Goo

A few really great tracks, especially on the first half. Tunic and Kool Thing are keepers. Vibes of Velvet Underground in a 90s setting. It’s very distracting, however, that they seem to be fascinated and self-impressed by the noise and sound they can make with abused electronics without having any intentions of meaning in it. And “it’s just ennui and nihilism man,” wouldn’t convince me at all. What they’re singing, particularly the lady vocalist, is very important and deeply felt.

Cool music

Eh. Not for me but I see how it could be for some. I would really need to be in the mood to listen to it. Requires a revisit.

Listening to Sonic Youth sounds to me like listening to music while mowing a lawn - good music, but surrounded by an incessant droning.

Bueno a ver, Sonic Youth es una banda que siempre he querido escuchar, ya que según tengo entendido The Velvet Underground es una de sus grandes influencias, y definitivamente se puede apreciar bastante bien con este disco, pese a que creo que las expectativas me han jugado una mala pasada. La primera mitad del álbum es genial. El opener Dirty Boots y su infeccioso riff son un highlight del disco. Me encanta la letra temática de Tunic y los backing vocals en Mary-Christ son tremendos. Kool Thing, la canción mas icónica del disco, es otro punto altísimo en la tracklist, y es una gran sorpresa la aparicion de Chuck D (Public Enemy). A partir de aquí, al menos en la primera escucha, se empieza a desinflar un poco. Se siguen apreciando los rasgos por los que tengo entendido se caracterizaban Sonic Youth, su uso de la disonancia y de los efectos en las guitarras. Aun así, creo que el album es difícil de descifrar del todo en la primera escucha, y preveo que voy a estar reescuchando este disco bastante. Quizás encuentre algo más de lo que he encontrado ahora, o quizás no.

Food for you bought

Too much talky

I absolutely love Sonic Youth, and that's not changing here. This is probably their most accessible album, very noisy but came before the grunge movement, so you don't have the inspirations that made their next album Dirty so amazing. It's fantastic for its era, but honestly doesn't have as many great songs as other albums. There were some odd experimental choices that are cool and impressive but not too great. To appeal to a mass audience, you have some lighter hits too, but besides "Kool Thing", they lack the Sonic Youth charm and so they feel like a marketable compromise. Still, I enjoyed the album and there were plenty of standout moments. Favorites: Kool Thing, Moot

6/10

7/10

Härligt album med skön punkkänsla men låter ändå jävligt bra rakt igenom. Kanske lite mycket noise? Återkommer rätt ofta till Kool Thing. Extremt tongivande i genren. Lyckades få känslan till 100% dock något som saknas?

Car noise drowned it out. Will re listen

I don't think I needed to hear another album by this band. Some of these had a cool punk feel, but others sounded vaguely like a toothache feels.

Sólo conocía Kool Thing y está bien, creo que ellos no son para mi. Sí tienen cosas muy interesantes, el sonido crudo pero los guitarrazos sin sentido de repente, ser discordante y experimentar está bien aunque después de oír el disco tampoco se me hizo que pensaran tan afuera de la caja. 2.5 que sube a 3 porque no son horribles, están bien a secas. Songs: Kook Thing, Tunic (Song for Karen)

Siempre me cuesta trabajo Sonic Youth. No es que no les reconozca su creatividad, energía o innovación, pero soy de cosas más armónicas o melódicas, más estructura o ya de menos un poco más predecible.

Riffs and stuff we're great, but couldn't get into the singing or vocal inflections.

7/10

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Good background music for putting together a lamp/setting up Wi-Fi/setting up new tv!

Too close to noise to make this a truly wonderful album, but it has its moments.

Want of mix of a migraine, snarky pop culture commentary and intertwined guitars? Then this is the album for you. You can see the behemoth of 90's alt-rock coming over the hill with this one. Best Tracks: Dirty Boots; Mary-Christ; Titanium Expose

Sounded influential, but not my cup of tea.

Listening to Goo pretty much summed up my feelings for Sonic Youth. It's respectable, has some great songs and interesting subject matter, but don't love it. Great singles here though, and album cuts like Tunic and Mote were enjoyable, but the excessive feedback did get a bit grating near the end. I wouldn't buy or download it all but will definitely revisit some tracks I liked.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Dirty boots

Never a band that i clicked with but it is a good album not great in my opinion

reminds me of Violent Femmes, but I guess I didn't hear it at that time of my life so dont have the connection. Wouldn't search it out but can see how it resonates with people

Time to take a ride, time to take in some alt guitar rock And if you want tonal interest, get on to Goo Punking out the day, dreaming out the crazy way

The album is missing more from the vocals, but the guitar work is great and offers more than typical punk. Overall not a bad album, but nothing to really amaze considering their fame and position in the hearts of true punk fans and those informed on the history of the genre.

A bit uneven but a slicker production than their previous album. Kool Thing still the stand out track, but the whole album is a fun noise adventure.

Interesting vibe, very punk. I’ve always struggled to appreciate the music because I am not a fan of the singing.

The older I get, the more I like noise in music, but my relationship with it is complex and ever-evolving. In general, I enjoy noise as a way to deepen the emotional content of music or to provide complex sonorities that are unachievable any other way, rather than noise for its own sake. Sonic Youth challenges this idea, making noise the central component of their music, overshadowing composition, or even being an element in composition. That's a bit much for me, which is why an album like Goo (or Dirty) is an ideal entry point. On these albums, Sonic Youth retreats a bit from their initial focus and subordinates the noise elements in favor of pop songwriting, at least to some degree. But there are some problems here. Not every song is as assured and magnetic as Kool Thing, Tunic or Goo, and it's no coincidence that those songs are fronted by Kim Gordon, an infinitely more charismatic vocalist than Thurston Moore. But for me, the more conventional songwriting provides much-needed ballast for the varied guitar squalls of Moore, Lee Reynaldo, and guest guitar terrorist J Mascis. The tug of war between traditional rock conventions and sonic terrorism makes for an invigorating listen.

3.5

Interesting. I liked some of the tracks, especially 'Dirty boots'. Other stuff, bordering on death metal, not so keen.

This was another surprise because I always have some previous bad impression of Sonic Youth, but this album was pretty good. The first songs are great songs and if the album ended there, it deserved 4 or 5 stars. The last songs were a little bit strange, too experimental for an album that does not start with an experimental approach. I don't dislike these experimental songs, but also don't love them.

Enjoyed a few songs from this, I had never really listened to Sonic Youth before. Will listen to some of their other albums.

Meh, støjrock / garage. Et par enkelte ok numre, men ikke noget vildt lækkert.

Weird but fun

Never previously gave this band much of a listen, despite being a fan of a lot of the bands that they influenced and inspired, but I really liked this record. There are good songs, but with the addition of lots of layered noise and feedbacking guitars, which is definitely my kind of thing when done well (which it is here). Not sure how often I would listen to it, but good background music for when working.

Sonic Youth on ollut itselleni aina hieman liian taiteellista rokkiräminää, vaikka olen sille mahdollisuuksia antanut. Thurston Mooren soololevyt ovat olleet paljon enemmän omaan makuuni. Tämänkin levyn kohokohdat ovat Mooren laulamat "normaalit" indierock biisit, kuten Dirty Boots ja Disappearer. Kokonaisuuden pilaa kuitenkin ihme instrumentaali- ja mölinäsekoilut kuten Mote ja Mildred Pierce. Epätasainen levy, mutta parhaat hetket nostavat kokonaisuuden kuitenkin lievästi plussan puolelle. Ylöspäin pyöristyvä 2,5.

Not mad about it. Atleast it isn't in french.

A little too much punk.

Washed out indie rock. Didn't get hooked.

Leuk leuk 9/10 wel maar eenmalig

This album makes me want to stare off into space and smoke a half of pack a smokes. It's not a bad album, the singer switch throughout is a neat mix up. I like the album artwork, It helps with that vibe for sure. Overall I think the album is fun. It isn't a must listen or anything. But it wasn't a waste of time. Not mad at it, it gets a real decent score from me.

I like the discordant stuff esp on Mildred Pierce and towards the end of Cinderella's Big Score

I dont think I have listened to that much Sonic Youth previously. Some of the songs were enjoyable. Others were not memorable.

Ehh a little mixed weird for my taste but whatever

First listen and I was ready to give it a 1 and move on, just noise. However, after listening a couple more time and looking at the lyrics, I like it and look forward to more Sonic Youth albums. Maybe 3.5?

really cool sound. A bit punk. Could get tiring after a while

favorite songs: Mary-Christ, Kool Thing, Disappearer, Titanium Expose. felt like some songs ran on too long

The working title of this albums was "blowjob?" Which makes me a bit sad about what could've been

false

Et j'sais pas si vous avez remarqué mais y a des fois, on lance un album, et 2 minutes après l'avoir fini on s'en souvient déjà plus. C'est tout pour moi j'm'appelle llabraise

Ziemlich gut aber seeehhhr Independent

Decent, with some (but rare) noisy sections I wasn't feeling. probably a 3.5

Good rock a bit directionless at times.

false

Sounds a bit grungey, a bit drengey, a bit Brody Dalle almost. Cool, 3/5

Early alt rock

Die rockigen Elemente heben das Album aus dem Sumpf der Bedeutungslosigkeit und halten den grungigen Krach auch aus.

high concept initial impression. reminds me a little of something youd hear on buffy opening theme song. 3 stars so far.

Good instrument work not fan of vocals

Fine. Not a huge "punk" fan. Well done for what it is.

I want Sonic Youth to be a jam band. The world needs a noise rock jam band. I like Murray Street. They jam on Murray Street. An album called Goo could definitely jam. There's some jam, some noise, lots of indifference, some cool as hell Kim Gordon. I really liked it, and it brought me zero joy. It took two days to get through it. Maybe it's been too packed of a work week and work weekend. The end of Disappearer really does it for me. I love how they use suspended chords. Imagining a Sonic Youth live show in 1990 NYC. Is it a shared experience? People are not outwardly expressing emotion. Is there a hidden, individual trancendance that each person is experiencing in stoic isolation, shoulder to shoulder? Are people just thinking way too hard?

Very good album. "Tunic (Song For Karen)", "Kool Thing".

.

Pas bon, pas mauvais, trop générique, correct sans plus.

This was kind of a mixed bag for me

Overall fine, instruments (4 star) were much better than the vocals (2 star for the most part) so averages to a 3

The “Pump Up the Volume” movie soundtrack introduced me to Sonic Youth - great soundtrack! and pretty good film too - “Titanium Expose” was the cut from Goo that made the cut. Overalll, pretty good Goo. I like the hit, “Kool Thing”, and I really like the first half of “Mote”, but the second delves into experimental art/noise/rock that turned me off. A solid 3.5, but I’m rounding down; the good sections just can’t pull the messy parts up to a 4.

Their most commercial album, and also still inaccessible at times. Lots of feedback. Need more time with it.

Por su fama lo he intentado muchas veces con el y nunca he visto su grandeza

6/10. Sounded good in it's own way, but not really something I would listen to on purpose

"Kool Thing" is obviously a killer track that really steps up when the rest of this album does not. Their album "Daydream Nation" seemed a lot more earnest of an effort to me. Like it was just naturally an interesting and cool take on indie guitar rock, while this one felt like Sonic Youth knew they were seen as a "cool" band and really tried to sound like it. I mean why name your album after a goofy ass, childish track like "Goo," if you didn't want everyone to think "Oh whoa they just really don't give a fuck, sick. Yeah the song sucks but they're sticking it to pop music." Idk, I just have a hangup with Sonic Youth's pretension because I don't think they are making the artistic statements to back it up.

its aight

musicalement tres solide bon muiciens mais le rage punk j'aime moins

Starts good but after the feel of the album becomes boring and even plain.

I find Sonic Youth a bit impenetrable. I love a lot of the riffs and the energy, but it's almost like free jazz in the construction. Definitely something I'll listen to again at some point.

1990, Alternative Rock, manches klingt sick aber das meiste klingt für mich einfach wie Krach, seichte 3

Quand meme bon, je comprend le sonic car c’est eclate parfois. J’ai l’impression quil y a une influence punk/grunge? Pas un grand facteur de reecoute. 3.25*

Now I need to watch Scott Pilgrim vs the World. rock out of 5

I enjoyed this, good noisy stuff. A few tracks definitely were fun.

Is good

instrumentation and female lead vocalist

nice n easy n fun but also n boring

A bit of a mixed bag, although I like it on whole. Has its highlights: Each of the vocalists has a great song, including "Dirty Boots, "Kool Thing" and "Mote", but some songs like "Mary-Christ" and "Cinderella's Big Score" are just a waste of time. The musicianship is stellar, some amazing drumming and the weaving wall of guitar noise is hypnotizing at times.

Find I'm very tired of the vocal delivery of this era and strata of alternative pop. A bare three points for the instrumentation which I liked better, but didn't really care for this.

Some interesting sounds I had never listened before

Unfortunately the more I listen to Sonic Youth the less I am impressed. I like everything they do on paper, but I just can't get behind the execution in general. I knew of Tunic, but it goes on twice as long as it should, otherwise I'd like it.

Pretty heavy. It’s interesting. I’m no music critic

Very good album for a one time listen. While I liked it, I don't foresee myself coming back to it. The album tells a coherent story, it's alternative rock which I like but it didn't grab me like it could have.

Cool guitar timbre. Can't sing along, but still catchy. A bit like Metric x La Femme, with more disorder and noise.

Classic

Reminds me a little of sleigh bells or white stripes. An old school kind of sound that could easily pass for music of today. Most songs are too long, and I can't hear 90% of what they're saying. The guitars and shit are cool, but this isn't music that speaks to me. Song titles make no sense, and as far as I can tell the songs are about nothing at all. Favorite song is scooter and jinx

I’ve never been a huge sonic youth fan. The guitars and drums are all pretty awesome, but the vocals and lack of hooks really make this kind of a wash for me. So many talked vocals and they feel like they kind of ruin things for me. Big noise rock and no wave feel. Once again, great guitars. But idk how often I'll come back to it

Ihan ok. Ei ehkä parasta musaa työpäivään.

Occasional good bits, too much screaming though

Enjoyed it although it’s not my usual genre. Had to listen in short bursts.

Cool

This was Sonic Youth's jump to a major label, and the contemporary reviews I read praised the album for its authenticity, which I take to mean that they didn't sell out by getting rid of the bullshit. I can confirm that there is still plenty of bullshit to wade through. Best track: Kool Thing

Interesting album, really in your face

Certainly accessible, with the experimental bits spread unevenly across the runtime. The first few tracks are certainly the strongest, though the fact that Chuck D is so easy to miss is disappointing. It would be a stronger record if it was more firmly in the pop-structure or noisy-sound camp. Or more Kim: Her appearances were the strongest songs and sections of songs.

Rock crado

I don't like Sonic Youth. This was better than the other album I've had by them though. I knew Kool Thing. It's okay when the guy sings, but I can't stand Kim Gordon's voice.

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Closed Artwork: 😎🚬✏️ Production: 🎙️🎚️😮‍💨 Music: 🧐🍷🫩 Rating: 🥽(🥽)/5

Terrible

Kool Thing

I can see why some might cream over these guys, but I can't escape a sort of fake pretentiousness that I get from them every time I listen. Might just be a complete misread but it's not for me.

Marko - 2 Sara - 2

Sonic Youth is a band I feel guilty for not liking.

not really my thing i guess

I didn't really dislike this, but it took me three sittings to finish because I kept getting bored so it doesn't feel correct to give it a 3

This is such an overrated album. Just the cover makes me roll my eyes at the pretentiousness

Sonic Youth feels like the kind of band pretentious artsy people love. They do some cool dissident stuff and the bass lines are fun but overall this album just has a " we're so cool and if you dont get it, its because you're too mainstream" vibe.

Bit heavy for my taste

It's OK but too noisy for me. This is the third Sonic Youth album from the list, and that is at least one too many. My opinion on this is exactly the same as their next release, Dirty, it's punky noise rock.

At times, including from the jump, I thought, not so bad as the others from them. Then, by the end of a song, or from the outset of the next, they changed my mind. Again and again.

Just meh

Blah.

ah sonic youth. the band everyone says they love but nobody listens to.

Liked the instrumentals at times. Vocals were not for me

Our fifth and final Sonic Youth album. Good riddance.

There is nothing here that hasn”t been done before … or better.

I really wanted to get into this, but it's just not for me. Kinda screechy

I've always heard about Sonic Youth, but I don't think I connected them to their actual music. It's not good. Pretentious art rock. Did they write their music to appeal to the smallest number of people possible? Is this output their sincere truth? I don't know. It's not the worst thing on this list, but I don't plan to revisit it.

I really really wanted to love this. But it just didn't hold up musically. I don't know how else to say that... A bit too much guitar feedback, too screamy, and not enough variation and interest to hold itself together. I feel like similar artists (Pixies, Patti Smith) have accomplished what Sonic Youth was going for here. They just missed the mark. 4/10

I really wanted to like this. I guess I'm just not cool enough. 2*

I’ve given each of the other FOUR Sonic Youth albums on this project three stars. I feel that they deserved those stars. Decent albums, some good songs, some bad, mostly mediocre but listenable albums. This album sucks. Five mediocre Sonic Youth albums, but not a single album from bands like Deftones, They Might be Giants, Salt N Pepa, Neutral Milk Hotel, Tool, Madvillian, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tyler, The Creator, J. Cole, Death Grips, Childish Gambino, Mos Def, Black Star, Danny Brown, MF DOOM…the list goes on and on. But at least there are five mediocre Sonic Youth albums, Six Beatles albums that sound exactly the same, and NINE David Bowie albums. So there’s that.

Everything that sucks about punk. After hearing the Circle Jerks album (a 5 star tour de force!), thank you for reminding me everything I don’t like about punk.

Too much noise. Go away.

By 1990 this was just a big retread of past music.

It was a 3 until the screaming and chainsaw noises

Not one of my favourite Sonic Youth albums. Starts off well enough with 'Dirty Boots' then meanders a bit before 'Mote' brings it back again. Maybe it's Gordon's vocals that grate a bit and come across a bit snobby kool. And she comes back again with 'My Friend Goo' to put me off again. Ok, 'Cinderalla's Big Score' redeems her somewhat and then 'Scooter And Jinx' piles on the motorbikes and F1 squeels to bring it back properly...but way too short. 10 minutes of that would do me just fine but back we go to the regular Sonic Youth track to finish off the album. So, the odd track doesn't really save a fairly mediocre album for me.

Not my cup of tea

5/10. Es un disco raro, como rock punk metal. Me gustaron algunos temas, pero otros para nada. Messirvio descubrirlos.

Mit Goo wagte die US-amerikanische Noise-Rock-Band Sonic Youth 1990 den Sprung zu einem Majorlabel: DGC Records, ein Ableger von Geffen, brachte das sechste Studioalbum der Band heraus, aufgenommen in den New Yorker Studios Sorcerer Sound und Greene St. Recording unter der Regie von Nick Sansano und Ron Saint Germain. Der Wechsel vom Indie-Umfeld in den Major-Betrieb hätte leicht zur Verwässerung des eigenwilligen Sounds führen können, doch die Band hielt an ihren verstimmten Gitarren und ihrer strukturellen Sperrigkeit fest, verpackte sie diesmal jedoch in griffigere Songformen. Stücke wie "Dirty Boots", "Tunic (Song for Karen)" und vor allem die Single "Kool Thing" – mit einem Gastauftritt von Chuck D – zeigen, wie geschickt Sonic Youth Zugänglichkeit und Widerständigkeit austarieren. Kim Gordons distanzierter, oft sprechgesangartiger Vortrag trifft auf Thurston Moores und Lee Ranaldos verschachtelte Gitarrenlinien, während Steve Shelleys Schlagzeugspiel dem Chaos einen erstaunlich tanzbaren Puls gibt. Das Artwork von Raymond Pettibon, inspiriert von den Moors-Morden, unterstreicht die kühle, leicht morbide Distanziertheit, die das Album trotz seiner relativen Eingängigkeit durchzieht. Kulturell markiert Goo einen Wendepunkt: Es öffnete Sonic Youth einem größeren Publikum und ebnete – gemeinsam mit ihrer Tourbegleitung Nirvana – den Weg für die Alternative-Rock-Welle der frühen Neunziger, ohne dabei die Ecken und Kanten der Band zu glätten. Goo bleibt ein seltener Fall, in dem sich künstlerische Eigenwilligkeit und Massentauglichkeit nicht ausschließen, sondern gegenseitig befeuern.

For Goo, I think it earned more points than a normal punk album. There was some cool experiments with sounds in the album which, while I did not enjoy, I at least appreciated. But not enough to get it more than a 4.5/10.

Better than I expected

Focking 'ell. Another Sonic Youth, innit? I consider myself an enthusiast of alternative music, which is why it's incredibly disappointing to me that the figureheads of this genre are so SHIT. Pixies and Sonic Youth instill a sense of frustration and disappointment in me that I rarely feel from anything else. I can hear this album already. The lazy, shitty, blown out guitars and vocals which are comparable to an enthusiastic handjob are already coming through loud and clear. The only positive comment I can see myself making about this album is that the album cover is both great and deservedly iconic. Guess I'll just rip off the Band-Aid and get into this one. Here goes. Yep. These guitars sure are lazy, shitty and blown out. I haven't splooged once throughout this album either, though "Disappearer" did give me a half-chub. That song's alright. I still can't get over the female vocalist of this band. The dudebro intonation in her singing voice is just so fake, lifeless, flimsy and lame. The male vocalist isn't much of an improvement, though I can barely make him out most of the time which easily puts him as my preferred vocalist. The instrumentals are somewhat competent. The blown-out, ghastly sound still doesn't move me, though the guitars feature some solid chord progressions and a general sense of direction. The songs aren't focused enough to hold my attention for the full runtime, though I was at the very least engaged while listening to this album. The stoned, frumpy losers murmuring over said instrumentals does undercut the appeal, however. Overall, I found this album to be dull, though it did hold my attention, which can't be said about the other Sonic Youth albums. Book time. The band's first release on a major label. The frontmen of Dinosaur Jr. and Public Enemy provided vocals for this album. "Goo was accessible in terms of song and structure, yet still experimental in tone and texture." The book entry closes out with "While many tip the critical nod to Daydream Nation, Goo remains a masterclass in how an underground rock band can make the jump to a major label and not only survive with its soul and balls intact, but flourish and reach a wider, appreciative audience." I think the Sonic Youth inclusions should be cut down from five albums to three. The band have been loved by critics for most of their career and were massively influential in the founding and early trajectory of alternative music, but five albums is just way too many for what this band represents. Five inclusions puts them up there with Led Zeppelin and ahead of Pink Floyd, which doesn't at all sit right with me. That being said, EVOL, Daydream Nation and this album appear to be their most noteworthy releases, so I'm content with letting this one through. I cosign this inclusion.

4/10 Fun but not for me

It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t my thing.

Not to judge an album by its cover but again I have low expectations for this one based on the cover and name. dirty boots is pretty cool I guess. Definitely a good guitar. Terrible vocals/lyrics on tunic. Just talking. Good guitar tho. Is this song what South Park is referencing in the shop class episode?? Why did they not fade Mary Christ right into kool thing. Waste of a bridge song. Great guitar on kool thing. Bullshit lyrics. Note is better. Really really good guitar on this one and better vocals. I like the outro on this one too. Or what o though was the outro. Didn’t think there’d be 3 more mins after. Still a cool song. My friend hop is generic indie rock. Trash. Bad lyrics, singers voice isn’t even good. 5 yos must go crazy for this song. Best part about it is that it’s quick. Back to basics with disappear. This song is much better. Good guitar riff, catchy lyrics. Mildred is good. Good production with no bs vocals to ruin it(for the most part). Last 30 seconds suck. Cinderella’s score is fine. Better writing on this one. Cool production again. Ready for this album to be done which is a bad sign considering it’s not that long. Makes me actually appreciate scooter and jinx even tho it’s nothing except for short. But again, a missed opportunity for a cool fade into titanium exposure. Cool intro on this one, and really good main production. Much better vocals/lyrics. If only every sign was just like this one. But as always when I say that, they aren’t. This is a true JAA. Some pretty good songs and some straight ass songs. 2.3/5 stars.

..

too weird

Scuzzy and distorted. A bit too DIY-sounding for my taste

2.5

Some ok songs. Lots of unnecessary nonsense noise as well

not my thing, and i normally like punky records

Frenetic and fun. Liked it more than I thought I would - without being blown away - at the beginning. Then then last four songs hit... Chaotically disappointing end.

It's alright but two sonic youth albums in two days is a bit much for anyone.

Man, if I’d found this in like 10th grade? Buuuut… I didnt

I like the use of noise up to an extent, like in 'Tunic' where I think it contributes to the vibe, but at certain points j think it just gets obnoxious, like the end of ‘Mote’. All the songs sort of blended together after a while for me. I respect the significance of the album and its influence, but it just feels sort of same-y - reeks of Gen X ‘acting detached to look cool’-ness.

**An ok album

“Kool Thing” is another one of those great Sonic Youth tracks you’ve heard on college radio that makes you think you’re gonna like them. Then you listen to the album…It’s not a good sign when you’re checking to see how much longer a 2 minute 20 second song is going to last. Whole lotta noise here posing, self-importantly, as art. 1.5 stars

They should have stayed underground.

One song was especially screamy, yuck. Most of the songs were ok punk rock.

A solid album from a solid band that loses over time. It's definitely not material for an album I needed to listen to and a part of me is glad that it is over. Especially the singing talents of all the three singers leaves a lot to be desired.

Just not really a fan

Overall Rating - 2.05/5 (4.10/10). Early 90s alt-noise rock. Not my jam.

Another one that perhaps needs the right mood. I loved Dirty Boots as the beginning track, but the grunge that follows is something fifteen year old me might have appreciated more. I hold Mildred Pierce responsible for ruining my morning. You know what’s crazy? On one of the songs I thought wow I do really like this, only to realise the album had ended and Spotify had started playing Incinerate from another album. Has my music taste mellowed out into preferring more melodicness? Perhaps. Sorry if I’ve lost my edge.

There’s… something here. But I don’t know why someone would want to listen to this.

Couldn't make it through. Cool sound, but pretty harsh. Maybe if I was in a different mood, I would like it, but it was stressing me out lol

I didn't find this interesting in the slightest but on the whole I wasn't deeply offended by it The main thing that got my attention was how shite the Goo song was. Oof

Not my jam

uninspiring & not highly listenable... I wanted better from sonic youth

"I stole my sister's boyfriend..." is much funnier if you were unaware that the singer was a woman

Not very catchy for a one-time listen and even for me a tad too much distortion...

I dont know what to think. They constantly sound to bored to sing but have this aggressive music under it. Not my style

Not good.

i didnt really like it that much but it was cool for the most part

Highlights: Dirty Boots, Kool Thing 2.4

After 5 albums, I finally got the one that has their only good song.

As a proud member of Gen X, there is simply too much Sonic Youth on this list. Fight me bro… (Could have stopped at Daydream Nation) 2⭐️

too much Sonic Youth on this list

It's okay, a bit noisy. Didn't really grab me but it may if I listen to it again.

Album got weaker as it went on. Dirty Boots was a strong start though. My friend Goo would have broke my ears if it was 30 seconds longer.

meh

just aint my style a few songs were just shouting voices and I'm not capable or rating an album higher than a 3 if some songs are just not it

the fact that time has shown them to be phonies, sellouts, and bullies wouldn't really matter if it was a good record, but even when i was 13 and idolized these guys, i knew this one was a stinker. cool cover art though.

Whether by design or a matter of engineering, instruments overwhelm vocals. IMO the instrumental technique is not all that sophisticated. The 90's angst...

2/5. This is an odd album that I think will clash with the average listener, but there's some gold here. It ping pongs from amazing to tiresome to obnoxious moments. It's really crazy how varied the sounds are. Some songs are pure noise with little artistry or thought behind them, and others show a real mastery over their instruments/production. Some vocals are absolute dynamite, and others are ugly and cringe inducing. Lyricism ranges from "why did you write this" to brilliant. It's just all over the place. It's a more artsy album than most will listen to, but I think it's worth a try. Ideally when you can sit down and truly focus on it — the amazing moments really are amazing, and you can overlook the painful and cringey stuff, albeit with effort.

The influence of Sonic Youth can be felt throughout the alt rock resurgence of the late 80’s and early 90’s. And this album only adds to that. The high water marker in Kool Thing.

I really was not in the right mood for this album all day. I can see some moments of appeal, but I hated the experience of listening to this album. I was feeling off kilter and messy all day, and this only made it worse! I may go back to listen another time. But man… it really made me worse.

2,5

Mycket instrumentalt, och buller och så vidare. Föll inte mig i smaken riktigt, hade lite svårt att lyssna. 4.5/10

did not enjoy the talking over background music. but i've heard more audibly offensive stuff

I've never consciously listened to Sonic Youth, I probably won't again. The guitars are pleasant enough but aside from that this is as interesting as my grandmother's wallpaper.

Almost good.

Talk about a band that could have been great but decided to instead use their studio time to record them screaming in my ear. There are glimpses of good music, but too much of it is long instrumental sections that overstay their welcome, talk singing, or outright shouting. 2/5

Better than I remembered. Back in the day, I only pretended to like this in order to seem cooler than I was. Being old is wonderfully liberating.

Standouts Kool Thing

Not bad music. Found the record to be a little boring. I'll have to give it a 2nd listen cause I feel asleep...

I can’t put my finger on whether I like them or not… I think it’s the vocals that makes it strange for me. 2.5 star

Meh

Decent enough background music while working. A little too sloppy and "artistic" for my taste to listen to in regular rotation. As so many of these albums they tend to all sound the same after awhile. Ehhh.

Not my thing

Much more bad than good…

The American equivalent of all that British wave/post-punk on this list: Overrepresented, and the relevance is often hard to fathom if you weren't there at the time. Another famous name I'd never really listened to before that I now have and have to file under "meh".

A little too hard again for my taste. So far whoever picked these must listen to albums definitely has a type of music they like... ;)

The vocals were ass, but I did enjoy the instrumentals. This gave vibes from a early 2000's skating or street racing video game.

Several guitars out of tune? Vocals out of tune? Other discordant instruments all played on top of each other? Clearly seminal music and among the greatest of all time. Please give me more 1:06 songs of random guitar noises so I can praise the artistic vision of this band's discography, which sounds just as awful as the rest of this album's 50 minutes of "genre defining" low talent garbage. It's really not impressive that this band sought to create "experimental" music by playing all of their instruments out of tune, and they deserve absolutely no credit for exploring a sound space that was already known to be unpleasant. This is why musicians study things like structure, rhythm, and melody - because people generally enjoy music with those elements in balance. People who want the contrary are welcome to this band's music, but the rest of us don't deserve to be subjected to it before our deaths.

I wish I was cool enough...

Noise-Rock, 1990 -> 2

Not my thing, won’t be coming back to it.

More overrated, atonal 90’s punk. A sad example of the progressive wing corrupting our corporate contempt. Don’t hate, won’t listen again.

I respect the achievements this album got but I don't care much for this.

would probably like it more at different time but couldn’t get into it today

Equally worse and better than expected. They had certain parts that sounded cool but never a full song imo. My anology is this... "The first fish that climbed out of the ocean to try walking on land was nowhere near as majestic as a dolphin or later a horse but was very important to the process. Sonic Youth is that blob fish that's necessary but not as good as what came before or after." I've even seen Sonic Youth and was bored haha.

Not my thing but this wasn’t too bad. 2.5

Goo-de gud

Yeah, one Sonic Youth album is plenty and there’s like 6 on the list. Maybe one song or two songs on here I could get into

Some good workout track, some screeching

The first half of the album was euphoric music, and the second half of the album was pointless noise Rick. Favorite Track: "Tunic(Song For Karen)".

I somehow thought I was going to like this Album but mostly I didn't enjoy it. too bad

Geile Gitarren Georgier Gesang

This is the fourth Sonic Youth album on this list that I have reviewed…can we be done with them now? The last album, Dirty, I actually kind of liked, but this one for the most part is dissonant noise. Two stars.

Decent enough rock.

I thought maybe, just maybe, this album had something going for it after the first couple of songs. Then it nosedived right into being monotonous, tone deaf noise. Mildred Pierce was the track that sent me over the edge. I understand that this is their art, but it is not for me. I will give it a star for a strong start and ok ending.

Predominantly a barrage of noise

Confirming that Sonic Youth and I still do not get along.

Can you tell the "Kool Thing" I'm not interested in bulldozer noise. 2/5

Nochmal hören

5/10 - not really my jam but I get it

Not sure about this really - there are a couple of decent tracks, more average stuff and then some dross. 2/5

Mal was Neues (für mich). Noise Rock. Knarzige Geräusche mit verstimmten Gitarren. Manchmal rockig, manchmal nervig. Auf Dauer aber letzteres.

Not as bad as I was expecting. I typically don’t like Sonic Youth but this one wasn’t terrible. Didn’t really like the long segments of just noise, but the actual music was decent. Standout Songs: Dirty Boots Kool Thing Disappearer

Meh.

I didn't really get much out of this. Energetic and trashy, but I know many people love that.

This was fine; not really anything to write home about. I don't think I'd listen to it again?

Really weird. Maybe I'm just not in the cool 90s kid target audience. Tracks to Track: Dirty Boots

2 decent songs and the rest crap. i have struggled with sonic youth since i was a kid. just don't get it

Oh, great, another Sonic Youth album. How thrilling. This one has the usual mix of half-baked experimentalism and intermittent flashes of catchy moments, but it’s mostly just business as usual for the band. At least "Dirty Boots" has a decent chord progression to latch onto, and "Disappearer" provides some pleasant indie rock vibes with its melodic guitar lines and a Lou Reed-ish vocal performance. But then there’s that stuff: "Tunic (Song for Karen)" — in which the band imagines Karen Carpenter in heaven, singing from her point of view. Creepy? Yeah, a little. "Kool Thing" might’ve been interesting if the dis track about LL Cool J weren’t so smug and grating. So, here we are again: another record that thinks it’s more profound than it is. Some good moments, sure, but too many indulgences.

Didn’t enjoy

No my favorite album. I feel like it sounded exactly like the last sonic youth album

Okay it is finally time for me to return to Sonic Youth to talk about my infamous hatred of Goo and how I will never understand why people go so crazy for it. Sonic Youth as a band is one that really perplexes me because they are so well renowned and yet so fucking snobby at the same time. Most of the songs here are either just fine or are barely good at that and I will stand on that point firmly. This is a pretty plain and generic Alt Rock album that doesn't offer anything to it of note other than some kick ass vocals from Kim Gordon and occasionally good guitar parts, but everything else feels so lacking for some reason. I don't know how this album managed to grow even further off me in the 3 years since I last heard this in full but that is truly impressive. I don't think I'll ever understand what people see in this album but I will gladly not sugarcoat my opinion just because others seem to rave about this project.

I like it. Very full on workout or driving music

So sick of the 90’s electric guitar

An energetic album, not really my style 2/5

Infinitely better than the other Sonic Youth album we've already had, E.V.O.L., but that really doesn't say much. Pretty unremarkable and had to skip through a couple songs as they were unlistenable.

There are some really long, drawn out instrumental sections that are just guitar screeching or feedback or just slightly unpleasant sounds near the end or middle or bridges of the songs. I really like the opening song Dirty Boots where it was more instrumental, the guy was singing. Don’t get me wrong I’m not sexist, but the female vocalist sucked imo because she just spoke and it was very obvious what the song title was because she would just say the title for the chorus and constantly remind us what the song is called through out with her talk singing.

Meh, there must be something I'm missing about Sonic Youth. Folks (usually around my age) rave about them, bands cite them as influences, but they just leave me cold. Maybe I'm in the wrong: I suck

I'm not sure how to feel about this one. The noisy guitars and general rawness is good... but the vocals just suck. Its either a disinterested woman singing or the whiney vocals of a man. Makes most songs a chore to get through, when it could be so much better. After 1989, I was really hoping for a decent palette cleanser. Interesting enough stuff here, just not well executed or relistenable.

Ugh, people talking in songs, tunic got on my nerves. The guitar stuff made me migraine worse. Mildred Pierce was trash. 2* Highlights: kool thing

Velvet Underground for the 90s. Can't deny the influence and "coolness" of this, but I would personally be bummed if any of this showed up on a playlist. Just not into the experience of listening to it.

Meh. 2/5

Not really my thing but Mote and Disappearer were good.

https://musicboard.app/supermyssk/review/album/goo/sonic-youth/

Forgettable punk / rock

Skrammel, dist å rundgång e coolt! Eller? Kanske 1990, men idag? Blev aldrig av att på riktigt lyssnade på Sonic Youth på 90-talet (eller 80-talet) trots att de borde ha passat som fod i hose. Nu vet jag inte riktigt? Det indierockas på men blir sällan intressant. Låtmaterial är helt enkelt för svagt. Har säkert varit en viktig inspirationskälla för många indieband som blev mycket bättre. Men för min del räcker det inte till. Felas 2:a var stark. Denna rör sig i andra ändan av skalan.

Noise for noise sake. I liked the guitar parts only a little bit, but the lyrics really turned this down for me. 2/5. I can see the vision but it just doesnt land in any capacity.

Goo is all over the place. Off key singing (intentional or just bad?) on a few numbers. Weak rhymes and noise on a few others. Album would be improved if they cut Mildred Pierce, Scooter And Jinx, and the last four minutes of Mote (which is the best cut on the album.) The Song For Karen Carpenter helps get Goo on the 1001 Must Hear List. And is well timed since we just heard from her. This one comes in at (2.1*s) Goo smells P.U.

Never really gave this band a chance and still probably won't after listening to Goo. Half the album is alright, other half is a bit of a hap-hazard noise fest. I liked the first and last tracks...middle was uninspiring. Not the worst record but skippable. 2.03 stars.

listenable.

I really like some of the songs further in the album, but so many of them left no impact for me.

Drittes Album von denen, dritte Enttäuschung. Ich kann mich jetzt nicht mehr so richtig an die anderen beiden Alben erinnern, die schon dran waren, aber das hier scheint mir etwas besser zu gefallen. Trotzdem habe ich mir oft gewünscht, dass es hoffentlich bald endet. 2 – Respektiere ich, aber nicht meins 🤷‍♂️ Ich sehe, warum das Album wichtig ist oder geschätzt wird, aber es hat mich nicht gepackt.

Did not like it very much

I feel pressured to like Sonic Youth...but I just can't.

Still not into Sonic Youth. Maybe if Kim Gordon sang every song I’d be more into them?

I can respect the history and influence here, but I think I’m officially too old for this kind of energy. The fuzzy, feedback-heavy wall of sound feels less like rebellious noise and more like someone parked a lawnmower in my living room. There are flashes of cool, dissonant genius, but they get buried under chaos. After a while, it stops feeling edgy and starts feeling exhausting. If this is youthful anarchy, I’ll be over here drinking tea in peace.

Not my cuppa, others may enjoy it.

American Alternative/ Noise Rock. I liked the opening track "Dirty Boots", but the rest of the album is meh.

2.5/5 idk I can appreciate this but I don't love any songs and I don't like most of them. Overall it was fine but I had to skip the second half of 'Mote'. I definitely preferred the songs the woman "sang" and I enjoyed some of the playful lyrics. Interestingly, i think my fav was 'Disappearer'.

Not great

‘‘Twas a bad day to have ears.

Sonic Youth, perswoonlijk nooit van gehoord. Maar 90s rock ligt mij over het algemeen wel, dus ik doe dit top moeten vinden. Eerste nummer is iig erg lekker. Nummer 2 en 3 helaas wat minder voor mijn smaak. 2e nummer is erg emo. Nummer 3 gaat meer richting punkrock. Nee, ik kan tijdens het 6e nummer de conclusie trekken dat dit zeer slecht uitgevoerde engelse punk is. Jammer. Erger mij dood zo op de zondagavond. Nee, dit is echt drerrie. Veel herrie, weinig kwaliteit, veel ergernis. 2 voor de moeite.

Favorite songs: Mary-Christ, Dirty Boots Least favorite songs: Mote, Scooter and Jinx, Mildred Pierce 2/5

Meh punk

Usually this is the kind of album I would like but this just felt like noise

Really not our vibe. Slightly screechy and unpleasant at times.

I've now heard a fair few Sonic Youth albums of the back of the list and none of them have impressed me. An overrated band.

5 Sonic Youth albums you need to listen to before you die!? Surely that number can go down? Not bad, but not my thing. To quote everyone's dad, "It's just a load of noisy guitars."

Really front-loaded Sonic Youth here. Feel like I’m one album short of a certificate. Again, great snatches of sound, but the song format manages to detract from the experience. Therefore a definitively awful album? How about no singing at all? My Need for Speed play would be off the charts.

I am not a sonic youth, that’s for sure.

Hmmm, not sure what to think, 2/5

Better than earlier Sonic Youth albums by a mile, but that really isn't saying much. A couple solid singles but a lot of unpleasant noise tracks that detract from the more mainstream songs. Top tracks: Dirty Boots, Kool Thing

disappointing, felt experimental for the sake of being experimental

#358 on Rolling Stones top 500 of all time????? Why? This sounds like every British 80s album on this list, despite Sonic Youth being American.

Meh, no es mi tipo

The only other Sonic Youth album I've listened to at this point is Daydream Nation which I gave a 5. The magic of that album is diluted here, a lot of the songs feel like grunge songs with noise piped on top instead of emergent structures built from the noise while Kim or Thurston mutters at you, which is much more my jam. I really liked Mildred Pierce and Tunic though.

I want to like it, but I don't

i liked the guitar at the beginning of Dirty boots, then it was mostly downhill from there

Noisy alt-rock. What's not to like?

if the last one was forgettable, I dont even remember the song i finished listening to 2 minutes ago

Not for me. Just a bit odd, idk

It’s not bad when it gets out of its own ass. Feels like a band trying so hard not to care that it ends up being obvious they care a lot. Most of it felt like effort disguised as disinterest, but “My Friend Goo” hit the punk note, and “Mildred Pierce” almost worked before they wrecked it. “Titanium Exposé” closed things out better than expected.

I never know what to say about this sort of album - it really should be my sort of thing, but it kinda leaves me cold.

I’ve thought some youth songs are pretty good but this was really discordant and bad

Album everyone expects me to love because I love 90s alt rock but, no.

There is a part in Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant where he has the audience sing the chorus and when they finish he says "that was horrible" and that's my thought about Goo by Sonic Youth, but in Arlo Guthrie's voice.

Ugh. I mean I guess, you know?

*Sigh*...This did very little for me. Someone told me recently to listen to the lyrics less, which was easy to do with this album. Unfortunately the surrounding din did little to make this an enjoyable experience. A whole point more than Sex Pistols feels generous, but hey it's Friday.

A lot of this album is in the "noise" category

Not a fan of the sonic youths. Quite boring

Didn't do it for me.

I like the first song

Seemed like the cool kids liked Sonic Youth when I was in middle school so I listened to them then and remember thinking that being cool sucks and I was right.

Well, they’re certainly sonic, I’ll give them that. Youth is a bit of a stretch though when they were mostly in their mid to late thirties. I think at that point, they really should have considered renaming the band, maybe to Sonic Tricenarians or something. I genuinely can’t imagine why anyone would like this kind of music. I get that music journalists had to pretend to in order to appear current, and that angsty teens wanting to appear edgy and cool lied to themselves about how good it was, but who actually listens to this and thinks “ooh a lovely bit of nails on chalkboard, what a delight for my earholes”?

Not for me. Didn’t completely hate it though

Screeds of guitar noise which didn’t quite resonate. A single listen probably has not done it justice I think I need to listen again but it didn’t capture me though I feel there is more to it.

no me gustó mucho lamentablemente pero gran tapa 😃

So trendy