Dirty

(3/5) Man, this is what the 90s sounded like. I distinctly recall hearing Sonic Youth but I never really got into them. I think it was just question of my tastes being a bit out of alignment with their style. They leaned heavily into noise and as I've discovered on this project, that's something I have a limited amount of patience and a palette for. I don't begrudge them this because underneath that noise is some decent grunge rock. This album landed at a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding down because of the more artsy/noise stuff that is just no longer my jam. If you had caught me 30 years ago with this, I know I would have liked it more. But, WHY does Sonic Youth have **5** albums on the list? Really?? Sure, one or two, but FIVE? Are they really that essential, or is this just another Dimery special?

As a grunge kid at heart, I've tried a few times to get into the Sonic Youth and just can't quite get over the hump. It's like if Nirvana and Hole (and Screaming Tres and Dinosaur Jr. and the list goes on and on) had a predecessor with an almost intentionally unpolished sound that those artists later emulated and made listenable. The elements are there, and I have no doubt that behind the layers of distortion and noise in each of these tracks lies a banger of a song just struggling to get out. And the craziest part is that this 1992 album actually sounds MORE polished than their other stuff that I've listened to, and has even had the benefit of being influenced by several of the bands that it influenced. All that to say that this one lands at a 3.5/5 that I really want to like more than I do, and am rounding down because I don't.

205. Dirty - Sonic Youth (1992) 9.15.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 3 = 4.2 rounded down to a 4 "I stick a knife in my head/ A-thinking 'bout your eyes/ But now that you been shot dead/ I got a new surprise" I wish the generator was a little bit less random so that we would get albums from multi-entry artists in chronological release order as they came up. I think it would really shine a light on the evolution of these acts and make the milestone developments easier to track. This goes double for a band like Sonic Youth, who I think a lot of people, if they've heard them at all, have only heard selected tracks, and then only the more polished, radio-friendly ( as much as they get) stuff. And because these tracs are pretty spread out amongst their albums, it can make for some expectations that clash pretty hard with the reality, which is that these guys, as innovative and experimental as they were, have a very slow musical evolution. In my opinion at least. Like listen to any two albums that came out in a row and you can barely hear much change in the sound and vibe, but even between their first ( EVOL) and last that I've heard ( Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star) there is so much carryover, and they were already so far ahead of the curve, that it would be challenging, for casual fans, to place any given track in time. That said I can track the ealier, echoey post-punky, goth-adjacent EVOL sound to the grungy, tighter, and more cleanly produced Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. I definitely first heard the band (liek a lot of people my age I suspect) via a clip from Beavis and Butthead of "Bull in the Heather", which is one of their best, and which features Kathleen Hanna ( I was gobsmacked to see that Bikini Kill is not on the list, but at least she shows up in the Le Tigre entry...) jumping around in the music video, annoying the band members. If you heard this, "Teen Age Riot" or "Kool Thing" you might expect something from the band they just can't really deliver in longform. It's been LONG time since I listened to any of their albums, but I don't expect my opinion to have moved to much. THE TRACKS "100%" - A very cool, distilled and radio-friendly version of the band's sound, and one that still manages to work in plenty of the dischordant glavor as accents. It's almost TOO basic an approach for them, and a more cynical person might even think this was a piss-take. But I think it works well to level set expectatons for anyone familiar. And if you're new to the band, then it doesn't sound too far outside of the type of thing that would be blowing up your radios at the time, if maybe a bit looser and jagged around the edges. Also, considereing the far future and end of the group, the line "But I've been around the world a million times / And all you men are slime" as delivered by Thurston Moore is pretty rich. "Swimsuit Issue" - Steve Shelley delivers an awesome propulsive surf rock drum beat to start us off, then the first of many back and forth vocal tradeoffs happen with Kim Gordon taking over with her iconic, breathy, cooly detached, and almost sarcastic speak-singing delivery. As influential as the band itself was, I think Gordon's vocals are ALL OVER 90s Grunge and Riot Grrrl singers' styles. This one is all about atmosphere, and feels like a "wait a minute - did you think we've gone soft?" correction after that first more approachable number. The scummy, slimy feel of the outro of this is entirely effective. "Theresa's Sound-World" - This one opens with a lighter touch, and a nod towards the more ambiently pretty noise with Gordon's bubbly New order-ish bass, and Shelley's sizzling cymbal work almost providing a psychedelic bit of undergrowth for Moore's icy vocals to trudge through. There's a very palpable build up and release of tension when verse rises and layers are added and added until the instrumental bridge can explode with into a spinning tilt-a-whirl finale, and end up exactly where we started. This is the ideal mode of the band for me. I love that they change it up, but when they get to these quieter, cooler, and more cohesive songs it feels like a treat. Also dig those guitars - Moore and Ranaldo in my mind are like one two-headed player, and intertwine and mix and match between lead and rhythm lines between songs so much that I can't tell where one begins and the other ends. "Drunken Butterfly" - What a fucking bop, right? On the surface this might not seem like a band that makes danceable music, but here we are. I mean, the dancing might just involve a bunch of jumping and headshaking, but it's got me wanting to throw myself into the pit. Once again Gordon MORE than makes up in attitude and effect whatever she might lack in traditional singing ability. Just try not nodding your head to that chorus. And the scratchy guitars on here are all gravy. I can totally see someone listening to this and being like "what the fuck is this noise?" and it would be a not unreasonable reaction, but there's such a tight structure underneath all the abrasiveness, and the melodic lines are definitely there, they're just stretched out and deformed and camouflaged a bit by the noisey decorations. This is not the kind of music that works well when you space out to it, as all the best little touches can get overwhelmed by the presentation. There's also a great music video for this where all the band are janky sock puppets, with Gordon looking like some deranged, thrift shop version of Janice from the Muppets' Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band. "Shoot" - Some nice distortion as the appetizer here, with Gordon's menacing bass line being the main course. Which fits the dark as fuck lyrics. Courtney Love feels like a little kid playing dress up in comparison to this performance. Gordon is snide and sneering and full of a seething rage here, without ever having to go full on scream mode. The boom-bap hip-hop beat Shelley provides this is the lifeline here, and gives the song an extra snap that something more basic and rock-based would have done. "Wish Fulfillment" - The Ringo track! Ranaldo gets his lone shot on lead vocals, and a combination of this reverb heavy touch, and the bigger focus on the guitars give this one a much different feel than anything else. I'm reminded of both Guided by Voices and Nada Surf in the more emotional vocal delivery and the pounding, dirty, yet melodic guitar lines. "Sugar Kane" - Willing to bet some money that Billy Corgan must have played this one repeat more than a few times. Pretty sure Butch Vig also worked on the first couple of Smashing Pumpkins albums and Sonic Youth DNA can be found all over those. Go check out "1979" for example, and then come back. I can even hear a lot of Moore's vocal delivery in Corgan's stuff. This is as guitar-heroey as the band gets I think, with relatively clean lines, and a driving bass pushing things along. "Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit" - Just in case you forgot about the band's formative years, this one is meant to remind you. There's still a driving, forward momentum that gels with everything else, and the pre-chorus bit and especially the instrumental break are much more user-friendly, but Gordon's vocals on here are ragged and messy and very thorny. Much as I like me some Hole, this is yet another comparison where you can see how diluted the copy is to the original. At least in terms of raw power. It's just ever so slightly off-model for me that it gets knocked a bit. "Youth Against Fascism" - Love the messaging on this one, not so much the whole package. Moore's much warmer performance on here comes across as more snotty than genuine to me. That combined with the total lack of anything resembling any ear-pleasing cohesion on this drops it into dud territory. Straight ahead punk rock is not their best look imo. "Nic Fit" (Untouchables cover) - More punk vibes, with an Untouchables cover. This one at least feels more like a more honest stab at a being faithful to a specific hardcore punk sound, as filtered through their own, more accomplished playing, where the last one was just to plain and generic. While fine enough itself, it doesn't belong anywhere near the better stuff on here. "On the Strip" - After a brief detour, we're back on familiar ground. I hate to call t a formula, but as much as I like this one, it does sound like a synthesis, if not an improvement on other stuff we've found on here. I kept waiting for the explosive chorus, which never came, and instead had to settle for a middling bridge that was a poor substitute. An ideal bathroom break song ( it's also too long) should you ever find yourself at an unlikely reunion show. "Chapel Hill" - What's this? Did Dinosaur Jr. make their way into the studio? The start of this is as friendly and bright as we get on here, but then things turn dark once again when the tone drops down and we get a tale of assassination and terror, and local music scenes. Possibly my favorite instrumental break on the album. That blistering, surf-adjacent guitar lone and the tempo is killer. "JC" - relatively subdued, and even pretty I'd say, this track is a somber one. Lots of impressionistic, almost nostalgic lyrics delivered in a breathless staccato, almost spoken word poetry style on top of an unconventionally structured song made up one long verse and one very short verse. The song dissolves into a hissing chaotic fuzz at the end, and remains no less pretty for it. This is up there with my favorites on the album. We're heading for a strong back half here if the momentum keeps up. "Purr" - After the last track, this one hits like an adrenalin shot right to the heart. Exciting and energetic and about nothing in particular it seems except maybe fascination with the unattainable? Moore's in his best mode here, with the cool and almost nonchalant delivery. One of the more radio-friendly tracks on the album, especially with the more or less conventional instrumental break. "Crème Brûlée" - And as one last parting shot, the band just had to remind you they haven't entirely given into the pop world. After a finger in the eye to open with we at least settle into an almost Beat Happening-style, understated and simple bit of repetitiveness. Fun but hardly essential, and feels like a bit of a lark compared to how purposeful and arranged the rest of the album was. HIGHLIGHTS - "100%" - "Swimsuit Issue" - "Theresa's Sound-World" - "Drunken Butterfly" - "Shoot" - "Wish Fulfillment" - "Sugar Kane" - "Chapel Hill" - "JC" - "Purr" MIDLIGHTS - "Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit" - "Nic Fit" - "On the Strip" - "Crème Brûlée" LOWLIGHTS - "Youth Against Fascism" FINAL THOUGHTS I'm not exactly sure on the timeline here, but I think the band got some flack for seeming to take a calculated stab at the grunge and alt market that had aped so much of their style already. They had already been with a major label for a few years prior, so I'm sure the same criticism had already hit them, but on this one in particular I think the production is cleaner, and they are putting out tighter songs. Not all the rough edges have been filed down, and they never would be, but I think some of the reaction to it did make them take a step backwards on the next one and try to level set when they realized maybe they'd seemed a bit too try hard on this. That said, I think it's a damn successful entry, and not giving two shits myself about "authenticity" or the concept of "selling out" I think this was the right move for them. They already had the look, the sound, and the reputation, so why not reap some of the rewards that all those younger ( Kurt Cobain, to use him as a measuring stick of the period, was almost a decade younger than Moore, and almost a decade and a half younger than Gordon) kids already had. I think it's just after this that Daydream Nation started to be evaluated retrospectively as some sort of John the Baptist-like prefiguration of the 90s, and the band from here on enjoyed a kind of respected elder place in the alt and grunge world, often touring with supporting these acts they had influenced so heavily. This album is not my favorite from the band, but of the stuff I've heard, it's maybe the plateau of their more mainstream sound and a quite good jumping on point for anyone who doesn't want to invest too much time in their noisier past. This one was pretty danged solid overall, despite the saggy middle, and a few off topic excursions. The good stuff was so good, it more than made up for any slips along the way. They have another 8 or so albums after Experimental Jet Set... which I have not heard, so who knows. I strongly doubt that they ever settled into a mainstream acoustic folkie act though. Looking forward to whenever they pop up again. Possible turn-Offs might include: - dissonant, noisey, and often aggressively un-melodic segments - disaffected and sometimes purposely amateurish vocals - a disregard for whatever passed for basic grunge and alt song structures - abrasive and hot production sound - a feeling that the band's vibe has been watered down ( if you are a fan of their earlier stuff) You Might enjoy this if you: - like a bit of experimental noise rock - enjoy textures and atmosphere over a good solid melody - don't mind some artsy indulgences in your vocals - like their older stuff, but wish it could be more focused and user-friendly PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I'd settle for the highlights FURTHER LISTENING - Teenage Jesus and the Jerks EP by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks - The Ascension by Glenn Branca - Zen Arcade by Husker Du - Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain - Loveless by My Bloody Valentine - You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr. - Pretty on the Inside by Hole - Hungry for Stink by L7 - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton by Swirlies - Spanking Machine by Babes in Toyland - Pussy Whipped by Bikini Kill - The Future of What by Unwound - Blonde Redhead by Blonde Redhead - The Great Annihilator by Swans - F♯ A♯ ∞ by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Sonic Youth is one of those names that I’ve heard more than I’ve heard their music. They’re the band that all your favorite bands tended to like. Which makes you want to sit ip and take notice. I’m not familiar with their 80s stuff (but it looks like I will be by the time I finish this list). Here they seemed to have found comfort in being a standard 90s alternative rock band. This album was a buffet of crunchy guitar sounds. Pair that with Kim Gordon’s stilted deliver and Thurston Moore’s experimental riffs and you’ve got something that rocks. This was a sound that takes me back to nights of just falling asleep to 120 Minutes on MTV. 4/5

Sehr geil

For the adolescent hipster, who you hate, or at least when you hate them, is maybe even more important than who you love or when you love them. This album came too late in the band's career for anyone sufficiently immature at the time to possibly like it. Nowadays, I think it's pretty good on its own but I would have titled it Breaking No New Ground and it has no place in the top 1001 albums. This is one of perhaps 150-200 albums on this list I would have replaced with a jazz or reggae album, two genres chronically underrepresented here.

Nice to finally get to the final Sonic Youth album in the collection! I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that while I've owned this album for over 30 years, I barely recognized most of the tracks outside of their (relative) hits "100%" and "Drunken butterfly"; I guess that kind of sums up my affinity to this venerable NYC band. I *did* enjoy the various videos to several of their tracks, especially the "Meet the Feebles"-esque one for "Drunken butterfly" (which was apparently a fan film/video from an MTV contest). And while it's far too long for what you get, I do appreciate it that this album has the most song-oriented and quasi-mainstream(-ish) music from all of the SY albums we've gotten in this project.

Buenísimo el disco.

Loved it. I wish we had streaming when this came out. I didn’t buy any Sonic Youth, but in probably would have if I heard this album

Kinda went in one ear and out the other, unfortunately.

You can tell a Sonic Youth song the minute you hear it and that's not nothing.

The vital sign that I really ought to give Sonic Youth a proper go beyond Teen Age Riot and Kool Thing, loved this. It's sort of the polar opposite of Pavement's slacker sound, all the dials up to 11 and some absolutely mental guitar work, but the same sort of nonchalant vocal styling, too cool for school Theresa's Sound-World has an unreal climax, proper chaotic wall of noise crescendo, Sugar Kane is much the same. I've heard Sugar Kane a few times before, really good, as is 100%, the other lead single that I don't think I've ever heard Last half kind of dragged though I thought Nic Fit was a very funny sudden shift into hardcore punk

Don’t really get Sonic youth or “noise rock” in general but I didn’t hate this 3

4 out of 5. Love seeing more Sonic Youth on here. While not my favorite of theirs this is still a solid album.

Album number : 48 /1089 Songs known going in : 0 favourite song : 100% rating 3/5 notes : i usually find myself attracted to this kind of music but nothing drew me in. It faded into the background a little too easily for my liking. A little disappointing because I was expecting to love this from everything ive ever heard of sonic youth

Maybe the best sonic youth ive heard. The earlier stuff is a bit too raw for me though Mildred peirce might be my favorite singular song. This record is just a little less harsh a little less wild. It makes for a better listening experience for me. Not that I dislike the old ones. This is more the lane im in. Ive always heard they were so cool but even now im still more into other bands of this ilk. Gimme the pixies every single day over these guys but I like alot of what's here. The 2 singers really do make every track sound differnt. They bring a differmt approach and energy. The instumental is more laid back mostly. Still alot of energy at points. I will say if I ever need to explain my favorite kind of music in 60 seconds im playing nic fit. Its exactly what I like distilled to the basic essence. Plenty of good songs outside of that, sugar Kane, 100%, purr, drunken butterfly. All very good songs that I saved and will be happy to hear again. And everything else was good too. Those are just the highlights. I like this more relaxed sonic youth. Also thr little guy on the cover is cute as hell. Great record

Legitimately infuriating how bad of a singer Kim Gordon is in this. It's unlistenable. Its embarrassing. It makes my head hurt what the fuck is going on? The non-Kim songs are subpar for what I expect from a Sonic Youth Album. I actively hated this. Best Song: 100% Rating: 2/10 Stars: 1

I can recognize that this is probably an exemplary example of experimental/noise rock, bc the musicality and lyrics are otherwise very good! Unfortunately the Noise is really not for me … at some pt of listening to this album, I reached the point where if there is a perfectly great song, I’d wonder “When is the Noise coming in? …Ah, THERE’S the Noise!” I’m particularly fascinated by the vocal choices of the female singer where it sounds like she’s throwing up. My “favorite” track from here was actually “Shoot” which was so offputting and strange in its gagging and off-key meandering that it wrapped around to being entrancing to listen to.

I’ve always felt like Sonic Youth could be a little hit or miss with me. Sometimes they really push the boundaries of what a song is, and those are the times where it gets pretty easy for me to check out. But I like this record alright; it seems to have enough structure for me to find it mostly enjoyable. I still think that Sonic Youth gets by more on "cool factor" than actual songwriting chops though. 7/10

Truly horrible

Innovative and a few songs I like, but generally not a pleasant listen. Difficult topics do not need to be presented with music that is dissonant and Difficult to listen to.

Un peu bruyant et fatigant à écouter, mais quelques riffs et rythmiques sympathiques

not dirty enough

way too noisy and chaotic for my taste

This appears to be my 5th (and last) Sonic Youth album from the list. I loved Daydream Nation and really thought I had changed my mind about the band. Now, listening to this and looking back at my last reviews, I think I was overzealous when I said I "changed my mind" about them. Daydream Nation was a great album by a band I think is average at best, and sometimes bad. On to this particular album...pretty annoying in parts, undeveloped flashes of brilliance in other places. When these guys make music, I'm into it, but mostly...well, not mostly; too often they make noise. I enjoy like 65% of what I'm hearing, but the noise breaks are way too long and detract from what I like. Ultimately, a band I don't like made an album I do like. My mind wasn't changed about them like I thought, and I feel comfortable saying that because I listened to 5 of their albums. And again, NO ARTIST SHOULD HAVE FIVE FUCKING ALBUMS ON THIS LIST, especially when most of their music sounds so samey. ⭐⭐75

didn't listen

Not for me

So a list of albums I must hear before I die that includes FIVE albums by Sonic Youth but ZERO albums by Warren Zevon pretty much lacks any kind of plot. This is getting pretty close to a Smiths/Morrissey level of overexposure. I'm willing to grant that everyone should hear ONE Sonic Youth album before they die. Why not? But this one becomes a kind of mess of noise by the final few tracks: yet another case of a band deciding they need a double album rather than keeping things focused and putting out a much stronger work with one-third fewer tracks.

Sugar Kane er konge, men synes ellers albumet er for langt og ujevnt.

It’s too harsh for me, although occasionally they let in some tenderness. I hear the talent. I just checked my history and they have FOUR albums on this list?? And I’ve said pretty much the same thing about each one of them. I guess we’re both consistent.

Ömsom riktigt bra ös och kul riff, ömsom lite bjäring. Blir lite drygt en 3a

Aldrig hört! Hade föreställt mig mer emo mindre drag. Blev bättre mot slutet. Några rätt feta låtar där.

mkt coolt mkt djupt

Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit

8/10

I've been tepid on Sonic Youth after much exposure here, to say the least. I do think their sound got better with each subsequent album until around the early 90's, however (til right about this one I'd say). There's an even split on vocals between Moore and Gordon here, but I honestly didn't care for much the Gordon-led tracks. It's fine otherwise, with a few highlights (including "Sugar Kane") and encapsulated by a "dirty" grungy sound, for lack of a better descriptor. The group at large has never really been my cup of tea, as I've only interacted with them in passing (or via the shuffle button). Five albums of theirs later, and my opinion hasn't really been swayed too strongly one way or the other.

There are far too many Sonic Youths on this list (should only be daydream nation). This one just happens to be my favourite.

I think i'd have to be in the right mood to even semi enjoy this

Very good, but just barely not 5 stars

Meh. 3/5.

Summer 2025 I was at a local music festival. A choir I sing in did a set and then I grabbed a beer and joined a friend in the cannabis-smoking area. By the time we wandered back to teh Amin Stage Sleater-Kinney was just starting. Maybe it was the drug cocktail, but killer gig by them. I was very locked in. Anyways, my friend was completely unfamiliar with Sleater-Kinney, but kept telling "they sound just like Sonic Youth" over and over again. He wasn't wrong, but he probably brought it up a couple times too many for polite company. Dirty isn't peak Sonic Youth in my books, but it is still pretty much beyond reproach. Just goes to show how immense peak Sonic Youth is. I wasn't aware of my project partner's deep love of the album til this week, but that fact put me in a very willing mood once I actually got around to pressing "Play"

Every twelve months or so, I get this powerful urge to listen to Sonic Youth. I have about three hours to satisfy this craving or my brain will explode. Almost any album will do, but Dirty is what I reach for more often than not. The one-two punch of 100% to Swimsuit Issue is one of the best album openings ever made. It sets this sinister, yet slinky presence that permeates through the rest of the record, elevating the likes of Shoot, Sugar Cane and even Youth Against Fascism. It’s an unquestionable five-star experience for me.

Favorite songs: 100%, Theresa’s Sound-World, Shoot, Wish Fulfillment, Sugar Kane, Purr

Sonic Youth is good

This was excellent. Has me wondering why I have not listened to Sonic Youth more. Really enjoyed this sound. 4.5 on the 5 side.

Noise rock, Kim Gordon, best band, yada yada yada this is great. 5/5

This was a great album and fell squarely in my style of music. I did not end up saving too many songs but I would like to revisit the album more times. Good showing.

A good mix of songs, didn't get boring even though it was an hour long album. Had some good fun with this one.

нормалек, вайбово, качает.

*sniffs* "Mature...." *sips and swills* "...noisy as fuck..." *swallows* "...shite!"

Not perfect, but one of the best albums noise rock has to offer.

kinda hard to make an early 90s noisy alt rock album i wouldn't like honestly lol just one of those albums where the overall sound of the album is great enough that it doesn't matter if the song structures can be a bit shaky at times (probably just adds to the vibe if anything in this case i'd say) favourite songs: shoot, drunken butterfly, jc (god i love kim gordon's voice) least favourite song: none really, just enjoyed the ride

It's honestly like they want to get a bad score from me. Sometimes it's, like, almost not dreadful. But they do that on purpose, they lull you into a false sense of security before the guitar SCREEEEECHES and it sounds like everyone throws the instruments down a flight of stairs. Painful! The lyrics seemed rather repetitive as well. They want a bad score, so they can have it.

It’s another great album from Sonic Youth. Maybe my favorite band I was able to dive into as a result of doing this project. Just love their noisy guitars and vocals. Haven’t heard anything I dislike from them yet. Favorites were 100%, Theresa’s Sound-World, Wish Fulfillment, Sugar Kane, Chapel Hill, and Purr.

Standouts Sugar Kane

goed tot zeer goed

Interesting guitar noise. Some good songs underneath but the vocals don't always grab me.

Not my cup of tea, at all. The guitars were grating most of the time and I'm not sure there was a single song I enjoyed on the album.

Okay, ich mag das alles. Ich finde alles gut. Meine Ohren sind geschädigt, ich finde alles gut. Meine Nerven flattern, aber ich finde alles gut. So geht es mir bei Sonic Youth immer. Hier heißt das Spiel: kann man Sonic Youth ins Alternative Model pressen? Klingt zumindest stark nach Butch Vig bzw. Garbage, die er ja ganz stark mitgeprägt hat, und die Stimme ist nah und roh wie bei Nevermind, weil, oh, Butch Vig. Und die spacig-aggressiven kennen wir von den Smashing Pumpkins, oh ja, weil Butch Vig. Und trotzdem ist das einfach ein Sonic Youth Album, hier vor allem wegen Kim Gordons Lyrics und der Weigerung, anders als schlecht zu singen.

Album #278 Sonic Youth: Dirty Sonic Youth are a band which just oozes cool; no other band makes me wish that I could be sitting outside a 711 on my skateboard in the early 90s more. I, like many others, was introduced to the band through their album Daydream Nation, which to this day holds one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard, Teen Age Riot. Such is the case for many raw and harder bands though; once they finally perfect their sound and release their magnum opus, they tend to start trending more mainstream. Dirty is definitely a more run-of-the-mill rock album than Sonic Youth’s early work, sounding like fairly typical alt-rock and even grungy at times, but I do think that this sound actually works for the band quite well. It won’t blow you away like a Daydream Nation, but it is still a well above average rock album, and maintains Sonic Youth’s signature charm. However, if I’m going to listen to a Sonic Youth album in this style, I’ll probably opt for Goo. Best Songs: Sugar Kane, 100%, Purr Worst Song: Shoot Score out of 10: 7.5

This has been such a pain to listen to

Amazing display of musicianship, it's noisy, it's hard and all the rage of youth is expressed and put on to this album. Never a bad moment in this album.

This sounds just like a Sonic Youth album. I have three Sonic Youth albums. I don't need another Sonic Youth album. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(6/10) Total reviewed : 435 Already owned : 98 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 311

Polished noise perfection. I absolutely love this album.

Good enough album. I can see the appeal

Bardzo podoba mi się tendencja do synchronizacji tych płyt z pogodą w jaką wypadają. Dzisiaj akurat jest paskudny, szary jesienny warszawski poranek i ta płyta, swoim brudnym brzmieniem, surowym wręcz, doskonale mi się zgrała z drogą do pracy. Może nie będziemy besties, ale Kim Gordon, u are A WOMAN.

Not as good as E.V.O.L. or Daydream Nation. Sounds like a 1992 grunge album as made by Sonic Youth. I miss the more "noise" parts of those other albums. Not bad and the guitar and drumming is excellent, but a lesser Sonic Youth album.

Enjoyable art rock meets grunge, some great songs like Sugar Kane, Theresa's Sound world and Swimsuit Issue. I own this album but don't listen too often to it. Maybe a little bit too long, still 3.5 stars going up to 4.

more sonic youth today. this is their seventh album release, recorded after the success of their previous album goo, plus the incoming trend of alternative and grunge rock hitting the radio airwaves. the group managed to get the same producers who worked on nirvana's nevermind, so between what they've did in the past leading up to this album... it's very clear that they were trying to hop on that wild and wonderful grunge train. is this noise rock or is this alternative rock that's noisy? i feel like it's the latter... whatever you might classify this as, this is probably the most accessible album by the band. sonic youth to me is very smoky in sound by default, and this is probably the cleanest and most polished i've ever heard the group. also has some of the best vocal performances from the group as well... maybe because for once i can actually hear them, haha. if there's one thing that makes me a little confused, it's platforms that label this album as experimental? i wouldn't really say that... sonic youth just continues to prove to me that they're the "cool" grunge group. the group that scoffs and spits in your face if you try to talk to them. and i mean, i get it.

I didn't find anything about this enjoyable.

Ellen Paige in Juno was right, Sonic Youth are just Noise

Loved this one. Guitar and drums in particular were especially great.

They are punk meets grunge with a little metal thrown in. I enjoy the overall message but its just a little too grungy metal for me to really love. 20 years ago I would have loved it though. There are also some pretty sweet guitar solos.

This is our fourth Sonic Youth album, and I'd probably rank this at the top of what we'd had. Does that mean I love it? No. I haven't been able to really get into these guys, hard as I've tried. But this is pretty rockin' and I can actually understand them. Purr was my fave track.

I think this is the most I’ve enjoyed a Sonic Youth album of the few we’ve had on 1001 albums so far. It seems like a good balance between noise-rock and proper song writing. Though no one track stands out in particular.

Grungy. I like grunge. It was my era but somehow I did not know Sonic Youth that well. I liked but didn’t grab me as much as I hoped.

Tätä kun soitti töissä taustalla niin piti jossain välissä kurkata et mitäs helvettiä tää on ja toivottavasti loppuu kohta. Oli siellä joku ihan ok viritelmä välissä

Naislaulaja kuulostaa välillä laulaessaan siltä kuin olisi samalla vääntämässä paskaa. Muuta ei jäänyt tästä mieleen.

Oon mää tätä yrittänyt joskus kuunnella, mutta ei oo lähtenyt. Vaikee sanoo mikä mättää, varmaan jotenkin niin LAKONINEN meno. Voi myös olla, että kun pändi kikkailee vireiden kanssa niin ei tällaisen popparin korvat ymmärrä ja hyväksy. Niin kauan kun ei lähe niin ei lähe ja ei pysty sitten hevosteleen arvosanan kanssa.

Aika sekavaa menoa, en oikein saanut mistään kiinni.

Quite enjoyed this in a non-serious sort of way. Nothing particularly marvellous going on, but quite fun to just have on in the background.

Yet another great album I missed. In some ways, it's like "Never Mind" part two. I've listened to Goo quite a bit, which is much rougher around the edges, Butch Vvig really makes a difference.

Bien

I had way more fun with this than Goo. Steve Ranaldo is the underrated MVP, Wish Fulfillment is one of the best tracks here.

Fake Velvet Underground crossed with fake Stooges, made even worse by lyrics and singing that dial up the level of pretentiousness to 11.

Another great Sonic Youth album

Solid, a clear 2.5 could get to 3 on maybe more listens.

I'm on my second listen through today, and "Theresa's Sound-World" has drawn me in both times.

Never got into them but it's decent.

Far too alternative rock for me.

poop

This is ok - Kim Gordon’s vocals, though, are not and really drag down what might be quite an interesting alt/almost grunge album.

I really don't like Daydream Nation (and I have tried), so I had low expectations going into this one. Color me surprised over how much I enjoyed it.

Great album.

This might be my favorite of all the Sonic Youth albums I’ve had on this list. Still think they’re just missing something to put them over the edge.

I'm coming to terms with the fact that Sonic Youth may be one of those great bands that don't connect that well for me. Teenage Riot is a cool song but it's on another album.

I like a lot of what they do, but there are not enough strong points as an album for me to love it. I liked Theresa's Sound-World, and Purr

Not for me

Sum punkish, skaterish teens, antifa EDIT: i love the album and the singer

This simply isn't my thing I'm afraid. I appreciate that they're doing something a little different but I find the unique aspects grating. I can perfectly imagine someone who is into this but that person is sadly not me.