Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Starts strong and then peters out. Enjoyable album overall.
similarly never really connected with the youth but i did really enjoy this ! I am seeing a path where i learn to love sonic youth
ik versta dat sommige mensen dit niet goed vinden... zij moeten ook verstaan dat ik vind dat ze ongelijk hebben... beetje noise kan nooit kwaad
When I got into Sonic Youth I jumped in feet first and really embraced the early noisy stuff and would just play records like this over and over again! Eventually I mellowed out and embraced their later albums and play them much more but going back to this one I remembered why I fell in love with SY in the first place!
A glorious racket !
It was pretty good. Not quite a 5 for me but getting close. Will I listen to again: 85%
So, turns put I really like Gothy, Post-Punk Sonic Youth. Maybe I just really like Goth Rock in general, but this works for me so much more that the other albums I’ve had of theirs. I’m still not sure I’m 100% convinced, but yeah, I could see myself listening to this again
This album is pretty good, and not really what I was expecting, being more familiar with late 90's Sonic Youth. Definitely something I'll come back to later. 3.5/5
Banger album. Like it a lot. I listened to it previously, but was very ready to listen again. 4/5
Classic early Youth, not as fully formed as their post-Daydream material but all the more charming, definitely had a good time here. B
Not my favorite Sonic Yiuth album, but still solid.
Crude, dark and twisted, this was what I needed the most in a hard day... I can feel their angry inside myself... So rude, chaotic and distorted. My kind of thing.
-this is really interesting I’d actually been meaning to listen to Sonic Youth for the first time just the day before I got this album -it didn’t disappoint! I love the cold and dense atmosphere, it made me feel like badass while I was folding my laundry -Favorites are Shadow Of A Doubt, In The Kingdom #19, and Bubblegum
Algo denso pero bastante poderoso y me hizo sentir punquetillo. Escucharía más de los sónicos.
Tried and failed previously to get into SY albums other than Daydream Nation. Having a greater appreciation for them and other similar bands helped me this time I think. Couple of listens but I get it now. Avant-garde garage rock almost. Saved down.
Pretty decent. Enjoyed the general sound.
As a band that was primarily a noise-rock band, E.V.O.L. was the album that Sonic Youth began to add more structure to their songs making them much more listenable, but still maintaining an avant-garde edge and noisy sounds. My two favourite Sonic Youth albums are the next pair of releases, Sister and Daydream Nation and while some of their sound was evolving towards those albums, they weren't quite there yet. A solid, often over-looked album, it's still much more preferred to most of what was going on in 1986, though music from alternative/college rock bands were starting to create great music left of the dial. A cool record, play it loud!
This is surprisingly commercial, for Sonic Youth, in their pre Dirt days. Solid album.
An indie rock staple that still has meaning and purpose today.
cold soul
This appeals to the dissatisfied youth in my past. Favorite track: "Bubble Gum," probably.
Lots of innovation, very unique, very authentic and thoughtful. Much better than I expected. Definitely deserves a place on this list. 4/5
The individually memorable tracks are mostly gathered at the beginning of the album, and after that, it turns more experimental without traditional song structure. Pretty fun to listen to if you like weird guitar sounds.
Атмосферный шум от крутых мальчиков и девочки. Лучшая песня - Starpower.
Heel cool. Het album erna vond ik nog gaver
I didn't expect to enjoy this, but had it on repeat all day. Bubble gum, Starpower and Madonna, Sean and me, went straight onto my playlist.
I liked it.
LP
Fun alt rock
I wish I knew these guys back in the day. I love everything they do. 4 stars
I always happily claimed to others that i disliked two bands even though i recognized their relevance - Sonic Youth and Pink Floyd - since starting this list I changed my mind about the former - I’ve begun to like them. This is not their best record but still a good moody one - a template to thousands of garage bands that tried to be this and fail. Reminded me of the sounds emanating from rehearsal spaces but this was actuslly good.
This is a really interesting album in that it’s significantly more approachable than earlier Sonic Youth, but it’s still a long ways off from the more direct songwriting to come. I love this band and I think this album deserves a little more attention.
Fantastic album
The perfect soundtrack for my foggy late-night drive home from work. Albeit not on the level of Daydream Nation or Goo, in my opinion, very engrossing experimental, noisy goodness. 4/5
Nice stuff - lots of big ringing guitars and urgent drums
Enjoyed this. Not my favorite Sonic Youth album, but still good. Honestly surprised how many of their albums are on this list.
EVOL is the third studio album by Sonic Youth, originally released in 1986. I'm really not very familiar with Sonic Youth's early work. I'm mainly familiar with the record that would be released 2 years after this in 1988's Daydream Nation. I can clearly hear the roots of that record on here. I was expecting a more noisy sound but there are actually a few pop-adjacent tracks on here. This record is probably where they started to shift to more alternative/pop. The overall vibe of this record is very dark, it's kinda unlike anything they've done since. It's almost goth rock. There are also some cool ambient moments. Overall a surprisingly diverse and sonically interesting record.
Kynntist þessari seint enda var þetta ekkert spilað á Íslandi í þá daga. Fíla mjög vel. Hrátt og tilraunakennt.
Curious, took me by surprise several times, in good ways and... strange ways.
Tom Violence, the opener, is quite a good track. Shadow of a doubt - not bad Star power - surprisingly, I liked this In the kingdom - a definite No. Secret Girl - another one I liked. Overall, it's a fairly dark album, but the music/vocals lure you in. I suspected at the outset that this would be worth 2 stars, but ended up meriting a praiseworthy 4 stars from me
Noice!
Had never recently listened to this one, never completed my journey through all the notable Sonic Youth albums, but wow this was a surprise. They really turned up the charms with this one, some excellent songs and an excellent brooding dark mood throughout. The apex of the album Expressway to Yr. Skull (or Madonna, Sean, and Me?) is so so good, maybe one of the top 5 best songs in their catalog. Also really enjoyed Shadow of a Doubt, that sets the tone for the whole album. Will be coming back to this one a lot as the seasons turn to fall/winter.
grit & dirt & noise & pops & weirdness could i write poetry to this? y
I absolutely love Sonic Youth, but I don't think that "E.V.O.L." is even in their top-five best albums.
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
This is my 4th Sonic Youth album from the list. One sucked, one was average, and the other was great. For this one, while I'm not upset about listening to it, I can't foresee a situation in which I'd want to spin this again. ⭐⭐.75
This album starts off well, but it loses me a little after “Starpower.” From there, it just seems to meander through indie goth songs without doing much to pull me back in. There are some good moments, but overall this just isn't an album I see myself coming back to.
Number: 266 Familiarity: Well-versed (4) Rating: 3 Before: ======= I either didn't know about or had not paid attention to Sonic Youth until after the release of Daydream Nation in 1988. I had landed a job as a waiter at an intown trendy Mexican restaurant where it seemed most of the wait staff were either musicians or artists. After work, I used to go over to one of the guys' house, get stoned, and listen to music. Daydream Nation is one the albums he used to put on frequently. I liked it a lot back then but not as much now. And that is probably my favorite album by them. I am not as familiar with EVOL but have listed to it a few times. Mostly, I don't really get it. After : ======= Looks like they have 5 albums on The List. That's at least 2 too many and probably 4 too many, but I'm not familiar with their entire discography so can't say for sure. This one, I'll give a 3.
Som all Sonic Youth finns det mycket intressant soundscape, men som helhet är det bara ett OK album
Again, this is fine. I don't love it, I don't dislike it. I respect it for deviating from standard rock elements and still sounding heavy and good. But like with the previous Sonic Youth album, I think I just don't totally get it.
Not bad, but nothing amazing.
Previše Sonic Youtha na listi!!! Mada jest ok album, ne osjećam se kao da sam pretjerano potrošila vrijeme kao npr. za onaj njihov dupli.
Punk rock albumi. Tykkää käyttää epävireisiä soittimia ja riitasointuja viestittäessä pahasta, ja ne toimivat oivallisesti. Sopii raivokkaaseen tekemiseen ja fiilikseen.
In a time of clean, radio-friendly pop music, Sonic Youth was a middle finger to the music culture.
I might be on a bit of an island here, but for me, there will always be a baseline level of enjoyment I get from listening to sonic youth. I get why other people don’t like it. However, this album just doesn’t have it. I would understand why people who don’t already like this band would HATE this.
Not my favorite Sonic Youth album, but not bad, considering I never could get into them.
Early sonic youth but the potential is evident.
Again with the coolest gen x band of all time. I still dont get it fully but I sorta get it some. Maybe its how eclectic they are that throws me off. Maybe its not alot of regular song structure. Maybe its the juxtaposition of the ethereal and the harsh noise. Maybe ive just described how it is as cool as it is. But anyway im not fully on board. I like some of what's here and im ok with the rest. Bubblegum might be the most normal ass song they have on here but i liked it. Noisy but it has that structure that I need. Starpower was my other save here. I like the guitars alot here. Still kinda formless but I get over it in this case. But overall its a good record. If not made specifically for my tastes. I get why they are so cool. Just i dont see it 100%. But its still good. Maybe ill get one I truly love eventually but this is just good here
What I definitely didn’t expect was how this album was like pop. Wikipedia just made the genres to this album sound more experimental than they were. Like “no wave” is giving ambient anticlimactic music. Is it just instrumental sections with detuned guitars and weird chords? This album seems to lay the groundwork for their later work. Goo and Dirty seem to take that in a more mainstream rock direction. Whereas “Evol” sounds more moody and atmospheric. Combined with their tendency to make long tracks, this album isn’t really for me.
Not Sonic Youth's strongest work — their career was yet to hit full speed.
I didn’t like this as much as I expected too. I’m not sure what I was basing it on other than the astetic.
I did not expect Sonic Youth to be some prominent on this list. Think this is my third or 4th album. Goo and Daydream nation are fucking amazing. This isn't bad but its starting to feel like Neil Young or David Bowie with too many albums from one artist taking spots that could be used for others.
Sonic Youth always sound like they're trying to be cooler than thou.
A lot of darkness on here, and enjoyed the sloppiness.
Sonic Youth has a distinct sound. This album did have any songs I was familiar with, but it had that distinct sound that made it feel right.
Teils ziemlich düster. Trotzdem hat es was
Ahead of its time in many ways. Unrefined and not completely baked but nuggets of beauty rest hidden
Good, and I like the darker vibe of this album. I prefer other sonic youth projects.
I think this is a good album but too eerie for my personal regular enjoyment. This is the most goth sounding I’ve heard Sonic Youth sound.
It bad but didn’t love it
It's a good solid Sonic Youth Album. Shadow of a Doubt is like something out of a Lynch movie.
*1986. *I want to like Sonic Young, but this isn't the album for me. Noisy, dissonant, dark, and a little too avant-garde for me. *Feels like maybe it would do well in some weird film score? *Not an awful listen, I just don't really 'get' it. RATING - 6/10
Now I am curious to see how many more Sonic Youth alums will be coming up. Is the entire discography here? I don’t mind Sonic Youth. Actually enjoy them but I wonder what other albums we are not hearing because of their contributions here. This album was much more moody, like Radiohead’s Amnesia. The groove-based pockets make the songs feel longer. Some of them the vocals are so buried (or mixed it at the same levels appearing to be buried they album become melodic instrumental. Shadow of a Doubt is a good example. There are a few up-tempo songs as well that sound more like other SY albums, such as Greenlight. Death of our Friends sounds very dissonant, which is the point. Overall, I liked this album personally, but do we need 3 Sonic Youth albums and counting…?
no qualms with it, but no great love either
Not my favourite Sonic Youth album. Has a couple of tracks that show where the band are heading.
Preferred the first half to the 2nd
I like the idea of Sonic Youth better then I actually like their music.
I fuckin love the drumming on this. Is it also weird that I found it kindof relaxing? Overall though pretty wacky music innit. Those rascals 6.5 / 10 Best track/s: Bubblegum, Starpower, Death To Our Friends
This was an interesting sound. I don't really know Sonic Youth, so this was a fun introduction to their sound and asthetic.
Some ok sounds but not a fan of the vocals or songwriting. Overall just nothing really great or memorable. I dont think there needs to be more than one sonic youth album on this list. 2.5
Never was a big fan of sonic youth. This one dindt change my mind on them. All their song sounds the same to me. Im sure that their sound was revolutionary at some point but were past this point.(Im probably giga wrong on this but whatever) Eh... "Shadow of a doubt" and "Express way to your soul" are good songs. Yeah this album didnt do much to me. Maybe I will change my mind on them one day because I have 3 more sonic youth album to listen to because of this book. I wish.
I appreciate sonic youth more for what they represent then I enjoy listening to their music. So I’m glad that this band in this album exist and I don’t find it defensive but it’s not something that I’m ever looking to put on.
They were still finding their sound but it was getting closer. I like a lot of this album but it’s not quite there for full sonic youth power str8
Sonic Youth is one of those bands I think I should really like, but they just don’t do it for me. This album is no different.
3.5
This is my first full Sonic Youth album and while I enjoyed it, I feel like they’ve gotta have better albums.
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.
3 I like the sound in general and has some interesting elements but nothing that really stuck or interested me much.
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
I need to learn more about what the hell they were doing in this album
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
A little bit to dark and noisy for my taste
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