Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Every time I hear an album by Sonic Youth, I find it contains at least two or three aspects to it that are really cool. And, amidst the sturm und drang, there's a band that really rocks. They've got some sick guitar tones! Sonic Youth have been one of my favourite 'finds' on this app, and EVOL burnishes their credentials further.
Good stuff
Violence är jättebra. Låt nr 2 också. Lite jobbiga gitarrer på In The Kingdom men på det stora hela så är det bra. Death To Our Friends är toppenbra. Madonna, Sean and Me också. Jag är nöjd.
Börjar riktigt bra tycker jag, gillar både Tom violence och Shadow of a doubt. Kul också med den alternerande sången (tjejen är bäst). Nästkommande Starpower tycker jag är okej men lite svagare, vilket känns märkligt då det är den enda singeln. Därefter kommer ett alldeles för långt och ganska jobbigt skit (för det är ju inte en låt), det hade man kunnat klara sig utan. Green light är åt det svagare hållet, följd av Death to our friends som är rätt bra och har ett härligt driv, men inte riktigt står på egna ben som endast instrumentell. Gillar andra halvan av Secret girl och tycker Marilyn Moore var rätt cool i sin stökighet. Madonna etc börjar lite oväntat rätt konventionellt rockigt och riktigt bra, för att därefter stökas till på ett lite mindre bra sätt. Den hade gärna kunnat få fortgå som en började. Sista låten är helt okej utan att sticka ut. Sammanfattningsvis kul lyssning och annorlunda sound som innehöll några guldkorn. Svag fyra på totalen.
Really cool album, interesting listening to this after the more modern post-rock bands such as GY!BE - can really see where they draw some influence from.
I respect Sonic Youth more than I enjoy their music.
Ok, arguably these guys didn’t necessarily do anything that The Velvets hadn’t already done. However, nobody quite took the intersection of art & noise quite to the place they did, and never with such dizzying effect. I don’t think this one is as complete as Sister or Daydream Nation, but it’s a lovely record of a band beginning to coalesce.
It grows on you, nice soundscapes throughout.
Good stuff
This feels like that classic third album moment where a band either fades away, or purifies their sound into something great than the sum of their influences (ie Damn The Torpedoes, OK Computer, arguably what happened more recently with Blue Rev). EVOL is up there with Sonic Youth's very best work. It's where the signal emerged through the noise.
A nurtured, tamed noise Droning voice screeching guitars Odd, uniquely primal
ну это кайф
I LOVEEVOL!
Probably a 3.5; enjoyable but nothing stellar. Good listen.
I liked this better than the other Sonic Yourh Album. Not totally my style, but I liked the emptiness.
Surprising good
Aside from Daydream Nation, I think this is my favorite sonic youth album on this list so far. It was a perfect balance of their no wave experimental stuff and their more mainstream later stuff that really worked for me. The first two tracks were my favorite and while the second half of the album wasn't quite as interesting, it was still fun.
4.0
favourite song: in the kingdom #19 oh these guys are cool cool
Dark and depressing
Bastante inmersivo, post punk.
I think, on the whole, I enjoyed this more than I didn't. There were some parts that were difficult, others where it clicked. It feels like an album that would improve upon repeated listens.
Best songs here are Starpower and Expressway to Yr Skull (aka Madonna, Sean and Me). The whole album is good though. Giving it a 4, because there are SY albums I like more, but it's a pretty strong 4.
On dirait que les albums que j'aime le plus de Sonic Youth sont ceux qui sont généralement moins populaire. À date c'est clairement celui j'ai le plus aimé. J'adore son côté très post-punk gothique, limite expérimental par moment. Un album qui a vraiment un bon flux d'une chanson à l'autre avec une très belle production. Quelques pièces qui étaient un peu plus effacées mais généralement un album solide. 8.5/10
Evil? Evolution? Either could be used to describe the dissonant sound of this album that finds Sonic Youth applying their no wave roots to a form that will develop into their own unique sound of rock. Cacophonous, but masters of their craft Sonic Youth never lose control or slip into the random. It’s organized, thoughtful chaos and noisiness. Very creative rock, with a unique guitar duo aiming for texture as much as riffs. A simple, driving, almost primal sounding rhythm section supports the guitar assault. Songs involved periods of quieter ambiance and crescendoing power. Album closer, “Expressway to Yr Skull” is SY at the top of their form and one of the best songs across their career.
Looking forward to listenting to Goo but this is the second Sonic Youth album i have listened to on the list ( Daydream Nation was the first one) but one thing i can say: they are consistent if nothing else. Solid record, great sound.
Can't complain about SY
Not listened to much before but this was good
Kind of a dark, abstract sound. Some reviews peg Sonic Youth as masters of experimental noise rock, and that is probably the best way to explain them in simplest terms. Hard to believe this album is from 1986. In that context, this album was most likely swimming upstream in the current of hair/glam rock dominant at the time. E.V.O.L. seems like music that your friend's cool older brother/sister who was in college would have listened to. Sonic Youth should get more credit than it seems they do for pioneering work in the grunge/alternative genre. Definitely different and for that, this album gets 4 stars.
For ‘86, this is pretty great. It’s impressive that they found their sound at a time when few artists were doing anything like this. It’s real college radio, zine culture and mix tape music. Kim Gordon is ridiculously cool. Shadow of a Doubt is great. No one learned from Throbbing Gristle better than Sonic Youth. This is how you make noise rock into music. It wanders, but never strays. It’s never too noisy or too much. Everything is where it’s supposed to be. There’s plenty of room for experimentation and flourishes for live shows. Very clearly influential. This inspired a thousand garage bands. Lots of innovation, very unique, very authentic and thoughtful. Much better than I expected. Definitely deserves a place on this list.
Hard alt rock from the 80s. What's not to like?
Eerste drie nummers waren erg goed, echter daarna beetje mood switch door de ruis. Verder wel solid
Lekker plaatje van Sonic Youth. Ik ben meer bekend met de wat latere albums, maar dit is blijkbaar het eerste waarop hun herkenbare sound naar voren komt. Helemaal prima.
A really good album but not in their top 3. I dont know if Im hallucinating or not but I can hear a little bit of joy division influence on this one. Really noisy and well made record
Good album. It verges on experimentation, but sometimes the instrumentals drag on for too long. 4.0/5 Favorite: “Bubblegum” Least Fav: “Death to Our Friends”
This album just reads to me like a lesser Sister. That isn't to say this is a bad album, but I feel like the sense of dread they are trying to portray here doesn't come off as anti-establishment-y as one would hope, and instead can feel aimless. However, when this album does decide to rock out, it rocks out pretty hard! I love the guitar here, which is the case with all Sonic Youth projects, and the more often whispery voices are a cool change of pace compared to the louder sounds on some of their bigger releases. I see this as an interesting step in the band's catalogue, as well as a necessary one, but you can do better Sonic Youth-wise. You can do much worse in the music-as-a-whole department, though.
7/10
I really like the fuzzy goth shoegazer like tracks on this a lot. So much 90's came from this band. Really good album but doesn't have the highs of say Daydream Nation.
I really like this record. The sound is roughed in and to polish it would have ruined it because it supports the Moore/Gordon vocals perfectly.
I've been enjoying the Sonic Youth records more then I was expecting.
I don't like this as much as their best records, but it's a solid one. I like Sonic Youth.
Great noise
shadow of a doubt starpower in the kingdom #19 secret girl bubble gum
3.5/5
It's short, but it sure ain't sweet. As a person who enjoys Sonic Youth and has enjoyed them well before starting this album generator project, I like listening to this album. Tom Violence is a favourite and standout track for me. But is this album the best reflection or representation of Sonic Youth as artists and musicians? No. It's still hard to imagine that this came out in 1986 though, damn. They really were innovators leagues ahead of their time. I'll always tip my cap to the outcast misunderstood weirdoes who buck the norms and find their own ways to be themselves against the grain of societal expectations. Well done, chums. I'm glad you exist and I'm grateful for the tremendous influence you've had on modern music.
So Many Cool and Interesting Sounds. This felt ahead of its time while not simply being noise. Of course, if I didn't have 2023 sensibilities, maybe this is just noise.
Before starting this project, I was not very familiar with sonic youth, but after listening to their albums, I have become a bit of a fan. My favourite album is sister, which I think is their masterpiece. I have also explored their 90s albums like goo and dirty, but I never listened to their earlier works like EVOL. So I was curious to hear how they sounded before they became more popular and polished. EVOL is a dark and twisted album that blends noise and pop in a unique way. It sounds like the soundtrack to a nightmare, full of distorted guitars, eerie vocals, and creepy lyrics. The album is inspired by various aspects of American culture, such as Marilyn Monroe, Charles Manson, The Great Gatsby, and Alfred Hitchcock. It also shows the influence of the West Coast punk scene, where sonic youth recorded the album with SST Records. Some of the songs that stand out for me are “Tom Violence”, which opens the album with a menacing riff and a catchy chorus; “Expressway to Yr Skull”, which is a 7-minute epic that builds up to a chaotic climax; and “Shadow of a Doubt”, which is a haunting ballad that features Kim Gordon whispering over a sparse melody. I also like the instrumental tracks “In the Kingdom #19” and “Marilyn Moore”, which add some variety and texture to the album. EVOL is not as flawless or consistent as sister or daydream nation, but it is still a great album that deserves to be heard. It shows sonic youth experimenting with their sound and style, and creating something original and influential. It is one of the best albums of the 80s, and one of the 1001 albums to listen to before you die. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
4/5
Maybe not an essential Sonic Youth album, but still very good.
Albumas neprailgo. Nesakyčiau kad geriausias jų albumas, bet vietomis tikrai pajaučiau ką norėta iš šios muzikos išspausti. 3.5/5.
4+/5
Noisey art punk. Great stuff. Need to spend more time with the band, always.
Good angsty shoe gaze
Another winner here from Sonic Youth. I hear Saucer Full of Secrets Floyd throughout and couldn't have enjoyed it more. This list has brought this band to light for me.
Within Sonic Youth's discography, EVOL and Sister were described to me as companion albums: two sides of the same coin. EVOL is the more challenging of the two, as it carries on the no wave and experimental roots of the band. EVOL sees Sonic Youth sharpen their noise rock songwriting without getting too "scary". Well-paced tracklist, standout songs, and overall cohesive tone means you've got a bonafide classic on your hands. More, please!
Rock sucio y guitarrero con buenas melodías. Riff vigorosos
Some stuff on here I really liked
I like Sonic Youth, but this is even darker than I'm used to from them. Very raw, gothic stuff. It might be the earliest material I've heard of theirs, and it's neat to see where they got their start. They sound as though they've always been cool, but they do get even cooler.
An inflection point for a band on the verge of greatness, a too-cool-for-school drink of water that leaves you quenched yet still Thurston for Moore.
Ah love to see it this one doesn't appear very often in online music nerd type areas though it is far from being the most underrated album out there. This record, in terms of post punk/ noise rock has one of the most distinguished yet simple sounds and moods of any album in its category. Took a long time to like this one but a bit of a favorite now
vraiment pas mal
Some of my favorite stuff by Sonic Youth. Very post-punk adjacent; dissonant not unlike Swell Map’s “Jane from Occupied Europe,” but a bit less noisy.
4. I like!
First few cuts are much better than the balance, but this is gritty tough urban art rock at its finest, but certainly not at its noisiest or most discordant.
Cool stuff! - 4 stars
I listened to this the same day as Siouxsie and the Banshees for continuity after missing a bunch of albums. It's great to see how they took the same dramatic post-punk and refined it into a more well thought-out album with their own spin. Album definitely has a lot of attitude that is kept pretty minimal at times but breaks through to intense bits. Great, if not strange song writing
One of the SY albums I know quite well. Excellent stuff. Highlights tom violence, starpower, death to our friends, and obviously expressway. Cracking cover too
I'm getting more and more into Sonic Youth and I thought this was fantastic. They're a very iconic band with an iconic style. Like no other I reckon
Good stuff. Can't say I ever find myself wanting to go and listen to Sonic Youth but when I do I really enjoy it
They don't sound nearly as radical now as they did when they first recorded. I guess the rest of the world caught up with them.
Solid album with lots of interesting ideas, but it did not resonate with me enough for full marks.
3.5/5
Moody, noisy, electric. Right up my alley and though it was a sunny day I nestled into a funk as I walked the streets and imagined that I was more intellectually stimulated than anybody else and that only I could sense the vague darkness of the human soul despite it being the focus of the art that millions of other nerds enjoy. The more straightforward garage punky tracks lost me. Fave track: Tom Violence
4.3 - If “Daydream Nation” feels like flying through a mountain range of an inhospitable planet, this record feels like exploring its dank subterranean caves. Guitar sounds like I’ve never heard.
I liked it much more than I thought I would.
Sonic Youth has always been a tough one for me to crack…but this might just be my ticket in. The explorations between noise, harmony, and tone are so unique. In no two places do they sound alike, yet they all fit together seamlessly. “Shadow of a Doubt” and “Expressway to Yr Skull” are stunning. Cinematic is right, Jacob. “Starpower” too. Cool to see Mike Watt of Minutemen play on a few tracks and to hear that his time with Sonic Youth is what inspired him to form fIREhOSE, his second act in music following D. Boon’s passing. Also cool to hear Sonic Youth developing their sound here. I had listened once before to their album before this, Bad Moon Rising, and really thought it wasn’t very good. I can’t remember much about it except that it was goth-y and, like, shoe-gaze-y but completely devoid of harmony which isn’t a great combination. But on EVOL, you can hear Sonic Youth adapting and establishing a slacker-ed, grunge-y, and poppier sound without sacrificing any of their previous work’s bite, darkness, or political intent. It’s a sound whose legacy would be a beacon to indie/alt bands of the whole next decade to come. And that would throttle a few of those bands to overwhelming success. It really feels like that all started here, with EVOL.
Somehow I missed Sonic Youth when growing up and listening to all sorts of rock and indie 'from the past'. Noisy and dark. I enjoyed the second half of the album more Saved tracks: Shadow Of A Doubt, Marilyn Moore, Bubblegum
Une atmosphère à la fois lourde et aérienne, des voix qui ne prennent pas toute la place. J'aime beaucoup
This one was enjoyable. It does seem somewhat unfinished to me - feels like they *almost* found the sound they were shooting for. none of the songs captured my interest individually, but I like the sound of the album as a whole. good one for rainy days. nothing added, but i could see myself listening again in the right mood 6.5/10
This is the sound of a menacing truck mercilessly tracking you down with no explanation at all. It's the increasing anxiety as the thundering engine gets closer and closer, pushing you deeper into despair. It's Duel (1971) by Spielberg.
The first truly evol record in the Sonic Youth discography. EVOL is gritty, discordant, eerie - but most of at it’s dark. It’s just really, really dark. And Kim Gordon is standing at the center of it all omitting a strange, seductive light. I believe Ranaldo to be a genius and one of the most innovative rock guitarists in the game, but he comes close to bring Side A to a full stop with his only lead song on the album, “In the Kingdom #19”. Luckily Sonic Youth picks it up again on Side B and ends on a high with “Expressway To Yr. Skull”. This right here is where Sonic Youth embarked on their road to greatness.
I had to listen again to be sure, I was thinking “Did I really like that?” I did. 4 stars
(and to my ears thoroughly distinctive original) and surprisingly resonant sound and use of strings and percussion, (there is an Eastern influence somehow?) and whatever it's called when harmonies echoes and overlap happily. Needs a room, and the echo of a student share house without furniture, loose drapes, incense, and ....
- Listened to Sonic Youth albums before, just not this one - Should've gone further into their discog years ago, this is great - Fav songs: Starpower, Death to our Friends; Madonna, Sean and Me
The noisy (beautiful) mess that was before that part of Sonic Youth's music went from art rock to what was to become the main stream.
Too compressed to be grand, the sound tempts me to call Sonic Youth's post-punk less than perfectly pessimistic. But if anything the band goes too dark, if not in the ways I expected. Fearsome breadth on display, despite the palette and the length.
Blassique
definitely a sonic youth album. this is my first experience with the band and its pretty good, but i do expect better things with the other albums.
a little bit dark, modern according to the age, experimental guitars are good and they are experts on that.
U samo 2-3 godine, postali su mi jedan od neizbježnih, najdražih i najkvalitetnijih bendova. Definitivno u top 3. Cijela diskografija se sluša, svaki drugi dan mi se neki drugi album sluša. Ovo su zadnji otkucaji tog starog zvuka no wave/post-punk/noise rocka kojeg su se držali u početku. Onda su prešli na lakšiji zvuk, ali opet...ima to svoju priču, valja samo poslušati. Najbolje poslušati po noći, jer ima misteriozan, atmosferičan i mračan ambijent koji je odlično odrađen. Nije u top 5? Ja bar mislim, morao bih se nekako malo zbrojiti i oduzeti i ponovno proći diskografiju <3.
Havent listened to this one in years, great weird album
One of the less challenging Sonic Youth albums, that's for sure!
I really like the previous albums, especially Bad Moon Rising, but this is the first album that really hinted at the greatness to come.
i don't know it this is a thing, but to me this is drone-rock personified. Everything about drones....the vocals (especially Kim Gordon's), the guitars, the arrangements. It all proceeds in a beautiful, compelling, noisy, disonnant drone that just fits together and works. It doesn't have that one signature track like Goo and Daydream nation and even Sister has have but its a compelling and homogonous listen that pulls the listener in. 4 stars
Not my preferred style, but great album and ahead of it's time
Didn’t know them and liked how experimenting their music feels
Not my favorite Sonic Youth album by a stretch, but it's definitely an interesting listen with some bangers. 3.5 rounded up because I'm biased.
Very good, and very odd. If I was born ten years earlier, I would probably have loved this band growing up, but as it is I love the (many, many) bands they influenced.
Pretty great, bracing, some sounds like Pink Floyd, some like Bowie, all entertaining.
Cool sound, I'm digging deeper into them.
Slips in with a characteristic droning sound though I've never heard it before. Immediately like the downbeat vibes. Second track lightens up and then Kim Gordon starts whispering to me. I feel like I could listen to her voice in conversation for about 100 years. Everything about it I like, even when she's screaming or just falling apart a la, "Can I have the car keys.. I wanna go for a ride" on Drive which is an absolute turn it up to 11 favorite from the album Dirty. Shadow of a Doubt is sweet with just a little hint of chaos. Starpower is really good. Gordon is kind of singing around you, not to you on this one. In The Kingdom sounds like a less-deep-fried Southern Culture on the Skids. A big bad voodoo Cadillac headed right for the edge of the cliff and we're just gonna go ahead and keep the gas all the f*****g way down. Secret Girl is like a haunted house and someone is playing a toy piano in the attic. You're not gonna hear this kind of music anywhere else but in a SY album. Just so singular and authentic. Minor chords, crisp high hat, far away singing, heavy heavy guitars, and all manner of unexpected chaos. Can't be a 5, but I absolutely love it. Gorgeous.
Kinda grimy and noisy, mostly in a good way. I can definitely enjoy this when I'm in the right mood for it.
Huikeeta ja takuuvarmaa SY-tunnelmaa taas. Ei bändin ihan parhaita, mutta täpärä 4 silti.
The more I listen to Sonic Youth, the more I don't understand what Sonic Youth is. Are they a band? Is this all just a figment of my imagination? Did the Moon landing happen or was it all just gremlinoid CGI? Some songs on this album sound like Slowdive's Souvlaki, some remind me of crazy-ass post rock like GY!BE or Swans (Sidenote, I'm not a big fan of post-rock, but there's a serious lack of it on this list in general.. like, not even "Soundtracks for the Blind", really?) and then there's some random pop punk songs thrown in for good measure. It's crazy, it's kooky, dare I say it, it even may be a little bit bonkers. Four stars out of five. One star for each gremlin.
Cool
rnr
Dirgey in the best possible way… they’re albums really do take you on a journey. Melody and song smithery aren’t lacking either. Just what you’d expect from SY!
My second album from Sonic Youth, and overall I think I think I might like it better than 'Goo,' which is probably a controversial statement. It's some solid punk rock music that's not obnoxious or too in your face. 'Goo' was very different, and I can't help but compare this album to it. I liked a lot of the softer lyrical stuff on this album.
Hermoso.
Evol is a milestone in the band's history, although the album is less profound and disturbing and more traditional rock, the sound contains the essence of two decades of music of moral decay. (7/10) FT: Shadow of a Doubt
Not as memorable as Goo, but pretty solid. 7/10
Incredible album. Top 3? Sonic Youth album. 8/10
this is by no means one of the best sonic youth albums, however its infinitely better than 50% of this list.
Wow. This album has almost as many high points as SHACK has nonced kids today. He has a different meaning for sonic youth.
Not one of their best but its Sonic Youth so of course its good
Loved it
Dope
A raucous at times dissonant soundscape, I love it, but wouldn't put it above some other cleaner more tightly put together music
Nice sounds.
Actually pretty chill to listen to as I worked
EVOL is the start of the top years of Sonic Youth. Great post-punk and noise, soundscapes with distorted and detuned, screeching guitar noises. A bit darker atmosphere than on their later albums.
Este disco ni en pedo es para cuando estas bajón porque te tiras abajo del bondi. NO PARA CUANDO ESTAMOS EN UN CONFINAMIENTO DE UNA PANDEMIA. pero me gusta la banda 4 efes
Noisy, tense post-punk indie rock. While it isn't their masterpiece that would come 2 years later, you do hear many of the foundations of that album being explored and distilled. Energetic, often angry and yet melodic vocals and hooks being buried beneath walls of sound. It's no wonder Sonic Youth often distills that gap between Black Flag and all the 90s indie rock bands that followed suit in my mind. They angrily and yet with a delicate pop touch thrashed the path forward.
Sort of strange. Sounds like a mix of alternative rock and dark ambient music. I liked it.
This album is dope. Way more low-key and less scream-y than I expected it to be. Its nervous energy matches my own fevered work pitch.
Much better and more raw than Daydream Nation, and a magnificent composition rocking through
Some good tracks on here, but overall, it's not my sound.
This album sounds fresh, as if it could have been released yesterday. The themes and anxiety feel contemporary still, even apt for the current moment.
I loved this but only because I was in the mood to get freaked out.
Need to get into more sonic youth
Earlier than most of the Sonic Youth music I've listened to. Favorite track: Shadow Of A Doubt
Ah, so this is it. No more Sonic Youth albums. Ever. I wonder if it felt this good when the Israelites were freed from Egypt.
It was ok
Tom Violence is a good start. Kim Deal has kind of a sexy voice. In the Kingdom #19 sucks. I just can't get into these guys. Madonna, Sean, and Me (Death to the Oxford comma!) sounds like something I can't place, not something I like necessarily, but something familiar. It's going to drive me crazy.
not my thang /listen to the rest
It’s ok.
Ok'ish for this set of senior ears, but I wouldn't rush out to buy the album. I liked Bubble Gum ☺️
Palateable Sonic Youth Album. Quietly it could even be played in the shop.
Es markiert den Moment, in dem die Band ihren Lärm bändigt und erstmals echte Songformen andeutet. Der Sound ist kühl, kantig, atmosphärisch – aber nicht immer nachhaltig. Vieles wirkt wie ein spannender Übergangszustand: interessant, gut gemacht, doch selten wirklich einprägsam.
Good! This is a high 3 for sure but it just wasn't hitting 4 for me
I liked it and it broke up my monotonous day and my slight listening fatigue
Sonic Youth have always been a bit of a blind spot for me... there was a few songs i rly enjoyed and some very interesting sounds but also it was a bit of a racket....
I give you the Green Light to tell your Secret Girl to listen to this album.
Sonic Youth excels at creating soundscapes. From time to time the song writing meshes well, but this release didn't seem to have that pairing.
Really torn on the rating for this one. I prefer sonic youth when they got a little more melodic, but this is a great album. It just goes a little too far into noise rock and I peter out listening to it after awhile.
Another SY album. Again, same as the last couple, not bad, and can see the influence on later bands. Just fairly dull really. The fact there's another 3 albums on this list staggers me. One or two is more than enough to get a feeling for them really.
Not terrible. But while I don’t mind noise in service of a concept, too much of the time this sounds like amorphous goo.
Good album. Reminds me of the Cure, but more pissed off. A few songs that the vocal performance was underwhelming, though.
Not bad, not sure what I was expecting. Kinda just fills my ears with music goo without really moving me.
Not the most interesting thing ever, I didn't really find it bad though. It's a fine album. It's the first by then I've gotten, so maybe they'll get more annoying down the line.
Not a big sonic youth guy, this didn’t really change that
I really like Sonic Youth, but there's nothing here which would lead me to make this a must listen. I liked listening, but this seems to be 55% feedback. Maybe a 2.5 for me but bumping.
My least favorite so far
Kul med detta efter Sebadoh. Tycker det finns mer här. Mer av allt bra, mindre av allt dåligt.
Había escuchado hablar de Sonic Youth pero nunca los había escuchado. Suenan bien pero no es de mi agrado, como un rock punk underground
Tom Violence Is A Dream 1001 Albums Generator 296 (5/21/2026) E.V.O.L. is at its best when it leans into the noisy, gothic indie sound that the first half is predicated on. The experiments that fill much of the tracklist in the second half are not nearly as good. Although, I actually like the punk poetry that's happening on In The Kingdom #9 and the instrumental behind it is super interesting, but I don't see myself listening to it outside of context. 3.5/5, rounded down to 3. Favs: Tom Violence Starpower Death to Our Friends Least Fav: Secret Girl
first listen ew
Soms enerverend, soms rustgevend, verwarrend
Better than their others and by that i mean shorter
3/5 Liked some of the songs but there wasn't anything that really stood out to me in the album. Favorite Song: Bubblegum or Tom Violence
First 3 tracks are outstanding. The rest doesn't really work and is too experimental but it shows how good they are when they stick to mainstream rock writing.
I was excited to listen to "E.V.O.L." because Sonic Youth also made "Goo". Sadly, "E.V.O.L" didn't have a lot of SY's classic noise in most tracks. It's closer to Bauhaus than Sonic Youth's other albums. "Starpower" makes good use of "E.V.O.L."'s sound; more tracks should've reached its standard. Luckily, subsequent albums by Sonic Youth would get better. 3 stars for "E.V.O.L.".
Double sonic youth albums! Pretty different to dirty, more experimental and out there. Did not enjoy it as much, but bits were good. I seem to be a more of a fan of daydream nation onwards judging by my scores of the 5 albums (!) we've had Still 3
nao gostei mt, prefiro aquele q acapa é um desenho com eles no carro
Good album. Great sound and experimentation. 3,7
I like that you can actually hear the words, but otherwise just moody noise rock
Very moody. Not my type of music but not awful.
Buen disco. Rock mas pesado de lo que disfruto, pero tiene buenos temas
Good
Spooky Halloween vibes!! I had no idea what to expect from this and it surprised me, both in good and bad ways. Ultimately, I didn’t love this, but I could tell that it’s iconic.
Self-absorbed, and the music is just good enough for them to have the right to do so
Not the best sonic youth. Not very memorable. 3/5
an ok punk/new wave album. Nothing to dislike but at the same time nothing that makes me want to listen again, nor am I interested in buying this album
This album makes me feel like I'm at an open mic night having to listen to loads of dramatic (and kind of shitty) poetry. I can imagine them sitting around with little notebooks brainstorming about the Manson family and Hitchcock films and quotes from Ulysses. And how proud they would have been to call it Love backwards. It's all a little too pretentious for me. That being said musically I like it more than the other Sonic Youth albums I've rated. Favourite song: Tom Violence Least: Starpower
Noisy, harsh, not that bad🤹🏿
It’s dissonant madness and I’m kinda okay with it.
Sonic Youth going post rock... I guess I like this album the most
alright
T’nod evol.
g.n.i.r.o.b.
Meh, it was ok.
5/10 Best songs: Starpower, In the Kingdom #19 My first of the 5 Sonic Youth albums, EVOL sounds very garage rock in that sort of unformed, glimpses of brilliance but not quite there kind of way. Ultimately it probably doesn't belong on this list, but I do think it's interesting but not amazing.
Noisey, punkey, shoegazey. I can appreciate the roots of other genres here, but don't particularly care for this album.
I like it - but it’s not a strong as the other three albums I’ve listened to from the book, Sister, Goo and Daydream Nation.
Atmospheric and moody not someone I have a lot of prior knowledge of so was intrigued to give it a spin, enjoyed it. A proper musos album I reckon
it was fine, but probably not the best intro to sonic youth.
That feels like a lot of Sonic Youth now. Maybe a 3 so I don't have to think too hard about if I like it or not.
Like
I think the slow, ambient lo-fi bits slowed this album down to the point that when the crescendos finally came they felt overdue. I know that is probably the point of Sonic Youth, the tension, the emotion, and seeing them live or in their prime would probably be pretty epic but something about this album quietly playing over my car stereo on my commute to work didn't hit the way it was intended.
Yoof go noise-goth and it's pretty darn good
sin más
This was alright. I listened to it and hummed along, but didn't really love anything about it. Three stars.
I hadn't listened to Evol before, but I've listened to Sonic Youth's most acclaimed albums. This one fits right in, which is both a compliment and a complaint. Whenever I put on Daydream Nation, I often find myself thinking 'This is really, really good! Better than I remember'... and then they get to a 1-2 minute stretch where the melody just evaporates. Evol is no different. There are genuine melodic moments here, but they keep getting buried under waves of noise. Rolling Stone ranked this the 30th greatest punk album of all time, and the noise is supposedly the point, a rejection of shiny pop culture. But the Ramones were abrasive and confrontational through melody and energy, not by abandoning them. So were the Clash. If rejecting polished pop was the goal, a three-minute song with hooks did that just as effectively and more people could actually engage with it.
I enjoy Sonic Youth, but this is not my favorite of theirs.
Is Sonic Youth just less absurd more self serious Pavement? Idk this is fine
3+ Stars (9/15)
6/10
Não gostei muito do Álbum. Não parece sonic youth
Better than I expected.
Känns tongivande för sin tid, och imponerande på ett sätt, men lite för mycket oljud för min smak för att ge ett starkare intryck. Men lagom coolt!
I got introduced to Sonic Youth with Dirty, which is a more accessible SY. I like their sound, I like the dynamics and buildups throughout the album. What I don't like is that their artsy side shines through too much. Like the spoken words songs. That's too much. For me, Green Light is the best track.
I was getting into the first few songs on the album, but then the album started devolving into a lot more noise, which wasn’t bad necessarily, but I don’t think it was as good. It’s definitely early punk with the driving rhythm of the drums backing the beats of the songs, so it was listenable but not really my favorite.
Better than the other 2 SY on here 2.5
A good album but I didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as the two I’ve had previously. In saying that, Sister took a few listens to properly click with me so maybe this one will grow on me as well. Top Track - Shadow Of A Doubt
Meh
I liked it, didn’t click with it like I did with Daydream Nation, but it was good.
I love sonic youth, but I prefer the other SY albums on this list. This will get a 3
ha estado bien aunque he de reconocer que pensaba que me gustaría más :(
I listened to this once, about an hour ago, and should probably listen to it again, a little more carefully, but my motivation for doing so is not high. And that's sort of how I feel about Sonic Youth generally: not motivated to listen to them very often. I do have one of their albums (probably their best?), Daydream Nation (actually a double album), which came out in 1988, 2 years after EVOL. For me, once in a very long while, Daydream Nation is just the thing. They're good at what they do; it's just not something I'm particularly drawn to. After a second listen, I did like it probably a tiny bit better. Anyway, it's between a 3 and 4 for me. (Btw, this is another one where I'm curious to read what you guys think.) I think I have to go with a 3 - it's interesting, but hard for me to feel much enthusiasm for it, so, yeah, a 3.
uuuuuh I like the darker, weirder parts of the album, but the more straightforward stuff is everything I don't like about 80's music. Too white, no syncopation. But because of some interesting ambiences and storytelling I may want to revisit this. For me, 3 stars means something I might listen to again I'm usually not that impressed by dissonance, but they make some impressive dissonances. I don't know if I like it much but I'm intrigued.
I like Sonic Youth, but in small doses. This one isn't as good as some of their others IMO.
Vielleicht ein biiiiischen zu experimentell aber schon n vibe 2-3
Meh
Good. Interesting.
Fun little album
Not as bad as I thought, just fine 2.5 rounded to 3
Had a moment of Sonic Youth fandom in the 90's, but never really went and listened to much of their earlier stuff. Loved the songs with Kim on lead vocals, thought the rest of the songs were hit or miss. Had a good time with it, but don't see myself returning to it often.
Pas forcement ma came
Has some great hits
It's good but too noisy for me
I love Sonic youth and even I will admit there are too many of their albums on this list. This one definitely doesn't need to be there.
I can't believe that there's *still* one more Sonic Youth album to go after this one! I'm not a big fan of them, but I would think that even diehards might question whether everybody else really couldn't die without gorging on five SY albums. Nonetheless, it was nice to get a somewhat less discordant album from them with "EVOL", and even the hint at times of actual songs (but only a hint, of course, and really only on the first side). Interesting too to get so many SST albums around the same time, with Minutemen coming just a few albums before this one, and then having Minutemen's Mike Watt guest playing on a few tracks on this album too. I'm not sure I could say that any of the tracks really spoke to me, but I liked reading that on the vinyl release "Expressway to Yr. Skull" had a locked groove at the end, so it played to infinity and beyond. (Weird too that the cassette/CD/streaming version of that song is titled "Madonna, Sean and Me".)
nothing great but nothing bad, they have better records than this.
I days past, I use to enjoy listening to Sonic Youth, now I seem a bit indifferent.
It looks pretty interesting, but i dont think it is amazing. So its a ok album.
This is better than the other sonic youth album I heard. This one is way less shrill and screechy.
Pretty good, this album is their 3rd, and their first step form the avant garde distorted sound baths into mainstream rock punk. It defined the genre, and it's good, but some of their later albums are better.
Interesting
I talked about this with Nirvana, but sonic youth is so fuckin cool. Like that’s their main appeal to me is that they just sound like the coolest music that has ever existed. This album isn’t as good as goo since the songs aren’t half as strong, but it’s still real solid.
Dark rock music, with aggression down under it.
Their third album. Inide / Rock. Starpower is a good track. A very atmospheric album with some good production. I don't know, it's neither good nor bad. A solid yet middling album.
Good record but one of their more meandering efforts
I listened to it a few times today. I enjoyed it the first time, but the dark energy got taxing when I had the album on loop. I'll still throw it a 3; feeling jolly this week.
I liked this because it made me feel like a character in a montage where they make really bad decisions. The first half was much stronger than the second though. By the end of it I felt a little exhausted. 3-3.5
This wasn't the hopeful album I needed this week, but it certainly felt right for the dystopic landscape we seem to be headed towards. I enjoyed this, and I thought Kim Gordon was especially wonderful. I can't say I'll be back to it anytime soon.
I discovered Sonic Youth at the ripe young age of 10, via the Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza" in which Homer goes on the road getting shot in the stomach with cannonballs for a Lollapalooza parody called "Hullabalooza." This is also how I learned that Lollapalooza used to be a tour and not confined to Chicago. Anyway, Sonic Youth is in the episode and they raid Peter Frampton's cooler and eat his watermelon, which led to an image I've seen on a lot of t-shirts in my life. Sometimes when I'm flustered and ranting about the misfortunes in my life, I throw in the line "and Sonic Youth's in my cooler!" to add a bit of levity. They also do the theme song in the episode's closing credits, which is a thing that used to constantly get uploaded to YouTube and even LimeWire attributed to pretty much every noisy rock band you can think of (I definitely remember seeing it uploaded as being by the White Stripes at one point). Over the ensuing 20 years (😳), Sonic Youth has become a band that I: 1). Really enjoy quite a bit; and 2). Almost never listen to. As a neat bit of synchronicity, they beat the Pixies by a few years on the combining pure fuzzy noise and pop sensibilities and also on having a female bassist/co-vocalist named Kim. In regard to this album, I'm pretty sure it's what Spacemen 3 thought they were making. Today's listen led to my embarking on an attempt to solve the mystery of why the song I have always known as “Expressway to Yr Skull” is titled “Madonna, Sean, & Me” on streaming. Wikipedia lists the track title as "Expressway to Yr Skull" but states that it is listed as "Madonna, Sean, & Me" on the back cover of the album and, on the lyric sheet, it is called "The Crucifixion of Sean Penn." So now I am left with the opposite issue of how the song's title changed to the more commonly known one. I reviewed no fewer than 3 Reddit threads on the topic and quite literally none of them gave me more information beyond "it was called that and now it's called this" and "they like Madonna." I saw a copy of Kim Gordon's book out in the wild the other day, maybe it holds the answers.
Sonic Youth are the coolest band that I 100% can't get totally into. I've actually never listened to EVOL and didn't know any of the individual tracks, so this was an interesting exercise. It sounds like... early Sonic Youth. I wonder why the went with this one instead of Daydream Nation?
Yea that was quite an experience
Points for being experimental. Not very enjoyable. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
WHERES MY DAVID BOWIE! Also this flew over my head. Daydream nation is better. 3.5/5
There are times when it's very hard to distinguish bold, experimental music from random, jarring noise. This is one such record and I think ... I think I'm just about erring on the side of bold and experimental. There's an interesting slew of different styles and concepts underneath the sludge here, but a substantial portion of the tracks don't feel worth returning to.
3.3 2x ATL airport and drive home
It was okay. Had some decent moments but nothing to write home about.
I liked last two songs. The other ones... Well, they have nice sound and nice melodies but somehow it doesn't work really good. Nice as a background music, I guess
When Sonic Youth isn’t being self indulgent, they write amazing songs. This album has 2-3 of those songs surrounded by endless jam-band sonic meh-scapes.
Yah was pretty ok
Low energy, monotone, buzzy 80s alternative. For some reason always mixed these guys and social distortion up. Looks like they are still around making new music. Good for them.
These again? I really fail to see why this band got so many entries on this list when it's not even considered an all-time great, and, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't even exist now. This album was like the rest of them: okay, no bangers.
Sonic Youth your dares you to like their music, and I did this time
A lot more artsy than I was expecting but in a good way. 👍Shadow of a Doubt
Misheard a lot of lyrics
Decent album
Been meaning to listen to sum sonic youth. Couldn’t hear it great because I was in line at guardians of the galaxy and it is loud in there. Overall from what I could hear pretty solid.
A bit noisy for me, but I like it.
This is the fifth Sonic Youth album I've reviewed on this list. It's pretty good, but not what I was in the mood for today.
Not too bad, kind of like a slower alternative punk album.
you have to be stupid to not like this album lol
Missing a signature song to elevate it from okay to really good
This is far from my favourite album by them. I find it to be just a bit too noisy and discordant for me to fully enjoy putting on regularly. I guess they're aiming for those sounds and they're doing that well. It's desolate feeling at times and I guess that's the point.
Uncharted territory for me. Scared me a few times while listening, but then it had me in a vice grip.
Not to my taste but added some good tunes
Good one!
Albums described by words like noise and dissonance are generally not my thing. But I kinda liked this album. Kinda.
It's fine but the production lets this one down. The last two songs are the best but overall, I think the other albums from Sonic Youth that made this book are better. Still, this was a band I'm glad I woke up too after sleeping on them for many years.
I would have liked it in my youth. Now I am just frightened.
Cool, though I find that Sonic Youth hits better as a fleeting mood rather than whole album pieces.
Liked it less then the other SY albums on the list
Another Sonic Youth album. Another 3 stars. Again, it’s OK. I imagine that if I had the patience to spend more time with it I’d rate it higher. But I don’t. The spoken word bit seemed a bit annoying.
i don’t expect it, but this album is pretty okay
Cool start, but it all sounds the same by the end
3.4
is it weird to say this album is lowkey the musical equivalent to edging? i appreciate the weird and horrifying sound they got going, but im not really feeling it yet. maybe ill warm up to it though, idk.
First time listening to Sonic Youth. High hopes based on the first track but then became quite average. I expect I might like some of this band's later works
An overall fine album, but I’ve definitely heard better from Sonic Youth. Like most of the bands/artists that have more than 2 albums on this list, albums like this one could have given up a spot for something else. 3.25 / 5
Solid alternative album. Some people try and be cool and hate Sonic Youth but I’ve yet to hear anything worth the hate.
I've listened to it three times and can't say I remember anything. But that's only cause I'm unfamiliar with noise music, so gonna give it more time to marinate and get acustomed to it.
Well this is deadly! Another savage Sonic Youth album
lotta noise
The lyrics seemed a bit half-assed, but I guess that's what you get in noise rock. Much better overall than I expected.
Had some awareness that they existed. Knew Kim Gordon has, and I believe continues to make important contributes to the world of rock. There were interesting moments on this album, not sure any of it pulled me in to the extent that I’ll come back to it or look more deeply into their catalog though. At this point in the 80s, I wasn’t that angry or sad and wasn’t looking for or listening to music like this.
Lidt Joy Division-agtig støjrock. Kunne li' det bedre, end jeg forventede.
See my other review on Sonic Youth ... my thoughts are the same, a band I need to explore the discography more.
It's a real middling compliment to say i let this album play through a second time rather than put on an album from my backlog, but here we are. 3.5
another "yeah, fine" album
Their most post punk-ish, maybe? Quite enjoyable!
Solid
5/10 When a song breaks out, it's ok, but there are large expanses of noise that it is difficult to convince myself I enjoyed
Sonic Yourh is a group I feel I should like more but never fully get it…
Vauhdikasta ajoa, mahtava meininki.
Solid album
Decent grunge but nothing stood out, it was fine
I really like Somic Youth, but this album might be the one I like the least.
i'm finding i'm not really a sonic youth fan. it's not that i can't appreciate harsh or rough around the edges music, it's just that somehow i find their music just that hard to listen to and just that boring. there's a sparseness here that i am just not fond of that made this a little bit of a chore to listen to. i just wish this had more energy. i guess, just chalk it up to them not being for me.
this was pretty cool!! obviously grunge-y but not in a terrible way. i think the female vocals and lack of fear to get weird helps it a lot. high 3
Sounded a little better than their other albums I've heard. Still a little too punk for my liking though.
A genuine punk album from its early establishment within the music industry. Some of the songs were pretty solid, but then they got into some of the more out there styling, which was done well, but not to my liking.
On paper, I should hate this, noisy out of tune guitars, no concept of melody, pretentious, art rock, but somehow it works. Can’t say I would listen to it again, but it wasn’t bad.
I've tried many times to get into Sonic Youth but all I can think about is how Thurston Moore cheated on Kim Gordon.
Kinda spooky, but didn’t hate it. It is, however, glaringly obvious that I am not nearly goth enough to fully enjoy and appreciate this album. I’ll work on that. 🖤
Tired