Reviews (page 4 of 8)
This one was pretty good. I think i prefer their earlier, noisier, less grunge inspired stuff. But most of what I like about sonic youth was in this one
I'm getting really tired of albums that sound like white noise for an hour
Bits of this are OK, others are irritating. It's not something I'd choose to listen to. 2/5.
Very good album. Enjoyed it more than Goo
Better than expected, had boring moments
Loud music, minor chords, angsty lyrics, monotone singing, heavy hammering drums, and fuzzy recording quality. Yep, it's early alternative rock. I've never really gotten into Sonic Youth. I know the Gen X crowd tends to love them, but I never got it. I think I was a couple years too young, and by the time I started finding my own music bands like Green Day, Offspring, and Sound Garden were cooler (and better sounding).
Gross
I’m a casual Sonic Youth fan, I find this album misses the mark!
Butch vig, experimental rock 100% Drunken butterfly Sugar kane
So so
Maybe a little better than Sister but still not very enjoyable, except for Sugar Kane. I can hear the grunge influences but the droning guitars is just too much for me. I guess I just don't like noise rock.
It almost feels like something I’d like and then just isn’t and I’m not sure why. Liked it more on a second listen but I’m not sure that was enough to bump it to a 3. Idk I had a bad day at work so maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for it but I was trying to think of a favourite song and really struggled to pick one I liked. Fav song: Chapel Hill Least fav: Nic Fit
Really not a fan of these jokers. They go between half decent songs and just utter shit. Specific rating - 2.3 Fav song-Theresa’s sound world Least fav- nic fit
Not sure why we're being given so many Sonic Youth albums, is this noise that different from the noise in their other albums? Favourite song: Chapel Hill Least: Swimsuit Issue
3.5
This is #day416 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… make some noise, aka here's to my third Sonic Youth record on this journey. Although "Dirty" doesn't quite feel like an important album in the context of musical history, as I don't think you really have to hear it before you die, it does hold the title of one of those records that captures the spirit of the times, specifically grunge. "Drunken Butterfly," "Wish Fulfillment," "Sugar Kane," and "Youth Against Fascism" are the obvious standouts. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day417.
This is the third and I’m hoping the last Sonic Youth album I’ve had to listen to! To be fair it’s the most listenable of the three but still not doing it for me I’m afraid.
This is probably the closest Sonic Youth will get to my heart. This dropped right around the beginning of HS for me and was definitely on rotation.
Throwback of what the grunge era of music for me. Highly distorted guitar riffs, slow off key singing. Really, gets you into a mood… either happy or mad… depending on the song. There wasn’t a song that stood out for me, enjoyed the whole album.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The music itself isn't bad and I liked the vocals but maybe I'm just not in the mood for it. I dunno. Good album overall but not quite a 4
Raw and harsh, in a good way!
I think I enjoyed the back half of this album more than the front half. Sonic youth is a little better when they use grunge sounds, rather than those songs where they sound like a Velvet Underground cover band. I gotta give them an extra star just for the fact that the singer often sounds like Dinosaur jr, which is cool.
Very good.
Grungy cool
Some super dope thrashing instrumentals on this, but too many dull moments balance out the good of those.
Favorite Track: Youth Against Facism
Typically not a big fan of 90s grunge rock but there were a few songs that were pretty solid. Favorite songs were Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill, and Purr but overall it didn’t make up for the rest of the album being noisy and abrasive.
Some elements of music but mostly noise. Not for me.
Yet another ground breaking album that I've always meant to listen to, and now trust my instincts on avoiding it. It was interesting to hear how Siouxie and the Banshees evolves into this 15 years later, still don't mean I like to listen to it. Would give 2.5 if poss.
Liked Sonic Youth a lot when I was 17, so it has a sentimental feel/vibe. It’s occasionally abrasive music but they did create a sort of influential noisy, DIY sound. I like the “commercial” songs a lot more than the artsy/noisy stuff, and I think they are more creative musicians than they pretend to be, but I would get why someone wouldn’t like it. Every one of their albums has like 3 songs i really like, 5 that are fine, 2-3 that are just kind of bad, and every song is like 2-3 minutes too long. Kim Gordon’s vocals where she sings like she’s sentimental can be especially tough….but there are still bands - many of whom are highly acclaimed - imitating this sound today, so what do we do with that?
sonic youth owns man
own
Somehow both bland and anxiety inducing
Ist OK, aber nichts was hängen bleibt im Kopf
01) 100% - 7,0 02) Swimsuit Issue - 6,5 03) Theresa's Sound-World - 6,5 04) Drunken Butterfly - 7,0 05) Shoot - 7,0 06) Wish Fulfillment - 7,0 07) Sugar Kane - 7,0 08) Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit - 6,5 09) Youth Against Fascism - 7,0 10) Nic Fit - 5,5 11) On the Strip - 7,0 12) Chapel Hill - 7,0 13) JC - 6,5 14) Purr - 7,0 15) Crème Brûlée - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,77 (68/100) Current ranking: 445/678
5/10
This week is my Sonic Youth week-- three albums in four days! Well, I appreciate them all. This work has More standard songs than before with just a touch of the experimentation in them. Not as exciting as their earlier work, but still worth listening to. 3.5/5
It's just an amazing album. I loved it. It's that intersection between noise rock, pop, experimentalism and poetry. Despite being arrogant pricks, they were giving lessons to the world as to what cool meant and could be. To some probably Sonic Youth will sound like people shouting their heads off and being noisy for noise's sake. But to others they show they had a mastery of songwriting and making tracks that played with accessibility and pushing the envelope in terms of rock sounds.
Para el genero (que no es mi favorito), no está mal.
Bit undecided on this one. Really liked some of the guitar parts, some really good playing. Riffs just really hit right. But I also found it dragged on quite a bit and towards the end I wasn't really enjoying it anymore.
Never listened to this which is a little surprising. Liked some songs but a little long as they sometimes were in this era.
Lotta sonic youth lately. This one came later and is less exciting than the last one I got. Thurstons voice is appropriate, but does kinda drag. Kim gordon is an interesting singer. This one does pick up toward the end. Was the fascism always here - did they see it clearer back then than the rest of us?
Much, MUCH better than Goo which is surprising for the straight follow up. I think it helps that they drop the 2cool4u attitude and just go back to their usual demeanor that is more disinterested but works in making the music not feel, well, of its era Even more its how they add back in some of the sounds they played with before even Daydream Nation, but with a little more focus. The biggest cons in my opinion is that it is too long and some songs can be a bit grating but otherwise, pretty good.
This was cool
🤘
really enjoyed this way more than i expected and a few of the vocals convinced me kim gordon is coolest to ever live Fav song: Sugar Kane or Orange Rolls Angel's Spit (crazy one two punch)
depressive and repetitive. Band definitely overrated.
Nice thrashy stuff if I'm in the mood for it
Way inconsistent, and the vocals are offputting
I wanted to like this more than I did
3/5
I thought this was ok. I only listened to half of it. A variety of tracks that did have one thing in common. No tune!
Of the four of five albums from Kim and Co which doubtless feature on this list - 'Dirty' is the one I've probably listened to least. But from this viewing, I cannot understand why. It's strikingly poppy. Most of the songs have structures and many even have melodies. It's as if they're saying to us: "we could have always been one these 'popular' bands - we just didn't want to". Still, however, an hour long and with plentiful noise sections 'Dirty' is a Sonic Youth album and no mistake. It shows off everything they do so so well beautifully. I'll probably recommend it as the best starting point in the future.
mid 4 same issue as all sonic youth albums. way too long.
This is easily the best of the three Sonic Youth albums I've gotten on this list. They mix up the sound a lot more on this album. I'm hearing everything from noise rock to post-metal to even some black metal passages. It's difficult to imagine bands like Cult of Luna, Neurosis, or Pelican not being influenced by this. 4.5/5.0: Excellent
this was fine. they really leaned into the noise rock thing more than i remember them doing on other albums.
Don’t want to listen to this based on previous exposure
Its not a great album, very of its time. Bands with a similar sound that have come since do it much better. Will not be going back. 2/5
Four stars! but also I realized that I shouldn't be too stingy about giving a five star so by this extent I would re-rate Good Kid M.A.A.D City, One Nation Under a Groove, and Wish You Were Here as five star albums. This album owns but honestly there are some songs I don't really like that stop it from being 5 stars. If you cut this down just a bit I'd be pretty perfect for me. Fav tracks: Theresa's Sound World, Shoot, Wish Fulfillment, On the Strip.
Kind of noisy for me but I appreciate the quality
It was good.
There are a couple great songs on this record, but they’re mixed in with some serious nonsense. It’s pretty crazy, because I can see a clear pipeline from Sonic Youth to some bands I truly love, but this just didn’t do it for me. Best Track: Wish Fulfillment
Groovy album. I really enjoyed the fuzzy, distorted guitars and bass. I want to jump into the rest of their catalog but I think I'll be getting more of their albums from the generator. This got better and better the more I listened.
Dans un vacuum, un album punk rock moyen. Souvent discordant pour être discordant, et parfois peu inspiré pour les standards d'aujourd'hui. Certain moments cool lors de build-ups, et lorsque ça sonne comme Tool. Les sons sont hit or miss, parfois trop grinçants et empilés, mais parfois c'est du lourd. Sinon, voix absolument terribles, même dans le genre. Je dois aussi manquer le contexte historique. 2.5 rounded down à cause des voix et parce que c'est long.
High and lows. Les lows sont assez nul par contre. J’aurais pris moins
90s. meh. all over.
Overall: 8/10 Move over, Goo. Dirty is now my favourite Sonic Youth album. It's probably their most accessible, and I admit that that is a big reason it's mt new favourite. I appreciate their experimentation, and there's still plenty of that here, but I also like to just rock out to some good tunes. I think this album is a good middle ground for that. I also love Kim's voice on this album so much. I like Thurston but it's always been Kim that was the big draw for me. She has the perfect voice for the punkier stuff. Fav Song: Shoot
Did absolutely nothing for me, but at least my ears didn't bleed. I'm rating a 1/5 instead of a 2/5 because I actively don't want to hear it again, even though it's not objectively the worst thing so far on this project I've listened to
I always expect more
I like their stuff from earlier than this more, or at least I listen to it more. This was pretty good but it seemed too long and repetitive. It's still good though. I wouldn't complain if someone put it on.
2.5
Dope
I was already familiar with the band's name. I've heard some of their songs on various compilations. This album is probably the first one by the band that I've listened to almost in its entirety. It was too exhausting for me. I didn't like it. I don't think I'll listen to it again. 2/5
Sounded kind of like alternative punk, I dunno it was hard to pin down, especially on the songs that just droned on. I enjoyed a few songs, but most of the album was just OK. 3/5
By early 1992, Sonic Youth were the personification of your favorite band's favorite band; the epitome of what was cool in the increasingly changing, now white hot under the microscope of alternative rock and, with Dirty, they reinforced that perception while musing with the weighty subject matters of bereavement, objectification, railing against the government and the subversion of pop culture touchstones. As they keep their musical edge and refine it with the polish that hadn't been anticipated or expected from them, they still, rather deliberately, keep an arms length at those who wanted a little more accessibility. While not representative of their discography, Dirty remains a potent and vital listening experience in regards to who Sonic Youth, and the alternative scene, were around this time. Favorites: 100%, Swimsuit Issue, Drunken Butterfly, Shoot, Wish Fulfillment, Sugar Kane, Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit, Youth Against Fascism, On the Strip, Chapel Hill.
This album is dirty. It's raw. It's grungy grunge, and it is really sounds good. Sadly, for all its matured grunge sound, it has an adolescent attitude toward the dirty and perverse. I am no prude, but it is hard to take them seriously.
Third Sonic Youth record so far, it's still grungy noise rock but definitely a little more accessible for casual listeners, great guitar tones throughout, overall I liked it a lot.
It took me some effort to not make some snap judgements on this album, and I think that really paid off, because I actually really enjoyed this album, even if it didn't click with me right away. It feels a bit like an intro to Nirvana, like a watered-down version of their garage grunge. And I think it works really well! I got a little wrapped up in work, so I wasn't able to make as many notes, but it is a good, fun, garage band sounding album. Favorite Song(s): Theresa's Sound-World
Vocals sorta suck but music is cool
It's absolutely insane how consistantly great Sonic Youth's discography is. It feels like they always release a groundbreaking magnum opus record then just keep one upping it. This album is no different and that hour just flies by
Meh
Im sure its great but its not my style at all. I just couldn’t get into it.
I really like Sonic Youth's work, and here I felt they found a more polished and streamlined version of some of their earlier work. I really liked "Teenage Daydream" for it's progressive, experimental ending to several songs. Here, that element features less, but it surprisingly didn't take that much away from their music. I really appreciate how well executed their "noise rock" is, as they walk the balance very well between a coarse, transgressive sound and more melodic and structured compositions. I felt the album also had an additional emotional dimension given by their friend's death and how it inspired several songs. My favourite songs here were "Sugar Kane" and "Youth Against Fascism".
I am more familiar with Daydream Nation and Goo, but this was a great excuse to get to know this album better. I love the feedback and wail of distortion that these guys bring, along with interesting songs. So great!
Bit of greatness, bit of slop. Guitars can have some nice fuzz but the vocal performance is consistently on the punkish lower end outside of a couple save instances. On the whole, the tracks are a bit too long with too little focus to justify a repeated listen or a spot in my memory.
the most direct and rock-songwriting-oriented of the sonic youth albums ive heard recently enough to give an opinion on, which kinda makes sense seeing as how nevermind had been released in the gap between goo and this record. the two are definitely closely connected albums, and song-by-song everything is even more tightened up here...the vocals are by Far the most prominent of their records ive heard, theres no big expansive jams, and despite the overall length song lengths are relatively terse and oriented around big riffs. its very enjoyable and approachable and just Totally Great, tho at least on first brush its probably my least favorite of their records ive heard so far personally. i just prefer when theyre a little looser and more elemental, the focus on vocals means the whole 90s slacker apathy vibe is a lot more pronounced, which isnt my favorite thing in the world. but while they Were reacting to a decade of Overproduction and Decadence, theyre still making music that is as purely Massive as anything they were contrasting in the mainstream. and ofc as beautiful as a thungderstorm
Glorious
Hard rock album. Instrumental interludes are taking away from the songs (older trend). A try of reviving punk scene, for me - unsuccessful.
The most tolerable and accessible of the golden age of Sonic Youth and probably the album I enjoy the most of theirs, although my favorite track of there's is on GOO ("Titanium Expose"). Having said that, I never find myself seeking out a Sonic Youth album when I hanker for listening to an a album rather than listening to an individual song or playlist. I grew up with Sonic Youth fans and none of them ever listened to a Sonic Youth album all the way through, on purpose, during one sitting. What kind of masochist does that? I rarely enjoy protest songs, but "Swimsuit Issue" did resonate with me.
I really like some of their songs, but overall it's a bit noisy for me.
Meh. This album was just meh. Wanted to like it, as the playing wasn’t bad. The singing was just not good.
I like it when the woman is singing. I do not like when the man is singing. 3 stars.
No me ha terminado de convencer, llevaba años queriendo escucharlos y no era lo que esperaba.
A good mix of noise and grunge/alt rock. One of the easier to digest SY albums. 8/10
I liked some of the songs. Lately all the music I have listened to has been heavy/sad. I prefer upbeat rhythm even if the lyrics have sad message. Still dint hate it.
Fuzz buzz, cat scratch fever, chicken yowls, head down, terror angst. The cool way your guitar hangs down when you play it. And don’t play it. Thurston, who else is named Thurston but Mr. Howell? Still: rock star. Kim was better. In everything.
I think I like Sonic Youth and definitely understand now its influence on lots of the music I love. But this doesn't feel like the best representation of their work.
In an attempt to produce an album with commercial aspirations and potential crossover appeal, Dirty may have been noticed and impressed, but it failed to attract many new listeners and alienated many fans that preferred the "earlier" material. This is actually the only Sonic Album I have on CD and though it has some solid tracks, I still preferred listening to Daydream Nation, Sister or even Goo, yet it maintained their core sound built around noise, which I respect. They were cool before radio play and cooler when they rejected by the mainstream. I still love the band and it's too bad more people don't.
þarna er mikið af ömmu að öskra. fín lög en þarfnast yfirlegu. aðra. 3,5.
This has been gruelling to sit through, I was not a fan of the first album that was chosen day 1. But I can say I definitely dislike Sonic Youth and their sound after listening to this album, A lot of tracks blended together into a caucophony of distorted noise and whiney voices. Poor just poor. I am also surprised that 2 (two) Sonic Youth albums were chosen within the first week out of a supposed 1001 albums. Just shitty luck? I had to look it up apparently there are 3 (THREE) more albums that Sonic Youth have in this list, making them have 5 (FIVE) albums in the whole list. Either SY are god's gift to music and I just don't get it or the original author of the list has a massive hard on for whiney 90's alternative rock.
Hørte kun halvdelen, det var ret fedt, af den jeg hørte kunne jeg bedste lide det første nummer. Min far troede det var britisk, men det er måske også lidt inspireret af det. Kan godt forstå hvis andre syntes at det larmer, føler det er en genre som deler lidt
Sugar Cane is a banger! Every other single is either hit or miss. The definition of “OK”
J - 3/5 Best Track - "Sugar Kane"
Overall a good album. Like the switching vocals between songs. Energy was good. 3/5 Might listen again
Oh thank goodness. This is exactly what I needed after that shitty Kid Rock album: a good album from a band that I already feel positively about. With this being my fifth and final Sonic Youth album of the 1001 albums project, I think it's safe to say that I've built up an opinion on the band that's grown more specific over time as I've listened to more of their albums. Dirty here is not only the last album of theirs I'll be listening to, at least for the album project, but it's also the last of the list's albums to be released, releasing in 1992. This is actually somewhat notable in regards to the album because this was released right as grunge was hitting the big time. Sonic Youth, of course, was a pretty big influence on many grunge bands, Nirvana especially, so it's cool that they were able to see success along with those that they influenced. But how good is Dirty as an album? Pretty good! My thoughts on it aren't much different from other Sonic Youth albums, but they're just as positive. This album's cool. I think this one's got a nice balance between Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. I do feel like Thurston has many of the album's highlights like the groovy opener "100%" and the excellent "Sugar Kane," but Kim Gordon definitely gets her time to shine as well with songs like "Swimsuit Issue" and "Drunken Butterfly" which are great as well. The style here is still as good as ever. The noise is still here and has its moments of focus, but I think the grunge influence leads to the album at large being a bit more accessible than something like EVOL or Sister. The writing has a good amount of emotion to it. It manages to show off anger and frustration with songs like "Swimsuit Issue" and "Youth Against Fascism" without making you cringe! Kid Rock could learn a thing or two from these guys. I'm still pissed I had to listen to that album. I'm not upset about this though! Sonic Youth has become a band that I've come to respect a lot over the course of the five albums of theirs I've heard. I wouldn't call Dirty their best. I would still choose Daydream Nation over this, but Dirty is a strong album within the band's discography. I enjoyed this quite a bit. 4/5.
perfect. already knew it by a friend, but it’s always orgasmic to listen to it
Weird vibes. No good at all
Raucous but not in a good way. Was the lead singer unwell? Close to unlistenable.
Not Sonic enough for me in places - perhaps because I am no longer a youth :( Too bad and messy overall, but points retained for doing it so early.
Kinda enjoyed parts of this but hated others. The more musical tracks were enjoyable enough but the album as a whole won't be revisiting
wish i liked this more
Que tortura, meu deus
Sonic Youth? More like Sonic Nouth.
genre: some kind of rock vocal: 4/10 instrument: 7.5/10 lyric: no idea
If i didn't hate the singing, an easy 4
Great messages. Cool tunes
Not for me
Why?!?!? Why do these pylons get 4 fucking albums on this generator?!? Another painful listening experience... Favorite songs: Wish Fulfillment, Drunken Butterfly, Sugar Kane Least favorite songs: Theresa's Sound-World, Shoot, Youth Against Fascism, Nic Fit, On the Strip, Creme Brulee 1/5
Quite abrasive stuf, not my cup of tea per se
Good 90s rock album. Having the two lead vocalists helps mix things up, and a variety of sound and styles.
Still appreciate the uniqueness and different sounds they are putting out, still not sure it's for me
Sonic Youth just aren't my thing. I like other noise projects, but somehow Sonic Youth just doesn't strike me. It's just kind of frustrating how they always sound like they don't know how to tune their instruments nor even really play them properly at all, even after all these years.
The first Sonic Youth album I ever bought and I still think it's a good entry point into what they do, it has some of the moments where they came closest to the mainstream (or vice versa), everyone in the band shines on this album. Plus the artwork is iconic.
Fuck sonic youth
Not my jam but recognize it’s good
There's a part of me that wants to give this more than 4 stars, because there is a lot of brilliance in the album. However, there is almost no flow or cohesiveness, and while all the songs are good, not all are great. Still, it is a great album worthy of this list.
Just pure genius. One of the best albums by one of the greatest and most original bands ever
I like it. Just the right combination between noise and rock n roll. I can hear so many bands influenced by this. So it's very cool.
Almost impossible for me to listen to using quality headphones, because it actually hurt my ears. I guess if you're into Noise Rock, this is the highest praise. However, I can't wrap my head around why anyone would be into Noise Rock. It's good that the album also features less noise-heavy songs. Unfortunately, if you subtract the noise, all that remains is mediocre indie rock.
Going into this album, I was unsure of how I would feel about it. Though I know this album was very influential on 90s alternative rock, a genre I love, my first two introductions to their existence were from other people negative reviews--my mom, after having seen them open for Pearl Jam, and a line from the movie Juno that describes them, much like my mother did, as "just noise." I love noisy rock music, but I was worried that maybe this would somehow end up being too much. That was not the case, at least in terms of their sound. This album is certainly loud, but it also has clear melodies and hooks. The thing that was too much for me was the length--it truly felt every single one of it fifty-nine minutes, and not in a good way. A little over halfway through the album, I began to get tired of it, only to learn there were still so many songs to go. The standouts here tended to be the songs with vocals by Kim Gordon over the ones with Thurston Moore, though I did like Youth Against Fascism a lot. Overall, I felt like while I wasn't a huge fan of this album, it did make me curious about checking out Sonic Youth's other albums, as the sound itself was great. I'll give this a tentative 3/5.
3.9 - Think I should like this more, but wasnt quite in the mood
I really like this version of Sonic Youth, its a little more polished and listenable than their earlier rawer work, but it also retains the punky energy that makes SY what they are. Fave Tracks: 100%, Swimsuit Issue, Sugar Kane, JC, Purr 4.1/5
1. 100 % - 1 2. izzue - 1.5 3. uuorld - 1.5 4. butterfly - 1 5. zhoot - 1.5 6. uuizh - 1.5 7. zugar - 1 8. orange - 1.5 9. youth - 1 10. fit - 0 11. ztrip - 1 12. hill - 1 13. JC - 1 14. purr - 0 15. creme - 1.5
With Dirty, Sonic Youth continues their descent from avant-noise royalty to alt-rock elder statesmen—albeit begrudgingly. Produced by Butch Vig (fresh off Nevermind), the album tries to fuse the band’s signature dissonance with something resembling structure. Sometimes it works: “Theresa’s Sound-World” captures a woozy, distorted beauty, its layered guitars swirling around Thurston Moore’s lethargic drawl. “Shoot” stands out thanks to its hypnotic bassline and tight rhythm section, though Kim Gordon’s monotone delivery feels more numbing than edgy. Dirty isn’t without moments—but too often, it sounds like Sonic Youth trying to be Sonic Youth™ in a grunge-hungry market.
Not my favorite Sonic Youth Album, but pretty good still.
Their seventh album. Grunge / Alt Rock / Avant Rock. Swimsuit Issue, brilliant track. I like how the album alternates between male and female vocals for the journey. I like the Kim Gordon tracks best. She's got the vibe down. Organe Rolls, Angel Spit is a cool track. A solid alternative album.
1 stern
Sonic Youth rocks
3.6 100% was my least favorite song on the album. Not saying they were going for the cash grab on that one, but if they were, 100% would be their attempt. I thought as the album went on it got stronger, highlighted for me by chapel hill. Side note, when I was growing up I had a friend, Gordon who had a tee shirt of this album cover. I always thought that was a cool shirt.
Noisy half-baked music.
¡¡¡Rayos!!!!, me soltaron de nuevo la diarrea.. Mala semana para la música.
I liked it, but it took a while to get into.
Cool album, unique, but I don't listen to this genre
Most Sonic Youth fans (myself included) would point to 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 or 𝘎𝘰𝘰 as their defining work — and 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 usually isn’t it. But that doesn’t mean it’s without merit. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 serves up all the signatures: Thurston Moore’s laid-back, almost spoken phrasing, Kim Gordon’s cutting contralto shouts, and the always-inventive interplay between Moore and Lee Ranaldo’s beautifully detuned, noise-drenched guitars. It’s a dense, feedback-laced record that leans just far enough into structure without losing its ragged edge. 𝟣𝟢𝟢% and 𝘚𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘦 remain the most immediate and enduring tracks — proof that SY could flirt with accessibility without compromising their DNA. That said, if one post-𝘎𝘰𝘰 album from their early DGC era had to make the canon, I’d have cast my vote for 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 — if only for the sprawling, transcendent closer 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢, which captures the band’s sonic ambition in a way 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 only hints at.
Great album
I feel like I'm going crazy, but Do Kim Gordon's vocals sound different here? Not necessarily worse, but I'll admit while the punk style fits the album's tone more, I did miss her more bored delivery that's present on past albums, and I was happy to see those vocals make a return more and more as the album went on. I suppose the payoff was that I was pretty much always anticipating Thurston Moore's songs, in which the guitar playing and singing felt tighter than ever, and just showed how solid of a rockstar Moore is. Sure, this album is far more commercial than previous works (other than maybe Goo), but it's that mix of mass appeal with Sonic Youth sound that allows this album to have some fantastic moments with sheer power of will being presented in every facet of its being. Not every song is a slam dunk, but when this album gets good, it gets superb, and leads to a satisfying entry into the 90s alt-rock scene that Sonic Youth themselves helped spawn.
3.75, maybe a 4 with time.
Unpleasant.
yeah it's good but did we really need 5 sonic youth albums on here?
Same musical echelon as their earlier album E.V.O.L., but slightly more adherent to chord progressions, melodies, and hooks. The influence from other grunge bands really benefits Sonic Youth here, creating a more palatable kind of noise rock than some other contemporaries. But noise rock, at its root, is all about the passion and not about the sound. Nothing about this sounds particularly good. The instruments are all played well, but the notes and tones they're playing (particularly the guitars) are verging on noise-for-the-sake-of-noise. Swimsuit Issue is the first real offender here, though the first half of the record is pretty good overall. The song "100%" is a solid, punchy way to start the album. I would've like a melody instead of the singer kind of muscling his way through the lyrics as though he has a personal grudge. Great drumming though. Orange Rolls Angel's Spit is an absolute debacle of a song, with several completely unintelligible verses/chords of various timbres. There's nothing good and everything bad about the lyrics, which sound partly inspired by babies going through an amphetamine withdrawal. It's a shame, because it comes right after the coolest and (probably) cleanest track, Sugar Kane. The entire album is a little patchy from this point onward, with Youth Against Fascism being passable but fading into abrasive punk territory, and Nic Fit not even trying to avoid the punk influence anymore. I really like Chapel Hill, particularly its riff and the breakdown+speeding up towards the end. This is in contrast to JC, a melodiless and aimless song with only its percussion going for it. The vocals, guitar, and bass are all muddy and unappealing. All in all, not much better than E.V.O.L. (if it's even better at all). 3/5 Key tracks: 100%, Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill
I'm a bit disappointed. Some of the guitar moments on this sucked, and I found that I continuously checked to see how many songs were left.
I don't really know what to think about this album. On the one hand, I liked some parts of it, but others felt uninteresting for me. It's not a bad album, but it lacks of something to really catch me.
This was alright, but I didn't care for the album as much as for other Sonic Youth projects on this list. This album takes a while to figure out what it seems to want to be, and then it wanders away from that. Like many Double albums, I wonder if it would be better if it were merely edited down a bit. Favorite track: "Sugar Kane"
Almost everything I thought I knew about these guys has been smashed through the glass window and now flying with the tornado winds. I knew they were a “noise” band. I knew Kim sings sometimes. I found myself forgetting I was listening to them because the songs sound different from each other. This is a double album and I’m not even through the first album and this is a very serviceable pass. It’s not an album everyone will love. There really isn’t a standout track yet. They all do their part in forming the greatness that is this album. I don’t have a specific place this album would be best suited for, nor do I know exactly what it is I like about this album. It just surprised me in the most positive ways with how good it is. Choice cut: JC
This was one of those "I listened to the first 3 songs and had to nope out" albums I've been coming across from time to time doing the 1001 Albums thing, the instruments just sounded like a wall of noise to me (this is coming from a fan of grindcore too) and the vocals were basically unlistenable.
3-10 not my style
The album sounds like a group of youths who have just discovered sonic feedback. So an apt name then. But you'd think after 7 albums they'd have moved on from feedback as a feature. I think after a few listens this might grow on me so I'm not dismissing it out of hand. However, this project is so relentless that I can't afford it that luxury. 3
3 or 4.
Seems like this is the 3rd Sonic Youth album on this list for us so far. Since this was not to my liking at all, I think I officially have to announce that I don’t like this group. It is a bit unfortunate, because they have a pretty cool band name. Shame this music is not particularly good.
This is maybe the third Sonic Youth album on this list, and I think it’s the best of the lot. Sonic Youth is somewhat of a coin flip for me. I never know if I’m going to like it or not. The last album struck me as incredibly pretentious and boring; I nearly gave it one star. This time, I enjoyed it a whole lot more. There’s plenty of noisy rock guitars that comes out swinging. The general feel of the album is really cool. It does, however, sometimes veer into noisy pretentiousness, like in “Nic Fit.” There are quite a few good riffs, “Purr” is a great example. Punky, cool, just slightly pretentious. Three stars from me. Never thought I’d like this as much as I did.
intense, shrill and grating—not much fun
Familiar with Sonic Youth but never really listened to them. Pleasant surprise. Double album, so a few songs I didn’t like but the ones I didn’t like were more about the vocals. Both singers can come across a little harsh sometimes. Otherwise, impressive album!
Alright
My heart sinks when I hear stuff like this
(40 known/84 new)
The more i hear of this genre the lessi like it. I found the make vocal poor, the guitars jarring and the sound too weak for rock and too loud for pop
Another great jangly, noisy, number packed with musical and lyrical hooks.
more so a thing of twisted animosity
solid sonic youth
This is not my kind of music, but i respect the creativity and i can hear the influence this band had on music that came after. The lyrics on some songs are really bad. But other pieces are really good—the anti-fascist number is right on time, these days. Respect. It’s a 3.
It's pretty incredible that I'm so far into life without focused listening to Sonic Youth. That said, I'm confident with every time I've tried and found them not really matching my personal aesthetic. I could see myself trying to emulate some of the elements of their sound. I love the bass tones. Drummer is interesting. Vocals are where I disconnect. I can see myself putting this on under various conditions but it's not a favorite. Double album of this is TOO much. I hate how out of tune the last song is.
So all the sonic youth albums are on here? This is fine but I'm just not a big fan
Ok if you want to listen to a grunge rock album. "100%" seemed an OK song, and generally some good guitar through most of the album. I was very put off of the female vocalists voice through most of the songs, but it seemed less strained and more palatable in "JC"
Kim Gordon makes a shopping list sound cool. 1992 was one of the most incredible years for music. Rap, dance, metal and grunge. This album deserves to be right in here. Shoot makes me feel all kind of things
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.
Bereits das Cover schreit: Nein! Die ersten Töne erzeugen Ohrenschmerzen! Aus!
Excellent
Solides Grunge/rock/punk Album. Öfters mal nerviger gesang. Ansonsten immer wieder überraschende und coole Momente. Klingt sehr dreckig und kaputt aber meistens nicht so sehr dass es abfuckt. Leider aber nicht ganz gut genug für eine 4 deswegen 3/5 aber je nach Stimmung potentiell mehr
Some good songs some bad, not my style of music though
Sick Album. First time fully listening to sonic youth and see why now they have had a cultural impact.
Mike Kelley cover and teen angst. Can't get any better.
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.
All time tops.
I'm sure this is influential enough, it's just kind of boring. I don't always necessarily mind the mix and the dissonance of it, but it does get to you a bit. It's so sludgy and dirgy at times. Ultimately, it's fine, but not that engaging or exciting. It doesn't really deserve a 3, but I don't want to give it a 2. 2.5 rounded up.
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
- paar moody Tracks dabei, weitestgehend aber echt anstrengend 1-2/5
The least worst Sonic Youth album which has a couple of decent songs. But once Kim's voice descends into ugly, instead of emotional, then you know it's just more noise. Surely onw album of identical shit is enough, but we've been forced to listen to four.
Salut Cyril! Pourrais-tu arrêter de m’envoyer des albums des Sonic Youth, stp? Ça commence à être franchement lourd… Faque t’es un adepte de google maps aussi? Est-ce que tu fais du GeoGuessr?(si tu connais pas: https://www.geoguessr.com/) C’est drôle, moi aussi je déambule souvent dans les grandes capitales d’Europe à travers google streets, ça démontre que l’homme veux toujours ce qu’il n’a pas… Prof d’anglais! J’aurais dut m’en douter, un français avec autant de prose en anglais, ça cours pas les rues 😂 Pour l’alliance Europe/Québec, je suis 100% pour, faites nous sortir d’ici! Ça fait un bout que je suis adepte de l’idée de reformer «l’alliance scandinave»: tout les pays descendant des vikings unis sous la même bannière, ça serait top. En plus, le Canada possède une frontière directe avec le Danemark sur une petite île en bordure du Groenland, on pourra construire le premier portail de teleportation là en terrain neutre pour pouvoir fuir de monsieur Cheetos en personne Merci pour tes recommandations, je vais explorer les différents artistes que tu proposes en parallèle de ceux de la liste, je vais peut-être même faire des doubles reviews dans les prochaines semaines. Pour l’instant, je peux aussi te proposer quelques albums d’artistes récents que j’apprécie beaucoup (tu les connais sans doutes déjà, mais je prends ma chance): Chiac Disco - Lisa Leblanc (disco-funk acadien (franco du New-Brunswick) très fun et éclaté) Ikebe Shakedown - Ikebe Shakedown (fusion jazz/funk quasi cinématique) King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Tout leurs albums, tu connais sans doute Ping Pong Go - Ping Pong Go (jazz de jeux vidéos, petit band de Québec (j’ai même fait une animation pour eux il y a quelques années sur leur toune Corvette) Any Day Now - The Brooks (old school funk par un band Montréalais) King - Gnome (stoner metal belge qui incorpore des éléments fantasy très prog) Lost Knights - Orgone (un autre band funk, j’aime beaucoup le funk!) Bon ben, j’ai fait le tour, à la prochaine et bonne St-Jean Baptiste! (vous fêtez ça, right?)
81% Best: Drunk Butterfly; Shoot; Sugar Kane; Youth Against Fascism; Chapel Hill; Purr Must-Hear? Maybe
One and a half good songs. The rest is almost unlistenable crap. 1.5/5
If you like listening to variations of shitty guitar feedback, this is the album for you.
This album did my ears dirty
I liked the sound, but it wasn't really memorable. There's better 90s bands.
Trying to hard. 3 liked songs.
Kim Gordon once said that Lana Del Rey should kill herself once.
I like punk, and I like some of Sonic Youth's other music, but by and large this album didn't really do it for me. I can respect the use of distortion and feedback to create a cacophonous sound that some people find appealing, but I don't think they really nailed the execution. Most of it just feels like they were fucking around and just yanking random knobs without rhyme or reason. I get that punk is about breaking rules, but if the rule you're breaking is "make music that sounds good" it kind of makes it hard to have a mainstream appeal. Kim Gordon's voice really annoyed me on just about every track on this album, and it felt like she really went out of her way to sing poorly. Maybe I'm just too much of a dweeb, but this album wasn't for me.
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.
Eh, it's Sonic Youth alright. It was fine, I guess? I always thought "Teenage Daydream" was the better SY album.
I had forgotten how much I liked this album and Sonic Youth!
liked it. noisy and distorted and dirty
sonic youth sucks. stupid noise for music snobs to proclaim "genius!"
My least favorite of the Sonic Youth albums I have listened to. It feels like it's serving too many masters at the expense of the ambient and noise elements I like the most. A touch of pop, a touch of grunge and experimental songs. I see how this album and the three before it creates a road map for Alt Rock deep into the early 2000s but this one didn't hold me from start to finish.
I love Daydream Nation, and Teen Age Riot is probably one of my favorite songs period. That said, I don’t really dig Sonic Youth all that much. I like Thurston Moore’s guitar work, he’s pretty innovative even if the sounds are often intentionally jarring. I think that’s it, it’s that noise rock that I can find some respect for but it’s rare for me to actually be in the mood for it. There are some nice moments on Dirty, and I know among fans of the band this one is held in high esteem, but I’m a long way from it clicking with me as a masterpiece.
3.5/5,decent
This grunge album is so interesting, with some really great sounds, progressions, lyrics, and i imagine messaging - grunge is angst, revolt. Always gives way to great messaging. This being said, grunge is not my thing. The sound is sooo industrial, so underground - not that thats a bad thing. This shit would go so off live in one of those brick basements. Its just not something that my ears would search out to listen to. I love satisfying resolutions, intricate and detailed progression, etc. Still, this sound has some incredible moments, especially the solo's, the riffs. They stand out between the noise of lyrics.
Otroliga sånginsatser på sina ställen, men jag fattar ändå inte riktigt grejen. Trea
Every Sonic Youth album we have done is cool and good, and this one is no different.
90s rock, dirty and fast grunge rock. Really cool. Deep and atmospheric.
Grunge with musicality and I'm a sucker for Kim Gordon's insane vocals.
Nah
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
Very discordant and shouty at times. Not real pleasant to listen to.
took a lot not to skip through this one-very not my taste, i think
Didn’t hate this album but also will not be revisiting. Not a fan of the vocals.
Nicht mein Geschmack
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.
I get it, should have listened earlier Will I listen to again: 100%
An argument could be made this is their best album, or certainly their most accessible. I love when the drums kick in on "Drunken Butterfly", now that's punk rock!
Not much of a sonic youth fan coming into this and this one didn’t change my mind. Only the back half of this is listenable and maybe Sugar Kane. Definitely experimental but not all experiments work and most of these songs don’t do to me except make me want to skip it. 4/10.
Sonic Youth were always a band on the peripheral of my listening. They're good and raw, but this album is too long. If it were more focused I could give it four or five stars.
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.
Good angsty album
It's roughly in the top 7 or 8 Sonic Youth albums, which of course makes it a 5*
I’ve always struggled with noise music, and by extension grunge. While I can see why it might be impactful or interesting, it’s just no fun to listen to, which makes any deeper analysis difficult. However, I will say that this album did the best at making me understand this sort of music compared to the others I’ve listened to. However, understanding is different from enjoyment, and J can’t say I enjoyed very much of this. Favorite Track: Sugar Kane
Obviamente había escuchado DE Sonic Youth, pero creo que no había escuchado A Sonic Youth. Grave omisión. Dirty me pareció un discazo. hay tracks que se sienten hasta de discos diferentes pero unidos por algo invisible, genial e inevitable. Sí me andaba echando la discografía completa.
Неплохо немного нервно, женский вокал
2/5. This is just bad music.
Meh
Ok
A cool avant-garde album. I especially like Theresa's Sound World.
Pretty good stuff, I remember listening to them when I was in high school. It was a little more obscure then with only the more musically adventurous kids having it. Great lyrics and the music is very different. I really enjoyed listening to this album and I'll will definitely listen to it again.
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.
the most obviously overrated band in a genre with no shortage of overrated bands
holy shit the guitar work on this album is out of control. incredible shit.
Not really that familiar with sonic youth. Pretty solid album across all the tracks. None of them really grabbed me beyond a pleasant listen.
not my still. didnt enjoy. 1/5
Ahhhh yes! One of the best there ever was.
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.
Dad- 5 Mom- 3 Mike- NA Lori- 6 Michael- 6 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 5
One of their best
Great instrumental play but the vocals are horrendous not all the songs. Enough to really not enjoy the album, hey somebody loves it. Thats what makes music magical, we all like what we like. It would be boring if we all listened to Taylor (notso) Swift.
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.
Kim Gordon is all.
fuck oida
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.
Would get a 5 in all circumstances
If I look, I can find elements of this that I find compelling. The strangeness, the nonchalance, the grooves. Most of the time, though, I find myself irked by the noises (which unfortunately are sort of its trademark). Every now and then they strike typical pop rock, which makes me suspicious that they are just either pandering or ridiculing. Not something I’ll spin regularly, but I don’t hate it either.
A fan of SY’s ‘80’s stuff, I mildly shunned this album, a common error. There’s a recording of them in Brixton from this time that absolutely slays; the few years when they were playing at being a warped, jet engined version of a big rock band were exhilarating and I miss this version of the band as keenly as the scruffy freaks of “Bad Moon Rising” and “Sister”. Second half wanes just a tad, but I think the record is strong all the way through to and including “Sugar Kane”, and rest blazes often.
This passed me by when it came out, too busy chasing local talent (one way or the other). But it's pretty good! I'll keep playing it over the next week or two but it's at least on par with "Goo" so far. I just realized I did indeed see them live around this period at a festival (yes! Phoenix Festival 1993) and enjoyed it, although probably not as much as catching a newly-signed David Gray strumming an acoustic guitar on an adjacent hay bale to an audience of 3 people and a dog (literally!), or Matthew Sweet (who was excellent).
Populært fordi det er noise-infused rock til et bredere publikum. De er også lidt grunge agtige som giver god mening fordi nirvanas producer på nevermind er producer på det. Berører politiske områder bl.a. corporate sexism. Ukonventionel lyd men stadig godt nok til mtv Broader audience
Soooooo goooood! I had no expectations coming into this album based off my lack of knowledge of the band but I was blown away by how entertaining and just interesting this was. From what I’ve heard, sonic youth were very experimental in their albums before this, with this focussing more on grunge but there was definitely some experimentation going on here aswell and I think all the ideas are used so well. Most songs on here were amazing with some, in my opinion, slightly less amazing but what I liked so much about this album is how there was always at least parts of a song I really liked even if I wasn’t a massive fan of the whole run time for example “shoot” which I didn’t like the pace of especially how it’s a longer song with not much change throughout but I really like the distorted guitars coming in through the breaks in vocals. Overall though there weren’t many songs I didn’t like anyway which means it’s hard to give my favourites because it’s genuinely hard to pick but my favourite track for sure is chapel hill, I loved the guitar riffs, the drums were perfect, vocals perfect and the part about mid way through where the tempo speeds up was really cool. This reviews getting too long though so I’ll give my verdict: 9/10.
There were virtually no sounds on this that I found appealing.
The most underrated band ever. These people were geniuses and their experimental rock post punk introduced the grunge movement. Without these people no nirvana, no soundgarden no temple no alice nothing. They are one of the most important bands in history
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. 🤣😂
If ever a 3 star album existed, this would be the very middle of the road in my opinion. This is very passable Indie Rock music that stays fairly consistently ok through the course of an hour play time. A bit grungy, which is typically one of my favorite styles of music, but it’s just kind of boring here. There isn’t anything particularly memorable either. I’m going to forget about this by tomorrow most likely. “Chapel Hill”, “Sugar Kane” and “Purr” are my favorites. Don’t love the female singers voice when she starts screaming unfortunately, I think the male singer is much better personally. Generally, the songs sung by him were leagues above hers. There are some absolutely killer guitar riffs at times that are very good, but the entire album is just kind of disjointed and not very memorable as a whole. Very much a 3 for me. Cute album art though. Maybe I should start critiquing the album art occasionally?? I hadn’t thought about that until now.
I feel like an angry teenager in the 90s hanging out in the park. This also reminds me of Scott Pilgrim.
I liked the first half of this album more than the second half. Really enjoyed the first few songs but then it fell off for me near the end so it's evened out to 3* for me.
Didn't really care for this. It wasn't especially bad, just kinda meh.
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
Loved it just like the first time in 1994
First listen, not my thing as a whole but parts are incredible. I’ve got today off so I’m set to dig back in once I get some more context behind the album and Sonic Youth as a band. Edit: Did not have time to get that context, my bad. Album’s gonna be a 7/10 for me, at least for now.
Excellent band. Great record.
i wrote a very good paragraph about noise rock in general but i think its more suitable for "Daydream Nation". and that album is better. 4/5
good :)
Don't think I could ever rate a rock and roll record lower than three. Considering this was my first time listening to Sonic Youth, I'd say I had a positive experience and would definitely come back to more of their music. But, boy, was this album long...
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.
Gran disco de gran banda para ir cerrando el mes de abril, mes caótico en mi caso y en el de Argentina. Sonic Youth me enganchó desde la primera escucha que tuve de ellos hace años. Es que lo raro, lo que va a contramano de la corriente principal, siempre cautiva. Muy bien 10. Hasta mañana
Sonic youth suck balls. Horrible shit
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.
Listened Before? N This is certainly a polarizing album if you read the reviews. Many think it's a masterpiece - and just as many think it's absolute garbage. I'm going to be a coward and come down in the middle of these two extremes. I really didn't hate or love this one. It does have a nostalgic feel - and it's more cohesive than some of their other work - but it wanders aimlessly at times. All in all an okay listen, it just sounds like something edgy 90s high school kids would listen to... and it is! Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Sugar Kane
Mostly noise
all rock should sound like this. love it
Starts out a lot stronger than it finishes. Enjoyed it more than Sister
I remain amazed at some of the high reviews some of the albums you guys send over have received. This was obviously not targeted to people of my generation.
I know they're influential, but there's a reason many of the groups they influenced made it much bigger: their music was just a lot more fun to listen to.
Yeah it's all right but just too screamy all right?
"The President sucks, he's a war pig fuck" - a perennial truth. Maybe one day there'll be a female President of the US and she'll be a war pig fuck too. My favourite SY album varies from day to day, but Dirty is a five star album any day. "Accesible" is a word that comes up in a lot of reviews, and this album does tamp down slightly (but not entirely) on the amount of extended noise breakdowns, but the expert balance of noise and melody still shines through in more compact, linear songs. The drums are more prominent than on other SY albums, and Steve Shelley kills it.
Just no. It didn’t sound good. This is important
Nope.
Nope. I like the sound of Sonic Youth, even as they restrain themselves and try out more conventional rock songs, they tune their instruments differently, they let feedback fill all the empty spaces in songs… decent noise rock sounds. But the songs aren’t that good, and the lyrics are embarrassingly bad, sing-songy literalist and full of forced rhymes. The songs’ concerns are not interesting, and the music doesn’t make up for it. And any time Kim Gordon “sings” it pains the ear. Sonic Youth is best when they shut up- gummies the SYR series over this any day.
Too harsh and crazy for me
A perfect blend of noise rock and grunge. Sonic Youth show why they are among the best rock bands out there.
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🧸😳❗ Production: 👊😎👍 Music: 🔴🕊️✊ Rating: 💥💥💥/5
My 2 favorite songs are covers. But listenable.
Pretty good, but nothing I found myself wanting to re-listen to in the future. Their other album Daydream Nation (and maybe others) deserve to be on this list, but I’m unsure about this one. Borderline 3 or 4 for me.
Weirdly, while this isn’t my favorite SY album, it might be the one I know the best. I listened to it a ton in high school, and it’s full of great songs. As a whole, it might not be as good as Murray Street or Washing Machine, but it’s a classic all the same.
I will admit that this band has never been one that I listened to. This gap in my consumption is a bit shameful/surprising considering my fondness of this type of music from this era. Anyway, thanks generator for having me listen. I loved it. Time to rabbit hole.
So good!
A sprawling masterpiece of angry noise rock. Kim Gordon has more attitude than actual singing talent, but it works in this context. There's so much experimentation here - not every song hits the mark but most of this is just fantastic. 100% is a perfect opener. Barely controlled guitar feedback from the right speaker to set the scene, distorted bass and crunching guitars to lay it down and thumping drums to bring it all together.
Not the best Sonic Youth but still good
Crazy that they came out of the late 70s New York scene along with The Pretenders, The Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and the like. And kept going through grunge, which it seems they did first. Unfortunately, they did it first but they don’t do music very well, so I just can’t listen with a historical ear enough to like them.
I’ve always really wanted to like sonic youth and feel like I should love sonic youth but I have to admit I don’t find their albums that enjoyable. I’ve tried for years to get into this but find it a bit of a slog. I can totally appreciate and respect their influence but it still hasn’t clicked for me yet (although quite like drunken butterfly).
Sonic youth innit
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 knew they couldn’t get through a whole double album without a descent into noisy noise. (I’m looking at you, “Tamra.”) As we finally reach out final of the 5 Sonic Youth albums, I once again recall our first: “But while they have such talent and potential, "E.V.O.L." wanders off and gets lost in the abyss a bit too often. When it's focused it's phenomenal, but it can't maintain those highs. It doesn't need to be focused all the time, but there were too many extended segments of bizarre background noise or weird feedback.” Here on “Dirty,” there is more focus. But over 24 tracks of a double album, you’re going to get lost from time to time. Not in the abyss of noise, but rather the abyss of unnecessary songs. On album #1033, I don’t have the patience to go back through all 24 tracks now, so I’ll just leave it at some are better than others, and “Drunken Butterfly” is a highlight. I generally prefer Kim Gordon’s voice over Thurston Moore’s, but they each have songs on “Dirty” where their vocals are great or lousy. That’s the trouble with the DIY/garage/experimental sound - it's so uneven and inconsistent.
And with the 5th and final Sonic Youth album on the list, my love/hate relationship with SY comes to an end. Overall I think I have come around a little bit and ended net positive since I first listened to EVOL. That's basically how I feel about this double album (did it really need to be a double album?), overall net positive but there are definitely moments of just noise.
Sonic Youth’s rawness is why I like them and also why I can’t like them more. The energy is great. The unrefined thoughts are a lost opportunity.
Some good tracks (especially liked 100%, Sugar Kane, Purr) but I feel like they needed to cull about 1/3 of the tracks. It was just way, way too long for me.
I know Sonic Youth are a seminal, respected band, but this isn’t for me. However I do want to watch Scott Pilgrim again now. I much prefer the less noisy ones like Chapel Hill.