener to Sonic Youth. After hearing this album I may put a little more effort in. I enjoy the parts where there are actual melodies and singing to the more prolonged periods of sonic dissonance but I was never tempted to turn the album off. I thought about Hole and Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. while listening.
I was always turned off by Sonic Youth because they just seemed interested in making a lot of noise and I thought it ended there. This opened my eyes to the fact that there's actually some pretty effective songwriting going on, and the drummer is damned tight on this record. Surprisingly, I was a much bigger fan of Thurston Moore's vocals and songs than Kim Gordon's — and now I know who Courtney Love was listening to through the '80s and why Scott was so enamored with "Live Through This." So color me surprised. This album rates higher than I enjoyed it personally, I don't see myself turning to SY for a pleasure listen, but I have a better appreciation for what these kids are up to.
I discovered Sonic Youth in high school and spent the summer of '89 obsessing over every one of their albums, letting their unique musical vocabulary rewire my brain. When I was 18, I felt like they were the only band that mattered. Their musical textures were so rich and complex, I felt like I could live in these songs. Yeah, their lyrics were often (let's face it) kind of dumb, but I didn't care. The music is what mattered. Anyway, to say I love this band is an understatement. But I haven't listened to them much in the past two-plus decades. Unsure why, but maybe that's just how it is with bands you were so close to in your formative years. So I was curious how I would react to this one, which is not their best, but it was a bit of a return to greatness after the disappointment that was Goo. I'm also curious how y'all will react. If anything, this might be the best SY album to start with, since it's their poppiest album. (If you can believe it.) My reaction: goddamn, I still love their music. The way Thurston's and Lee's microtonal guitars weave through and over and past each other still thrills. No, this album doesn't quite reach the highs of Sister, Evol, or Daydream Nation. There are no extended jams that we SY fans love so much. But Thurston was on a songwriting roll here. Some of these tunes are among the band's best. But then there's Kim. I adore Kim. I do not, generally speaking, adore her singing or her lyrics. Although some of her songs are some of the all-time great SY songs, none of those songs are on this album. And unfortunately, there's a lot of Kim on this album, which makes this one uneven. But I'll be generous and give it a 4. Bad news for those of you who don't like Sonic Youth: There are, I believe, five SY albums on here. Even as a fan, that's probably about four too many for a list like this. If it were up to me, I'd just include Daydream Nation and say, "Hey, if you dig this, you're in luck. There are a ton of great SY albums for you to check out. But if you don't, you can say you gave them a try and move on."
What a classic. I enjoyed this so much. A lot of new ones for me as well.
It is dirty isn’t it? But great, powerful dirtiness. I liked that, it was good. Shame I didn’t discover that at the time, would have really appealed to teenaged me.
Solid, vintage stuff from a band that positioned itself as the coolest on the planet for more than a few years. This isn't as good as Daydream Nation but not far off either. "Sugar Kane" is one's favorite cut, because it adds some Mascisesque licks to their signature industrial-slow burn-smolder affect.
Wow, this was a very cool album. Lots of really good tracks. I loved the contrasting vocals between the two as they alternated songs throughout the album. This was great listen. 4. T3B 1. Sugar Kane 2. Chapel Hill 3. JC 4. 100% 5. Shoot
Probably won’t surprise you but I really liked this record. I love dissonant, overdriven guitar and monotone vocals
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH, con estas cosas sintonizo, estos son los discos que me perdí por la poca difusión en los medios masivos argentinos. Qué placer esta recomendación. Lo disfruté de punta a punta.
Classic album. SOOO many of my favorite bands owe so much to this band. I can't help but love it.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: 100%, Drunken butterfly, Orange rolls,angel’s split, Nic fit
Sonic Youth are a strange phenomenon to me: they tick all my boxes and still I find myself unable to connect with their music; I find them to be hard work too. Having said that, opener track 100% is a blast, and I have the tendency to fall in love with albums with strong openers. Then the sheer experimentation of the classic Sonic Youth kicks in with Swimsuit Issues. The whole album seems to be balanced between the noise rock for which they are mostly known and a somewhat pop side to their music. Butch Vig, who was behind the boards during the recording of Nirvana's Nevermind, is also the producer in charge here, and I can see how his approach streamlined the sound of both bands. Definitely an album that requires more than one listen in life, for people who are interested in sticking to it. They could have trimmed it to fit in a 45 minutes disc instead of an hour long album though, but hey, I guess that was the CD era!
Muita influência. Mas pouca melodia, fica cansativo.
This is what dying feels like 👍 They really weren't lying. This is dirty alright. Fucking disgusting even, I love it. I'm not even the biggest noise rock fan, but a nice old assault on the ears once in a while never killed anyone I think. The funny little creature on the album cover is a very jolly fella and I hope he continues causing rambunctious hijinks in the near future.
Very cool. 4 stars
OK. This is the least "huh?" of the many, many Sonic Youth albums we've listened to so far. If this had been the only one, I wouldn't be so mad. It's not bad. There are songs I actually would like to hear again. Good work, everyone.
Of the four Sonic Youth albums we have listened to in the first 500 albums, this is by far my favorite. I went into this with a negative attitude and was surprised I didn’t hate it. I actually listened to this twice. A real surprise! Favorite songs: Theresa’s Sound-World, Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill
My best known Sonic Youth album: great noise rock.
El primer àlbum a la carrera de Sonic Youth que es pot considerar moderadament accessible. I, sense ser casualitat, un dels millors. 'Sugar Kane' és un dels grans clàssics de l'época
Good grunge album - right mood required for entire album, but overall good listening experience
I unexpectedly loved this album. I was not familiar with Sonic Youth at all and it just hit right this morning.
I never got into Sonic Youth. They weren't played on local radio. Didnt realize they started in '81.
This hit something for me, somewhere between Chevelle and Nada Surf and Smashing Pumpkins. Although extremely low-fi, it had a really endearing quality to me.
Sonic Youth will always hold a special place in my heart.
The least sucky sonic youth album on the list so far.
Good album and will listen again
My only familiarity of Sonic Youth is Kool Thing via Guitar Hero. I didn’t particularly like that song, but it’s not on this album so no need to worry. Let’s see how we go with a full album and if I become a fan! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Wish Fulfilment, Sugar Kane, Purr I was quite impressed with this. I’m somewhat unfamiliar with noise rock as a sub-genre of rock so it was quite different to what I’m used to, but it was certainly interesting! Youth Against Fascism shows excellent use of guitar to simply make noise, but (no so simply) without being grating. The distortion on the bass guitar is perfection throughout. The vocals aren’t amazing, but it would likely be too jarring if they were - the style suits the genre very well. Overall, I surprisingly enjoyed this and didn’t particularly expect to.
Nice guitar sound
Aptly titled
I'm ashamed to admit that I've only been actively listening to Sonic Youth for less than a year even though they're from my generation. Looking back, I wouldn't have appreciated them as much as I do now. Drunken Butterfly is my favorite off this album. I'm glad I finally added them into my rotation. Great 90s alt rock.
My only real memories of Sonic Youth are listening to Goo, and watching Cool Thing's video a lot. Definitely need to put more Sonic Youth into my musical diet.
Personally, I prefer the more dreamy, less grungy sound of Sonic Youth but it doesn't mean Dirty is not a good album.
I will have to give this one another listen. I liked several of the grungier songs, but there's also some noise-rock to contend with. Not nearly as bad a listening experience as I remember this being 30 years ago.
The grunge/shoegaze bits I like; the screamy/emo bits not so much.
Interesante sonido
Pretty good. Some absolute bangers but a lot of it seemed to fade into the background
So hardcore. Almost too hardcore. Daydream Nation is a perfect album but I think this isnt that. Nothing to latch onto. Still Beautifully hardcore. 8.7/10
Love this album. They’re not the greatest songs, but it exemplifies a time and place in guitar music
Dirty sounds and vibes, but pure emotion.
A very credible alternative to Nirvana in my opinion, there's a whole lot of stuff going on that is right up my street
I wasn't familiar with this specific album, good noise-music, enjoyed it.
Listenable punk....not that that's a bad thing at all. The first time I ever heard these guys was when I saw them playing Bogarts in Cincinnati. This is a good album that sounds even better live.
I really like Sonic Youth and this is their most accessible I think. It was a bit of a changeover from their earlier albums, and it sounded a bit more clean, especially with the production. It's an album I can still listen to on repeat. Not a masterpiece, but just great noisy rock 'n' roll
This is really good as Sonic Youth albums go, certainly their most polished and accessible one that I've heard. It was easier on the ears for sure, but I do miss the grit and musical risk taking of the earlier albums. The vocals also seem a little shakier to me, especially Kim Gordon's. All that said, I'm still giving this a 4. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo can bend, twist and grind a note like nobody's business and Sonic Youth is never not interesting. Fave Songs: Purr, Chapel Hill, Sugar Kane, JC, 100%, Youth Against Fascism
Loved it
Like it not ready to love it
The contrast between the roughness of the guitar and the vocals and the more raspy, soft tracks is so euphoric. "Chapel Hill" and "Drunken Butterfly" are especially beautiful!
Volim Sonic Youth, i stvarno su mi među dražima, ali ovaj album nikako da mi dođe na bolju stranu njihovih albuma. Ovo je baš onako na međi, na sredini gdje nije ni loše, a nije ni toliko dobro da bi išlo više od trojke. Možda sam iskreno trebao i prošlom albumu dati trojku ipak (New Order - Low-Life, jebiga, ne mog sad to vratiti). Volim njihovu agresiju, i što su mnogi artisti od njih pokupili zvuk i probali nešto drugačije, pa će uvijek SY imat rispekt u glazbenoj industriji, a pogotovo u ovom žanru. I uvijek mi se sviđao ovaj cover, htio sam ga na majicu, bit će jednog dana, vjerujem. Solidan album, ali nije pokazao nekakav razvitak od prijašnjih albuma (Sister, EVOL, Goo, Daydream Nation) to name a few. EDIT: na drugom slušanju opet mi je album bolje lego, stvarno je. Low-Life od New Ordera je dobio 4, a on je zapravo trebo dobiti 3, a ovaj album ovaku zvijezdu koju sam sad lupio. Favoritne: 100%, Theresa's Sound-World, Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill.
Pola po sjećanju
You get exactly what they told you: a dirty sounding record, musically. The people writing it off as loud noises owe it a few more listens to appreciate the layers of complexity. It rules, it flies in the face of every commercial instinct other bands at this time followed.
Well shit, I feel like I don't need to listen to this one, but of course I will. Guess I didn't listen to the whole thing as much as I thought when I was in grade 12. Still the first album I know of that put a secret picture behind the cd case.
Delightful. First SY album for me. I love the sound, and I wonder why I never bumped into this in the 90's or slightly later when I had my grunge phase. It drags on a tiiiny bit, I suppose. Some imbalance in the material. But I forgive it all.
Beautiful noise for the counterculture. Out of tune guitars and flat vocals still provide punchy, noise driven, hard hitting rock and roll to get the mind thinking of rebellion. Highlight tracks: 4, 5, 12, 14 (and more)
something a bit different, overall enjoyed
banger do bangera al sredina krene malo smarat
Another excellent Sonic Youth entry. Still abrasive and signature noise rock, but it's lighter and more accessible than prior entries. Lots of tracks are still post-punk in nature, while others are clearly influenced by the growing grunge movement. I absolutely love their sound, and here it's the most melodic of their "noisy" albums. Most songs are at least great. As usual, my favorite songs tend to be where Thurston is the vocalist. "Sugar Kane" is for fans of "Teenage Riot," and is probably their poppiest. I love the constant noise shifts in that song. "Theresa's Sound-World" is another song I really like, and it best demonstrates their grunge influence. I feel like the album picks up from "On the Strip," which alone is my favorite Gordon song. The rest of the album feels mellower and poppier: songs you could sing along to and rock out to the noise. I felt like the "Purr" would have been a better closing track than "Creme Brulee." Although not as coherent as prior albums, it still retains the characteristics that had made Sonic Youth stand out for so many years, influencing alt rock for years to come.
3 Likes: 100%- that howling feedback throughout the song Theresa's Soundworld- VU vibes Shoot- Seductive Sugar Kane Chapel Hill- great catchy, upbeat 90s intro, lots of changes, amazing heavy middle section 3 Strikes: Wish Fulfilment Orange Rolls, Angel Spit JC Listen Again? Yes- I enjoyed parts of this a lot! It was uneven in places but a lot more enjoyable than Daydream Nation- tighter song structures, pop gems hidden underneath all the noise, reminded me of where Velvet Underground could have gone. Some spoken word-y sections lost me (JC, for example) but overall a solid listen. Just scrapes 4*.
Not as consistent or unique as some of their other albums, but still excellent. Kim Gordon in particular really shines on this one. On the higher end of 4.
Awkward, angular, aggressive. This is a really cool listen if you enjoy dirty bass, screeching guitars and wailing vocals.
My favourite noise rock band. Sonic Youth goes a *little* mainstream due to grunge wrapping itself around their sound and style. Kim Gordon’s growly vocals show huge influence over Courtney Love’s Hole persona. Killer record. I sure miss these guys.
100% rocks!
We're on a '90's kick here. Before I listened to this album, the most I'd ever gotten into Sonic Youth was their quite overrated version of "Superstar". This was better than I expected. Much better than their attempt at "Superstar" for certain. Realizing now as someone who DJ'd at my campus alternative radio station from 1991-93, I let a lot of good music slip by me. There's a song on here (Drunken Butterfly) that apparently takes its lyrics from Heart song titles and lyrics. This album just flat out works as a whole. Kept listening to more Sonic Youth via Spotify after this album ended. Giving it another listen to avow my love, and to ensure it deserves the title of most surprising (or most out of left field) 5. I also just discovered there are FIVE Sonic Youth albums on this list. Seems high. As far as Dirty is concerned, it's the most surprising 4 so far. I'm still not sure what "noise rock" is, but if that's how you describe Sonic Youth, no one does that genre better.
Hostia tremendo sample en la intro Me gusta bastante en verdad, algo anticuado pero nunca pensé que sonic youth me gustaría Guapísimo, mejor las partes más Punk que las partes suavecitas Esos distorrrrrrttts Vale se me está haciendo pelin largo
Liked it, noisy but a good recording
Album Song Ranking: Theresa's Sound-World Youth Against Fascism Sugar Kane Swimsuit Issue JC Wish Fulfillment Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit (H.M.) Creme Brulee Purr On The Strip Shoot Chapel Hill 100% Nic Fit Drunken Butterfly
Incredibly discordant but it really does work. I don't understand music
Not sure if it’s my favorite album of theirs, but solid.
Альбом, к которому вряд ли захочу возвращаться, но в котором, ладно, вроде что-то есть. Немало какого-то душного шума, в котором ни эстетики, ни драйва, но когда к этому добавляются оригинальные вокальные партии и композиционные решения - вроде интересно. Сильнее всего для себя выделил трек Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit. Sugar Kane, On The Strip, Сhapel Hill вполне интересны, Nic Fit навивает ностальгические нотки летовского проекта Коммунизм. В общем, умом понимаю, что нормальное музло вроде бы, но по эмоциям не особо отбивается и даже душит порой.
Oké rockplaat, de afwisseling tussen de lead-vocalists is wel interessant.
No está mal
Heel veel gedraaid in mijn muziek vormende periode vandaar het hoge aantal sterren, maar eigenlijk is het maar een rommelig zooitje met rare nummers. Waarom ze ooit zo'n status hebben gekregen is mij een raadsel.
Hoge score vooral vanuit jeugdsentiment. Aantal (Thurston Moore) nummers zijn briljant, maar nu ik het hele album na lange tijd weer eens helemaal luister valt het me op hoe vervelend ik de "zang" van Kim Gordon eigenlijk vind. En in mijn herinnering zong zij maar een paar nummers maar zeker de helft heeft haar gekras. Leidt enorm af van de muziek en maakt het zelfs dat ik de 'mythische status' die ik aan dit album had gegeven moet intrekken.
Wel stevige maar goede rock
This rewarded my patience I wish I had more to give
Good surprise... nice alternative rock
Muy suyos. Sonido crudo y grunge.
"I'm so happy we're just friends" Wow vaya broche
Noise/alt rock with some elements of no-wave. Hella takes a lot of influence from this band. 8/10, give me more noise.
I enjoyed this album
Often quite thrilling.
.
bedroom vibes very epic i like this
Unfortunately, wasn't very impressed by Sonic Youth here. Listened to the majority of the album, but it just didn't get me. I can't bear to rank punk stuff super low, but just not a sticker for me.
raw and rich
Hadn't really listened to Sonic Youth, but this album rocks. The guitar parts are crazy rock and the distortion and tones make it amazing.
Fun Vibe, Good album
My first time listening to Sonic Youth. Not my vibe with this one though I do appreciate the instrumentals
Grungy. Middle school me would've loved this, but without the nostalgia it's just okay
Oh, hehe... I'm sure there can't be that many Sonic Youth albums left. I mean, I've already had four. *checks notes* THERE'S ONE MORE?! WITH A 2.9 RATING?! WTF?!?!?
Not as good as Goo. But still good. For me, some of it is a little too angst-y and lacks melody. But some of it is great. Love Chapel Hill. Lyrics are awesome on that one… but I’m bias as a CH resident. Tend to like the Kim Gordan songs better. Again, good, but not their best work.
It’s ok but a bit too long of an album
I just don’t know. They are always up and down and left and right so I don’t know what to think
Pretty good, and I don’t really like Sonic Youth. Little less organized than Nirvana which hurts them. Also a lot of it just sounds too discordant for me.
I feel like these songs would be in the Mixtape videogame