Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Decent grunge but nothing stood out, it was fine
i enjoyed this, very dark, moody and atmospheric, made me feel the right feelings, i want to get into more sonic youth and try get into their sound better, this ain’t very entry level but once you get it im sure it clicks
I really like Somic Youth, but this album might be the one I like the least.
Good rock album, I didn't dislike any of the songs. But nothing was super standout to me
Clearly paved the way for so many of the artists that I currently listen to. 4/5
Un peu de rock alternatif après 4 bons jours de rock/hard rock/metal ça fait vraiment du bien ! Ça me fait beaucoup penser à fontaines d.c sur certains morceaux. J’aime bien comment ils gèrent la guitare et la basse. C’est une super découverte !
Je crois que j’ai jamais rien compris à Sonia Youth, et c’est pas faute d’avoir essayé
One pf the greatest experimental rock albums ever of not the best. Staple pf every rock collection a must listen still relevant amd way ahead of its time
Not great
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.
Pretty generic alternative rock/post-punk from the era. Nothing too exciting.
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
Meh..
Sounded a little better than their other albums I've heard. Still a little too punk for my liking though.
This is my new favorite Sonic Youth album. I've only been really familiar with Dirty which leans more into noise core. I liked the dark but still pop structured songs in this album. Enough noise to keep you on your edge, but enough structure and sense to not make you go mad. This album reminded me less than their other albums had of how much cooler they are than I ever was or will be. But yet, their coolness continues to drip out of their pores like
Good
Fav: Tom Violence Least Fav: Starpower This album is for sure E.V.I.L, was not an easy or fun time
God I love this band
This sounds at times like ants crawling in my skull. Thanks!
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.
In general, I feel like this is sort of just noise for the sake of noise. That being said, there are a few moments where I think they pull even that off. Sonic Youth is sonically interesting, and while I wasn't a huge fan of this album, I am interested to see where they go later in their career. Fucking awesome album cover tho. Fave songs: - Shadow of a Doubt - Starpower - Madonna, Sean, and Me - Bubblegum
Another Sonic Youth album. This one's very mediocre.
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 feel it is still an album that understands the experimental as a disorder of elements placed fortuitously and with little intention of forging harmonies, in order to mirror what could be a cycle of discomforts and inner disturbances that were meant to be expressed not only in the music but clearly in the lyrics as well. I value it because I sense a lot of clarity and awareness in the lyrics, in the way youth and its uncontainable, unrestricted thought are portrayed. In some way, the concept becomes implied. I highlight its best song: Starpower.
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. 🖤
Inside this Sonic Youth album, there are two wolves 🐺 The good wolf comes out on songs like Starpower and Secret Girl, when the music dissolves into a melodic soundscape of exploration. You don’t know where you are anymore, but you like it. The bad wolf, predominant on E.V.O.L., sounds like the ritual slaughter of electric cattle.
You’ve maybe got to have a bit of tolerance for Sonic Youth - I definitely wouldn’t start with this over Daydream Nation, cos that’s really almost their landmark album. I like it though, it’s got a good vibe but not every song sounds the same.
Tired
Some good music in here, but the singer tanks it. Tom Violence really showcases this. Wonderful guitar work, but the singer is just offputting. In The Kingdom #19 was weird, it was just noise with someone talking lines over it. Bubble Gum was pretty interesting though. Best song: Bubble Gum
I do not fuck with Sonic Youth
Brooding and boring. 2 stars.
I'll say of the Sonic Youth on this list, this has been my least favorite. Could be that I am conditioned to expect something different by this point, but this is sort of underwhelming. Whereas the other albums are more overtly angsty and, at times, driven, this one feel feels less punchy and more post-punk influenced. Not a bad thing per-se, but I found the overall effect to be pretty forgettable. Only things that stood out to me were the sprawling, almost industrial sounding In the Kingdom #19, and the outro Bubblegum (which is itself a jam -- love the bass on it). Otherwise, I'll say this was _fine_ but forgettable. Soft 3 / 5.
That was a whole lot of droll
I always just get so bummed out when listening to Sonic Youth. This was disappointing too cause the first song was actually quite good, then all fell off a cliff. They sing like they are yelling in all lower case. At least they are consistent in suck. 4/4 on 2 stars for Sonic Youth so far
Been pretty hit or miss on Sonic Youth let's hope this one holds up. Drums are sick in this first song. Not digging the whispers in Shadow of a Doubt. Also not digging the spoken word in In the Kingdom #9. Starting to get real noisy in Green Light. Not the biggest of fans of this one.
Reminiscent of teenage angst in musical discovery. Liked it more than I thought I would
This album sucks and so does Sonic Youth. It’s like a recording of let’s see if we can make the worlds shittiest album and people actually buy it. 1001 album worthy: no - 106/198
bubblegum
Eh. Very. Overrated. Listen.
Not my favorite. Seeing the other commenters, it looks like there are several more sonic youth albums on the list, so maybe I will connect with another one. Was ok in the beginning and near the end but really lost me in the middle. Kind of a lot, also peels back to nothing. Just not very my vibe.
This is #day390 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to what Kim Gordon once called Sonic Youth's goth record, aka my second of theirs. While it's a transitional album, bridging their no-wave roots with the pop sensibilities to come, I don't find EVOL particularly essential. And as I've said before, no matter how much I like this band, they're overrepresented on this list. Daydream Nation, Goo, and maybe one more would be plenty. Or just Daydream Nation alone… "Shadow of a Doubt" is, of course, a gem. Still, this is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day391.
No bangers at all, but that's not what I would expect from them. Having previously only heard odd songs and their album of 20th century 'art music' covers this pretty much met my expectations. There moments where I really enjoyed it and I think it might benefit from a more focused listening.
Some of the songs a bit hit and miss, but I did actually enjoy my listen so it gets a 4
Don't know what to make of this album. I did listen again and it grew on me a little and maybe it will further listens. For now a 2 star.
I didn't really feel like this album went anywhere, and nothing to be found here worth revisiting. Familiarity: [2 – Unknown album] Songs I would actively choose to listen to: [1 - None] What can I remember the next day?: [1 - None}
I understand some people could like this album but i personally hate it it's just noise🙏😭
Wonderful noise jangle rock
Awesome record. You can still hear their No Wave influence but it’s transitioning to the more melodic sound they got famous for.
It’s not my type of music but I can appreciate it’s energy and see it’s a well crafted album flowing nicely
really underrated it seems
Wanted to like this, and there is a bit to like (great drums and guitars)- but most songs devolve into noise and there’s not much to attach to. Tom Violence is a good opener. Star power is cool too! Added: Tom Violence, Star Power
Sonic Youth always sounds raw (in a great way), but this is rawest raw I've ever heard from them. Slap that shit on the grill for at least a few seconds guys.
Kinda cool. I wasn’t enthralled but I got through the album
nothing wrong with it (i think, idk i don’t listen to this type of music), just not my type. didnt really enjoy it all that much
Been binging South Park so Thurston sounds like Mr. Garrison. 3/5
I'd not given much time to Sonic Youth for some reason. ironic, considering that Kim Gordon's solo output has shown up in music service suggestions for me recently. Coming to this cold, EVOL sounds very much of its time — it has raw power, but little finesse that might start to emerge in some of the more melodic tracks that close the album. This album hasn't acted as a gateway to Sonic Youth unfortunately, it'll need to be something I keep working on.
It's rock but kind of experimental / atmospheric. Given that it was released in 1986 it's kind of ahead of it's time - I can see how it influenced grunge bands. The music is at times almost catchy and at times almost too dissonant, but on the whole it's a decent listen if you're in the mood for something a little artsy/heavy.
I definitely prefer this album to the other Sonic Youth album we've had. It's luster and more inviting. I flirted with 4 stars, but middle portion weeds off in an experimental way that makes me unlikely to revisit.
Ultimately a bit too experimental to really enjoy. We’re also hitting the point of encountering too many entries from one band to justify the inclusion of an album that doesn’t feel that remarkable. A 3 but a low 3.
Labai patiko. Labai įdomi muzika, tokia goth.
More of an exploration of noise and atmosphere rather than a collection of songs, though they do peek through the fug as the band realise that songs can have hooks and melody. This album is important from a "how did Sonic Youth develop" stand point but their better albums are already covered. Do we need this one on the list? Probably not. Best Tracks: Tom Violence; Star Power; Madonna, Sean and Me
I’ve tried a couple of times to listen to this band. I know they’re important or something. But I just found it a lot of noisy boredom. Definitely something you need to be in the mood for; not sure if I’m ever really in the mood for this. Sorry, youf.
I’ve heard bits of Sonic Youth before, but never sat down and listened to one, so this is a first for me. It’s funny, the reviews on this record are pretty polarized. I guess you either love Sonic Youth or you hate them. I would say that I like this record; it’s shoe gazey and darker than I expected, but there are some subtle pop sensibilities floating in and out of it. But I do completely understand why some folks loathe this one. It’s pretty challenging at a lot of points, particularly when we’re pretty conditioned by hooks and catchy choruses (of which I haven’t really found any). I think what’s appealing to me on this record are some of the more exploratory guitar bits. The drums can get pretty dynamic. And I think the bass does a good job of tying it together in such a way that it’s not quite an incoherent mess. Some of the lyrics are a bit too “Virginia Woolf, stream of consciousness” for my liking, but overall, I’m not sad I heard this one. 3.7/5 For such a seemingly polarizing record, I find this one in the “pretty decent” camp. I probably won’t revisit it often, but I’m looking forward to another Sonic Youth entry.
Rock, 1986 -> 2
Liked around half the tracks. The first one and Madonna and me. Generally liked the vibe
To use a Kelvinism these may be one of my most obvious Bands I should like but don't. I did own Goo back in the day but never got into it either. Just find too much discord and cacophony whenever things start getting interesting. Shadow of a Doubt was great but actively disliked much of the rest.
I’d never really listened to Sonic Youth, just a band I was vaguely familiar with from my youth. It started strong. I could hear the creativity, I could hear the artistry, what I couldn’t hear as the album progressed was enough music to keep me interested. This is where the 5* rating system falls down. It’s better than a 3 but nowhere near good enough for me to be a 4. It’s knocking on the door of 3.5 or a 65% ish score, but I’m going to have to be tight and mark it 3 stars
I think there are other more significant Sonic Youth albums on this list.
Shoegaze, or whatever they are considered, is just not for me.
Mainly irritating.
Really good
Having had an awful German industrial rock album where the instruments were made from scraps from the tip the day before this sounded really, really good by comparison. I’m taking that into account with my review here, but I genuinely liked this. I’ve never listened to Sonic Youth before, but they were big with some of my mates at school in the late 90s. Given this album was late 80s it’s pointing at where much music was going to be taken in the 90s and even early 2000s. Yip, I liked it, but knocking a star off because I think I might still be rebounding from the German industrial rock yesterday. 3 stars.
Faves were Shadow of a Doubt and Bubblegum
First indication of SY's greatness to come.
Don’t mind SY used to listen to back when. Not sure need multiple albums by them on this list, but that’s an ongoing comment on the list as a whole, SY sound is their sound album to album is this 1 better than the last? More representative? Different?, it sounds like SY to me but whatever 3 Star
I feel like I should like sonic youth more than I should
not quite my cup of tea
I found out that Sonic Youth is just not for me. I do understand their music, and the reason that people might like, but doesn't have me going. Well, at least in the 2 or 3 albuns that I listened to. I think 3 stars is fair enough
Abysmally boring and unsettling
I’m not really sure which Sonic Youth album I’ve liked best so far but I do know this is the one that made me think “Jeez I guess I really like Sonic Youth.” So maybe swap this out for one of the 3s I previously gave. Consider this an overall grade for Sonic Youth.
The best reason to do this 1001 albums was to discover bands I don't know or never dug into. Sonic Youth definitely hits that reason.
Schon das Cover brüllt laut: Finger weg!
Good Alt rock honestly, great vibe
Quite and experimental rock album, not in my interest 2/5
Definitely more of an artistic installation than pleasant to listen to music. I wish i could have given this one more time to really click for me but I’m very sure there’s something really interesting here so I guess three stars for potential
Pretty bland noise rock album, nothing really stood out to me. Not my style.
First Sonic Youth, only knew a song or two, didn't seem like the best intro album, I liked the uniqueness of their sound, shadow was pretty good, staying open to other albums.
They're really not beating the allegations that it's just noise. That said, I'm sorta down for just noise sometimes.
I liked it reminds me of of a lot of 80’s punk rock but overall very enjoyable
Sonic Youth has never really done much for me, so I have to resist the urge for rating them lower than they probably deserve simply because we've never clicked for some reason. Still, much of this album seems self-consciously noisy and messy, an attempt to avoid seeming "too mainstream." I can't imagine ever wanting to listen to any of these songs again.
Really enjoyed this, sounded very 80s with lots of influences mixed in.
Spikey, loud and jangly - makes great use of the band's different singers, helps create an album where you're never sure what to expect next. Favourite tracks: Starpower, Green Light, Madonna Sean and Me
Love the band, not my favorite album of theirs: more interesting as an "early" album
Sounds like unstructured Hole/Courtney Love
Feels rebellious but with an air of cool detachment. This sounds like what indie wanted to be. Musically it's got more bite though, quite mechanical and harsh at times and there's plenty of satisfying feedback from the guitars. Shadow of a Doubt and Green Light are my favorites so far. The latter is full of bits of melody that don't resolve and yet it still works. Marilyn Moore sounds like a dying windup toy. That doesn't seem good but it's so atmospheric I find myself engrossed. Starpower and Secret Girl stood out on second listen and I'm struck by how bleak it all sounds.
Not sure about this being one of the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. I can think of at least half a dozen Sonic Youth albums that are better and I'm not sure they'd all make the list either.
I really like song number 3 Starpower.
I like Sonic Youth, but I wouldn't call this essential listening.
“Bad Moon Rising” to “Daydream Nation” was Sonic Youth’s imperial phase, each album weird, different from the rest, and totemic. “EVOL” might have the strongest song in “Expressway to Yr. Skull” (Neil Young seems to think so). The beauty in these records lies in the way that they’re short, experimental stories - there’re the bangers, but I never skip the strange ones, which have a mesmeric quality. “In the Kingdom #19” has Ranaldo invents its own form, race car free jazz, but the band wasn’t hanging around, left it sui generis. I’ve memorised this record and its siblings.
I did not know this, and found it very enjoyable, somewhere between "Sister" and "Daydream Nation" despite preceding both. I guess I'll dig further into their catalog. Lung Leg is a great nickname!
Definitely an experience, just not really for me, it was a bit too noisy. Low 3/5.
My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, and these guys all the sound the same.
Not my taste
The Gooseler? The Switchler? We museum up in this bih? Yeah this is right up my alley (except alley is pronounced the weird way Winneke does on Science Police)
Nah
Very experimental and industrial, but not fully grating or abrasive either.
I enjoyed this album listen! I’d never listened to a Sonic Youth album in full so that was a fun experience for me. This album felt very punk, alternative, and experimental which sets it apart from other alt rock albums and bands I’ve listened to. I would definitely check this album out again in the future!
7/24/25. Sonic Youth definitely has a unique sound and love that there’s two vocalists. Some songs here were dull, but the ones I liked went above and beyond.
I really didnt vibe with this one
sonic youth is fun to listen to
10/10 Kim Gordon scares me
Again an ok album that might be of its time. Some innovation and interesting lyrics... And again, I'm conscious of one listen reviews. But can this justify being one of the greatest albums of all time?
It's fine. Dissonant angsty music with some power chords. Nothing bad but nothing really remarkable. I don't exactly want to hear it again but I wouldn't hate it if it was on
Definitely influenced grunge...hurt my ears.
уныние
Will listen again.
Some odd promiscuity here
Sonic Youth is always hit and miss for me. Some good tracks and some not so good tracks. Almost a 4.
not my favorite album from the band
Not loving it. Vocals not impressive. Drones on and on. 1.5 stars? We’ll see how I go but this was really not enjoyable to sit through
the sonic is youthing
Distortion plus poetry. Not what I expected, which was more shredding guitars. There was some of that but not a lot of melodic songs. 2x
Someone seems to have listened to too much Jesus And Mary Chain
Her var det potensiale. Smalt innimellom, men ikke nok.
inte särskilt märkvärdigt jfr med andra sonic youth album jag hört
#636. There are several Sonic Youth albums on this list, and some of them are quite good. This one, while fine, is nothing spectacular and is very questionably deserving to be here. 3/5: fine
Spoken word, progressive style is not very musical
Definitely more raw than Daydream Nation, but still awesome
Loved it; amazing from start to finish.
Sonic Youth: Evol: A very interesting album. The variety is insane, with a lot of really cool instruments and different sounds and styles. I enjoyed most of it, though sometimes it goes on a little bit too long with certain ambient stuff. Pretty cool and not what I normally listen to. 8/10
A 3.5/5. Probably my least favorite Sonic Youth album so far, but it's still pretty good.
Great - back in the day!
For some reason i haven't listened to these early Sonic Youth records. Evol is not the easiest record to approach, but it has the ingredients that made the band one of the coolest ever to exist. Have to give this more spins, to really get in to it.
Slant Magazine wrote after release of this album: "one of [Sonic Youth's] strangest albums" and "a difficult album that's nonetheless one of the best latter-day invocations of no wave chaos." This says nothing to me and neither says this album
Sonic Youth has never meant anything to me. If I’ve heard them somewhere, I most likely changed the channel. It seems that I'm still in that same position: Hard to listen.
Sonic Youth is great for the most part, some of it is just too weird for my taste and feel like school art project.
I have a lot of their albums, but you really have to be in the right mood. Not exceptional IMO
This is before I was into Sonic Youth (I was 6), but I will always give Sonic Youth 5 stars. This is just noise rock? Cool. I like noise rock. I can see their influence in so much after them (especially these early albums), so evidently a lot of people like bands who like noise rock.
I was a bit late to the Sonic Youth party, and back tracked through their catalogue after Goo. This is a great album.
Fuck yeah. Sonic Youth rules. I’d never gotten around to listening to this one before, and I might like it even better than Sister. I actually gave it two listens, which I think is probably necessary for most SY records. Just wanted to make sure I heard it all right. So, yeah, it’s challenging, it’s noisy, it’s chaotic, it doesn’t reward background listening in the slightest. But I think it’s a must-listen! #164!
absolutely incredible album, an absolute listening experience on headphones. it reminds me of bowie’s outside in a way. the concept and feel to it. bubble gum, the last track, is a bonus track so i don’t count it in my rating. it also doesn’t fit the album at all. it ends so so well on the “madonna, sean and me” track. perfect ending there. worth to note, i didn’t love it at first but i felt it was one of those albums that needed to rest so i returned to it the day after and yeah, it’s a 5.
Nope! Ei yhtään hyvää biisiä eikä mitään hyvää sanottavaa
3.75
First real exposure to Sonic Youth - fucked with it heavy. Bubblegum wasn’t a good song, but what can ya do. Going to listen to more of them and Kim’s other projects.
-fav track: In the Kingdom #19
I did not manage to get into it. Some songs I liked but overall not my vibe
Very experimental
Needs another listen I think, lots of droning noise rock which can be a little hard to appreciate on a first listen, having said there were some nice moments in the album
Tää olikin vähän erilaista mitä odotin. Tää ei ollut ihan niin kasvolle hyppivää kuin näiden aikaisempi levy tällä listalla. Tää oli paljon maalailevampaa ja jotenkin ambienttia. Eikä tää ollut niin provosoivaa kuin se aikaisempi levy. Tää oli miellyttävää. Parhaat: Shadow Of A Doubt, Madonna Sean And Me
What I like about this list is that it forces me to listen to artists and groups I always wanted to hear but never found the right moment to do do. Now, I finally had the oportunity to discover Sonic Youth. Never knew what to expect from them. What I found with this album is that it is very chaotic, very energetic and very very dissonant and noisy, and I loved it. Feels so good to discover bands that have their own unique sound and that it resonated with you.
For the year - it sounds like the future. Something from the early 90s not the 80s. Ahead of its time!
This just isn't my vibe.
Never got too into this band but this has some cool noisey angst on it
Probably my least listened to, and least liked, Sonic Youth album. I’m being generous with my 3-stars as it may deliver more if I was to go back in time to my 1986 self and give it some more listens.
da??!?!?!?!?
Some really interesting detours throughout each song, brimming with creativity and you can hear the influence throughout the next 30 years of alt-rock music.
Había escuchado algo de Sonic Youth y, la verdad, no soy especialmente fan. Además, entiendo que si está EVOL estarán también Daydream Nation y Goo (mínimo). La verdad es que no me interesa mucho esta época post-rock y pre-grunch, pero en algún momento tenía que ponerme con Sonic Youth...
Great album. Surprise I never listened to this before
EVOL is the third album from New York City based band Sonic Youth, and their first releases on SST records. Sonic Youth was a post-punk band, and evolved into a noise rock/alt rock icon. EVOL marks a significant step in that evolution; this album shows the band developing their style. They used effects, unusual tunings, and experimental playing styles to get different sounds out of their guitars. Sonic Youth's noise rock was centered on their saturated guitar sound. They added vocals from both bassist Kim Gordon and guitarist Thurston Moore, giving the band a range of sounds within their distinct style.
Why is there more than one album from this mob? Sounds like the rest of their output. There is a thin intersection between this mob and Smashing Pumpkins. The very best Sonic Youth song is as good as the very worst Smashing Pumpkins.
Kinda good but also kinda bad
Ikke min kopp te.
lisää näitä jeejee.. viisi albumia? häh? siis on mennyt jo tähän mennessä perille. en edes vihaa tätä millään tavalla.. ihan kivaa kuunneltavaa.. mutta 5 albumia samaa saatanan sontaa ... naamani kuin album cover heh... ei ole mitään mistä ottaa kiinni.. kaasuesque albumi. niin paljon ääntä ja mihinkään ei voi keskittyä.. gas concept? öyöäyöyäyöäyöyäöyöä type beat.. siis ei taaskaan niinkun pitää sanoa. sanon sen että ei mitään halveksuntaa täältäpäin tule kohti sinneppäin vaan all love all love.. rakkaus tulee muodossa konstruktiivinen kritisismi: älkää tehkö samaa täysin samaa paskaa joka ikinen kerta vaan vähän kehittykää jossain skaalassa pelle peloton mode (gyro gearloose mode) päälle! starpower
Pretty cool, groundbreaking without losing popular appeal
28/1001. The first artist in my list to appear twice, just 5 days between this and the following album Sister, now in wrong order. But I don't mind, been a SY fan for 35 years or so. Interesting to see which albums will be featured in the 1001 list since I think they just kept getting better after these two quite early ones… even the newer albums are unique and continue their sonic experimentation, pop and rock songs, which mash up noise to beautiful melodies and create haunting spirit with an attitude. Evol contains a few excellent tunes, but for me how it comes out nowadays is how it documents all the base ingredients which later will be polished — and challenged — by the band: an introduction to their sonic palette, song writing style, and how they manage to turn a waterfall of mood/sound in to a quiet pond (or vice versa) in one single bear. As with Sister I had forgotten how good this was. I haven't played this that much, even though I have it on my shelf, but then again I don't think I will be playing it any more in the future. There is so much good Sonic Youth albums out there, the selection rarely lands on these two albums. And perhaps even with all the experimentation in sound, melodies, song structure, tunings, noise, you name it‚ the problem is that they still sound quite the same, same experimentations from album to album — at least they make me feel quite the same. (Which is an ok feeling if you didn't read it between the lines already). So no more or less than 4.
It's pretty good. Sounds like another Sonic Youth album. Which isn't a bad thing, I've only heard a few of them, but they all mostly sounded like this. Really well crafted noise rock. 3.5/5
a lot of people go through a “goth phase” when they’re younger. apparently, sonic youth did too.
I like Sonic Youth adjacent bands but I just can’t get into Sonic Youth. In fact, it sounds awful to me.
Not a Sonic Youth album I was as familiar with as others. It was chiller than I expected and a good preview of what is to come from the band.
This was fine but the monotone vocals killed some songs.
to experimental for me, i’m a mainstream boy
This is the sort of music that the skater girl you had a crush on would listen to. It's certainly unique, I don't know how else to describe it.
The good tracks on the album make you realise how bad the rest of it sounds. Shoegaze that's hard to listen in moments.
While I appreciate the spirit of trying something new, this album just fails miserably. It’s like they threw a bunch of sounds together and hoped for the best, but the result is more headache than harmony. Nice try, but I’m not coming back for a second listen!
# Album Name: EVOL # Artist: SOnic Youth # Rating: 1/5 # Comments: Wow, this is really dog shit. First couple of songs werent bad. But they it dropped off a cliff.. Absolute disaster. # Top Tunes: Sweet FA # Would I listen to it again? God no
This one brings me back to the good old days. Classic Sonic Youth!
This album had an intriguing, dark sound. I think that was what I liked about it most, as it had a different feel from a lot of the music I've encountered on here so far. It seemed like that's what they were trying for, since it really was the feel through the whole album. And they certainly attained it. Both the instruments and the vocals made it almost unsettling at times. There wasn't a lot more that really worked for me, though. Some of it was good. Much of it was just kind of... unengaging? Hard to explain, since it was interesting. I could see letting it drone on in the background to get an eerie vibe, but not sure it's great for casual listening. I wasn't turned off by it, but it didn't really do a lot for me. I may want to give this another try later and see if I like it better. As it is, it's a little hard to rate highly. Overall: 2.75/5
I feel like this is not considered their total magnum opus, but it kind of marks the transition between experimental droning rock into grunge type stuff, which was more popular. This has got a bit of both. Obviously the guitars are insane, I love the weird tunings which just give them a different type of feeling to standard rock sounds, also the really unconventional playing styles, which make droning noises, like on the end of the second last song. The vocals are also amazing, both singers have such polar opposite styles to singing and song structure and stuff, but both are great. No downsides with this at all, I totally feel like all the experimentation pays off, even than song where there's just a dude telling a story is very interesting. Favourite songs: all of them. Overall around 9/10
1986 New York. Alternative rock, post-punk, noise rock. !!!!!
Mysterieuze gitaarmuziek. Dit genre trekt mij persoonlijk niet zo. Beetje vreemd en klinkt soms zelfs een beetje vals.
I feel dumb for ignoring Sonic Youth. This is the second albums that I have had of theirs on this challenge following "Daydream Nation." I do not like this quite as much but this is a really great album, "Tom Violence" is a great song and will be added to my playlist. 4/5
A good album, I liked Tom Violence and Death To Our Friends.
Probably would grow on relistening
I really didn't care for this... Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it I dunno. It's another one of the unusual inclusions on this list. I guess I kinda liked Shadow of a Doubt.
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 👄👧📸 Production: 🤔😐👍 Music: 😒🤷♂️📉 Rating: 🧋🧋/5
2,5
3.5 rounded up. moody goth album with peaks at weird noisy stuff and poppy alt-rock. always on the fence about kim and thurstons vocals but they work well enough here. rating possibly helped by listening on the first truly miserable monday of autumn.
"EVOL" is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Alternative rock, post-punk and noise rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Bingo! It was their first album on the SST label and the first one with drummer Steve Shelley who replaced Bob Bert who quit. The album was critically well-received and was noted for the bands' transition from no wave towards a greater pop sensibility. Bassist/Vocalist Kim Gordon called it their "goth" record. The other two bandmembers are Thurston Moore (vocalist/guitarist) and Lee Renaldo (guitarist/vocalist). And, yes EVOL is love spelled backwards. Eerie-sounding guitars, bass and drums open "Tom Violence." Moore on lead vocals as he sings about finding violence in everyone and the song was inspired by Television's Tom Verlaine. Piercing guitar and bass. "Shadow of a Doubt" starts out soft with plucking guitar and bass strings, soft drums and Kim whispering "kiss me in the shadows." The song explodes with screaming. It's a song inspired by an Alfred Hitchcock film and about a fever dream. Scary stuff indeed. The only single released was "Starpower." Melodic post-punk guitars and a more standard rock format. Kim on vocals again and a song inspired by a 1970 magazine "Star" aimed at underage groupies. It might start out straight but in comes guitar feedback and a rumbling bass and drums and carry it out through the outro. Lee Renaldo takes over lead vocals in "In the Kingdom #19." Former Minuteman Mike Watt on bass. Quick drums, screeching guitar and Renaldo doing spoken word about a motorcycle crash. Guitar slashes, a loud bass and drums begin "Expressway to Yr. Skull." This sounds a lot like the Who. Melodic, stretched guitar strings. The title's a reference to Greil Marcus' rock and roll history book "Mystery Train." Sometime after this album, the band opened for Neil Young who would go underneath the stage during this song since he really liked the guitars. The guitar sound on this album is my favorite on any Sonic Youth album. It's post-punk and stays there for the most part. There's an eerie atmosphere throughout. A clean mix of guitar, bass and drums. The band still explores the noise and experimental but really stays focused in the song structure. Lots of interesting literary and cultural references. This album started their great late 80's/early 90's run and really sounded good today.
I liked the breathwork on I believe it was "Shadow Of A Doubt" but I always try to start my day listening to the AOTD (Album Of The Day) and I was in the shower. But I liked it. So there's female and male vocalists? I also liked "Starpower" a lot. A fun and flippant punk pop rock ballad.
Started off quite promising then it all got a bit pointless! Another one of those bands I think musos like to say influenced them because they think it makes them seem cool or weird!
Experimental music. Not really my style. Nothing I'd want to listen to again.
Not bad. 3.5/5
Overall it’s fine. Good, even! Does this project really need *four* Sonic Youth albums? I submit that it does not.
3.75
Feels like the first album from SY I’ve tried that has clicked with me the most on first listen. Not sure I “get” their thing still but I like how goth and dissonant this album feels overall. Makes me want to fully dive into their discography front to back… EVOL, what a good-ass piece of weird music. “I’m the boy that can enjoy invisibility.”
Sonic Youth как-то избегал всегда моего пристального внимания и зря.
It’s mid. Nothing bad. Nothing great.
3.5
First listen. One of their best. High 4.5
I really liked thus more than I thought I would. What kinda struck me were like hints oh Siouxsie's *The Scream* which ended up being my second favorite S&tB album. Noise rock has to really walk a fine line for me to enjoy it. Just enough accessibility that I don't lose interest and just enough experimentation to challenge my comfort zone without scaring me off. This album walked that line, got the most part pretty well. In fact for most of this album it looked like it was going to be a moderate to low four-stars... until the the antepenultimate and penultimate songs, "Secret Girl" and "Marilyn Moore" which just went too far to the left field for my taste. But the closer reeled it back just enough to not totally tank the rating (even though the droning at the end went on a bit too long) 7.95 ★★★½
I really like this sort of abrasive noise rock, which still keeps a sort of melodicism hidden beneath everything else. 5 stars
Not my favorite era of Sonic Youth -- their next three albums are the sweet spot for me -- but you do get some signs of greatness here. I think the first few tracks are cool, and "Expressway to Yr. Skull" is one of the band's best songs. 3.5 Stars.
4.5
Ugh… Sonic Youth. This ain’t EVOL. It’s more like PARC or TISH. Certainly no hits on this record. 1.5 stars.
Was interested to put this on as I was aware of Sonic Youth but hadn’t listened to them at all. In my head I had them lumped in with early 90s grunge, but this was a little different than I expected. Sounds to me like a lot of Pixies influence but darker, harder and less concerned with melody. Can’t say I necessarily liked it but I did think it was interesting and probably worth another listen.
3.5 Gothy sonic youth. Drums didnt sound very good to me, too low in the mix.
I went into this project with a slight familiarity of Sonic Youth, and this will now be my third album of theirs to review. I gave five stars to both Sister and Daydream Nation, and despite already being familiar with Daydream Nation, Sister really blew me away. I’d consider myself a Sonic Youth fan, not because I listen to their music a lot, but because I enjoy them, and I think their music is incredibly interesting and influential. I’m not sure what to expect from EVOL, but I’m excited to fire it up! Like Sister and Daydream Nation, EVOL is another five-star album for me. I think I’ve come to realize that I just enjoy listening to Sonic Youth, but not for the same reasons that I enjoy other favorite artists of mine. Most of my favorite music, I like to listen to because I like to sing along to it, or because I just love having my ears full of beautiful melodies, but that’s not why I like Sonic Youth. I love them because I really enjoy their guitar playing, and I especially love how their albums are full of distinct and unique guitar sounds from song to song. On EVOL, I really loved how the electronic and synthesizer elements complimented the guitar playing so well. This album has such a sense of controlled chaos that I really loved. It’s chaotic to me because it’s not very melodically driven, but it feels controlled, because I know Sonic Youth meticulously crafted this sound to elicit certain feelings from the listener. These folks are just absolute masters of noise rock, and it really shows on this album. EVOL also had good balance of vocal contributions from both Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, but I also loved Lee Ranaldo’s spoken word vocals on “In the Kingdom #19.” Also, unlike most of my favorite albums, I don’t know that I have a favorite song off of this one. Each song really brought something unique to the table, and I liked how each song found new ways to hook me into its sound right off the bat. I still have Dirty and Goo to review, and I can’t wait for those to pop up for me.
M'n vijfde keer Sonic Youth. Daar vinden we wat van natuurlijk, maargoed, parkeren die emotie. Dit album lijkt net wat anders te zijn dan ik had verwacht bij Sonic Youth. Een beetje Post-Punk-achtig, New Wave, jaren '80 popmuziek, een lesuurtje CKV en een vleugje The Cure erbij. De eerste twee nummers doen me niet zo veel, maar Starpower vind ik wel tof met die rommelende bas. Doet me een klein beetje denken aan IDLES. Zo ook die piano bij Secret Girl. Daardoor zit er weer iets in m'n hoofd te roepen dat ik het eigenlijk leuk vind, terwijl ik het alsnog als een matig album ervaar. En weer komt het album voor mij eigenlijk nooit echt lekker op gang, wat ik vaker heb gehad bij deze band. Regelmatig is het een hoop geluid, maar iets te weinig muziek. Een 2 of een 3. Ik heb eigenlijk geen zin om beleefdheidspunten uit te delen. Ik hou het op 2 sterren.
Depressing album, makes The Cure sound like a happy fun band.
This is incredibly unpleasant to listen to. Diddling off-key garage quality punk rock is not my thing. 1/5
Sounds almost like punk rock if it had a twist of pop. Interesting sound. Vocals are a bit strange though.
3 (three!) whole albums so far by these random nobodies, are y'all insane?? I can stomach one but three completely uremarkable piles of guitar distortion, c'mon man that ain't Pink Floyd... Wait. I just checked and there are 5 fucking albums FIVE ALBUMS I REPEAT by fucking sonic youth which editor was drinking acid while letting this happen??
This is the first time I really sat down and listened to Sonic Youth. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting other than an alternative band that I believe was referenced on The Simpsons once or twice back in the early '90s. Well it certainly gets points for originality, I'm just not sure I'm going to be returning to this and there weren't any standalone songs that I really got into so I'm going to give it three out of five.
Jeg burde elske det her, men det gør ikke det store ved mig.
Ikke det bedste Sonic Youth jeg har hørt. Men fik også kun et lyt ind. Måske det skal høres igen.
Solid SY album. Not as catchy as their subsequent output. High 2s for me.
ugh. I cant sanction this noise. Every time I try another Sonic Youth album its just letdown after letdown.
I STILL don’t like Sonic Youth
This one got a lot better on headphones. Really cool sound. It took more than one listen but I'm glad I did. High three low four.
There could be less Sonic Youth albums on this list I liked this album for the most part, but I'd also say nothing popped for me If this is the album where the seeds are planted, then just skip to the produce. This is a list to listen to before one dies. Odd to waste time with a transitional album. Anyway, I like this as it reminds me of a band I liked in my youth, before I knew of Sonic Youth.
Yeah, a bit creepy for my tastes. But I can see the appeal to some.
Entre Bad moon rising y Sister (su disco que más me gusta) está EVOL, un disco puente, que insinua la excelencia que vendrá después. No es en abosluto un mal disco, los Sonic Youth JAMAS hicieron un disco que bajara del notable, pero es que sus siguientes álbumes están a un nivel inalcanzable. Fue disco bien recibido, que ha ganado enteros con el tiempo. Primer disco con Steve Shelley, el grupo cierra su alineación clásica y es un acierto porque su nivel técnico es muy superior al de sus predecesores. También es el primer disco con SST Records (de Black Flag), les valió para ganar audiencia, aunque luego se pasarían a Enigma, Capitol y por fin a Geffen. Los temas, menos noise que los anteriores, con delicias como Shadow of a Doubt o Expressway to Yr. Skull (o «The Crucifixion of Sean Penn» / «Madonna, Sean and Me»). Ruido, caos, tensión velevetiana, calma, un fondo onírico... aquí están Sonic Youth. Starpower fue el sencillo de este disco, más movda y convencional. También tiene a Lidya Lunch colaborando en Marilyn Moore (ya lo había hecho en Death Valley '69) y a Mike Watt de Minutemen tocando el bajo en In the Kingdom #19. Apenas 40 minutos de viaje que se hacen cortos.
## In-Depth Review of *E.V.O.L.* by Sonic Youth **E.V.O.L.** (1986) marks a pivotal moment in Sonic Youth's discography, bridging their abrasive no wave roots and the more structured, melodic experimentation that would define their later work. This review examines the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, and concludes with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Lyrics **Surrealism, Menace, and American Decay** The lyrics on *E.V.O.L.* are steeped in surrealism and menace, often blurring the line between narrative and abstraction. Tracks like “Tom Violence” and “Shadow of a Doubt” evoke a sense of unease, referencing violence, alienation, and the darker undercurrents of American life. The lyrics are rarely direct; instead, they employ oblique references and fragmented storytelling, drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Hitchcock films (“Shadow of a Doubt”) and American pop culture (“Expressway to Your Skull,” also known as “Madonna, Sean and Me”)[3]. Kim Gordon’s delivery, especially on “Shadow of a Doubt,” is breathy and haunted, channeling a dreamlike state that oscillates between vulnerability and threat. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo’s contributions are equally cryptic, weaving in references to celebrity culture, violence, and existential dread. The lyrics are less about clear messages and more about conjuring moods-disquiet, irony, and a fascination with the grotesque and the mundane[2][3]. --- ## Music **Dissonance Meets Melody** Musically, *E.V.O.L.* represents Sonic Youth’s first substantial step toward integrating melody into their signature dissonant sound. The album’s guitar work is characterized by alternate tunings, prepared instruments, and a willingness to let noise and feedback become compositional elements in their own right. Songs like “Tom Violence” and “Green Light” showcase a newfound interest in melody, but never at the expense of the band’s abrasive roots[3][4]. Steve Shelley’s drumming, debuting on this album, injects a punk energy and precision that grounds the band’s more chaotic tendencies[1]. The interplay between guitars is both violent and beautiful-tracks like “Expressway to Your Skull” build from hypnotic riffs into walls of noise, while “Secret Girl” uses prepared piano and spoken word to create an eerie, cinematic atmosphere[2]. The album’s sound is frequently described as “anti-rock”-dense, difficult, and at times intentionally alienating. Yet, moments of unexpected beauty and pop sensibility emerge from the chaos, hinting at the more accessible direction the band would later pursue[4]. --- ## Production **Lo-Fi Aesthetic and Sonic Experimentation** Recorded with Martin Bisi in New York, the production of *E.V.O.L.* is deliberately lo-fi and raw. The band intentionally used battered, often incomplete instruments, embracing their limitations as a source of creative friction. Most tracks were recorded in single takes, adding to the album’s immediacy and unpredictability[3]. Despite the roughness, Bisi’s production occasionally adds a layer of reverb, creating a cavernous, unsettling atmosphere. The band reportedly wanted the album to sound “junky,” reflecting the state of their instruments and their antagonistic relationship with mainstream polish. This approach results in a fractured, sometimes uneven sonic palette, but it is precisely this tension-between chaos and control, melody and noise-that gives the album its unique character[3]. --- ## Themes **Violence, Celebrity, and the American Psyche** *E.V.O.L.* explores themes of violence, celebrity culture, and the dark underbelly of American life. The album’s title, “love” spelled backwards, hints at the inversion of conventional values and the subversion of pop culture. Songs like “Death to Our Friends” and “In the Kingdom #19” delve into brutality and existential anxiety, while “Starpower” and “Expressway to Your Skull” reflect the band’s ambivalent fascination with fame and the commodification of identity[3]. There is a persistent sense of irony and black humor throughout, particularly in the band’s playful references to Madonna and other pop icons. The album also draws on literary and cinematic influences, with nods to Hitchcock, Norman Mailer, and the American avant-garde. This thematic richness is paired with a refusal to provide easy answers, leaving the listener to navigate a landscape of ambiguity and contradiction[3][2]. --- ## Influence **A Blueprint for Alternative Rock** *E.V.O.L.* is widely regarded as a turning point not only for Sonic Youth but for the broader landscape of alternative and indie rock. The album’s integration of noise, dissonance, and unconventional song structures with hints of melody paved the way for the explosion of alternative music in the late 1980s and 1990s. Bands like Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, and Interpol (the latter often compared to Sonic Youth, perhaps unfairly) owe a debt to the innovations showcased here[2][3]. The album’s willingness to embrace both avant-garde experimentation and pop culture references set a template for countless artists seeking to challenge the boundaries of rock music. Its influence can be heard in the work of later shoegaze, noise rock, and post-punk revival bands[2][4]. --- ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | |---|---| | Bold integration of melody and noise | Occasionally uneven and fractured | | Innovative guitar work and use of alternate tunings | Lo-fi production may alienate some listeners | | Thematic depth and lyrical ambiguity | Lyrics can be opaque and inaccessible | | Steve Shelley’s dynamic drumming | Some tracks feel underdeveloped or meandering | | Seminal influence on alternative and indie rock | Not as immediately accessible as later albums | --- ## Conclusion *E.V.O.L.* stands as a landmark in Sonic Youth’s evolution and in the history of alternative music. Its blend of dissonance and melody, surreal and menacing lyrics, and raw, lo-fi production create an album that is both challenging and rewarding. Thematically, it delves into violence, celebrity, and the American psyche with irony and depth, while musically it bridges the gap between the band’s no wave origins and their later, more accessible work. While the album’s fractured nature and deliberate roughness may deter some listeners, its innovations have proven profoundly influential. *E.V.O.L.* is not just a document of its time but a blueprint for future generations of musicians seeking to push the boundaries of rock. For those willing to engage with its complexities, it offers a haunting, exhilarating experience that continues to resonate decades after its release.
Started off good and I was digging it. Then it just got progressively weirder as the album went on. It was like a damn nosedive, I don’t whether to be impressed or concerned by their “creative” process.
Apprecite the experimental aspects of this album, but otherwise not my cup of tea: 2.5 stars
Maybe i just don't really enjoy punk?
Probably enough Sonic Youth.
I'm very curious to see James review on this one. It is sonically (no pun intended) not for me, but they do seem to craft a cohesive vibe throughout. It almost felt like a jam-band aesthetic mapped on to post-punk.
Soft
it's inaccessible it's probably not my favourite but i ammm gonna give every sonic youth album on this list a 5 because they are all 5s compared to so much stuff on here
Too discordant for my taste. Hard to believe this is from the 80s - ahead of its time.
Not super listenable but thats okay. Very unique and overall a solid project. Very interesting experimental stuff on here. I think 3.5 or 4... there are better sonic youth projects but this is still great
1. Tom Violence - 8.5/10 2. Shadow of a Doubt - 7.8/10 3. Starpower - 7.5/10 4. In the Kingdom #19 - 6.5/10 5. Green Light - 8/10 6. Death to Our Friends - 6.5/10 7. Secret Girl - 6/10 8. Marilyn Moore - 7.8/10 9. Madonna, Sean, and Me - 7/10 10. Bubblegum - 7.5/10 7/10
Getting Joy Division, early Cure vibes from this one. Rawer and more discordant than the other Sonic Youth albums I’ve had so far on the list (there’s five overall, this one was number four). If you’re looking to get into their music, I’d skip this and start with ‘Goo’ or ‘Daydream Nation’ which are both better representations of their music.
At this point, it almost feels like I should just copy and paste my other Sonic Youth reviews. I really want to understand the fuss, but these albums just don’t do anything for me. To my ears, it’s ok alt rock with nothing really exceptional. I know and accept that I’m in the minority with this opinion, but I can only review with my own thoughts!
Man, I loved Sonic Youth when I was a kid, then decided I didn't really like them that much. Now I can take or leave them. I only discovered them in the early 90s so this stuff from the mid-80s is new to me. Not bad, really.
Sonic Youth er eitt af þessum böndum sem þér þótti svaka töff í menntó, en hafði þó aldrei hlustað á complett, og aldrei á þessa. Og viti menn, þessi gamla plata er svona líka fín, og Bubblegum er algjör banger í lokin. Læti á köflum, en nýbylgjutöff læti.
It was onlky OK. Not one I'd deliberately pick again.
This is the third Sonic Youth album I've gotten. I enjoyed it, but do there really need to be three?
It was fine
That was all right
I never really got into Sonic Youth when they first got really big, and I kind of thought I wouldn't like them, but I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Shadow of a Doubt is a great tune.
This album is really interesting and creative. Not my kind of music — their sound is tortured, post-punk. But it’s clearly very well done and makes a statement. A three for now, but i may come back for another listen.
It’s slow n sludgy and not what I was expecting but now I’ll go listen to that one thurston Moore solo album that actually rips
*EVOL* finds the members of Sonic Youth bangin' and clangin' away on their respective instruments in an attempt to make some sort of manicured noise, but unfortunately the end product doesn't add up to much. Lead track "Tom Violence" starts to build up a head of steam but the loses focus by heading into a ditch for its middle third. Kim Gordon's subdued vocals on "Shadow of a Doubt" aim for an air of noir-ish mystery but instead sound affected. On "Starpower" her vocals are reminiscent of Nico's work with The Velvet Underground but flatter and less tuneful. The spoken-word "In the Kingdom #19" is also reminiscent of VU but comes across like undercooked beat poetry. "Green Light" has a steady pulse for a couple of verses and then pointlessly digresses into formless guitar noise. After a thumpin' and bumpin' first half that sounds like it was recorded in a warehouse, "Secret Girl" busts out a surprisingly pretty keyboard part and another overly-dramatic Gordon vocal. Not to be outdone, Thurston Moore takes a turn over-emoting in the subsequent track "Marilyn Moore". All is not lost though, because album closer "Expressway to Yr Skull" (aka "Madonna, Sean and Me") manages to sustain a full dose of rock 'n' roll energy for the majority of the song and actually earns its long atmospheric outro. It's also the sole moment on the record where the guitar excursions complement the song rather than capsizing it.
Sonic Youth's "E.V.O.L." is an album in search of its identity, with elements of new wave, post-punk, and goth within tracks that flirt with conventional pop structures. The record is characterized by a noise, featuring thrashing guitars and heavy, yet precise, drumming, particularly evident in songs like "Death to Our Friend" and "Tom's Violence." In contrast, "Secret Girl" provides a more subdued, albeit haunting, moment on the album. You can also see how this album borrows from early Joy Division, while also being an influence on many 90s artists (Nirvana come to mind), particularly in tracks like "Starpower" and "Bubblegum." Overall, "E.V.O.L." is an intersting album that showcases a band striving to redefine itself and transition into a new phase. However, I do not think this album holds up as well as their next few albums "Sister" or "Daydream Nation"
It has a rough beauty that is not something I fully enjoy. While I hit the demographic for Sonic Youth I have never loved them.
Nothing really stands out and it meshes together
This was like listening to a band tune up for 45 minutes and then just... call it an album. I get that it’s experimental, but sometimes experimental just sounds like no one said no. There’s a fine line between pushing boundaries and just making a mess. I respect the influence, but respect doesn’t mean repeat listens. I can hear the threads that inspired bands I love, but damn, the source is rough. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Shadow Of A Doubt - Starpower
I barely registered this album while i was working. i think there are a bit too many albums of sonic youth on this list. Because it is nothing special about this album. As i'm closing the end of this list i feel like this has been very biased towards the authors own preferences with an overload of some artist that i don't see as that important or unique. i only heard like 2 songs of sonic youth and after this list i still just remember those 2 but i feel like i have listened to their whole discography after this list. This band is a one hit wonder with a cult following.
Not my taste
I understand the significance - i am a sonic youth fan but this album is too dark and depressing for me. wristslashtastic .. no thanks!
Typically, guitar solos are not my thing, but this is the exception to the rule. I love the sound; it's chaotic, scattered, and fussy, but then it breaks into silence, which provides the space for it to avoid being noisy. The raspiness from the vocals to the guitars - yes, please.
Blackout daydreams. Ethereal noise. No wave psychedelia. On this album the full pallette - the SY alphabet - really comes into focus. Sonically innovative. Engaging grooves that willfully shift into alien terrain. Spoken word. A mix of the concise and the exploratory. Their first great album. But better albums await...
Brooding, gnarly and tough – one digs. There is an uncertainty about the proceedings that adds to the art-rock ambiguity, if it dilutes the impact somewhat. This laid a template for the more concentrated and direct work to come and the dreamier too (think Daydream Nation).
5/10. Just a bit too artsy for me. Clearly this is an album which heavily plays on dissonance, but this kind of stuff just doesn't really make me feel anything. Or it does, but they aren't emotions I want to feel and it's like they've been thrust upon me against my will. I will say that what this album does, I think it does pretty well, it's just not for me.
Some good moments.
This is a transitional album. It’s still heavy on the no wave influence of early Sonic Youth, but you’re starting to hear the melodic pop sensibilities that would become more prevalent on later albums. This is not my favorite Sonic Youth album but I found myself enjoying it more than when I first heard it. I chalk that up to having listened to a lot more of their work after this album. In context this is an obvious precursor to Daydream Nation, arguably their masterpiece, although I do love Washing Machine. It’s a solid album showcasing a band figuring out their sound.
Boring noise/industrial rock with no melody or redeeming features
E.V.O.L is an album that i have somewhat mixed feelings on. This album has an incredibly abstract sound to it where it seems to be picking some of the most random noises and putting them together with mixed results. The album does lack accessibility meaning that it can feel overly forgettable due to the album trying to be so artsy-fartsy. However, there are some pretty solid melodies here and the album definitely sounds cleaner than the last Sonic Youth album i have heard (Sister if you didn't check and i doubt you did anyways). This isn't the worst album but it isn't really the greatest one either. Best Song: Starpower Worst Song: Green Light
Poorly produced, noisy stoner rock. The only thing that really stood out was how much it sucked.
And so it began...
3.5
Goth vibes that I didn’t know Sonic Youth had. Thoroughly enjoyed it
Every song here slams. Possibly getting an even better score in the future. I had no idea sonic youth was so raw in the early days
Experimental rock. Kinda weird. Not what I'd pick to listen to.
I liked a couple of these songs more than I expected to, but most of this album just sounds like dissonant noise to me. It’s just not my thing.
Hm, een rock album word ik natuurlijk niet meteen heel blij van, maar het is een wat duisterder rock album dan standaard. Ik was eerlijk gezegd een beetje bang voor een 13 in dozijn punkrock album, maar dit is veel meer een moody duister traag album. Nummers zoals Secret Girl en Shadow of a doubt zijn bijna geen nummers te noemen, dit is meer een soort filmsoundtrack? Heel vet en heel erg sfeerverhogend. Jammer dat een hoop van de nummers juist niet veel meer doen dan de standaard rock nummers dus dat mn aandacht niet elk nummer vol is. In het Wiki artikel staat dat dit de blauwdruk is voor hun latere werk, als dat zo is ben ik daar wel benieuwd naar, want dit voelt nu als een hele vette start, maar duidelijk nog niet af. Nu is dit album best wel een beetje meh. Ik vind Sonic Youth sowieso niet fantastisch, maar de duistere, sfeervolle nummers op dit album doen me toch vermoeden dat deze band niet alleen maar saai kan zijn! Nu zijn ze dat alleen helaas nog wel... FAVO: Shadow of a doubt, Secret Girl
Meh. Not my thing
I like punk rock
One of the worst bands in the universe.
Easier to listen to than Daydream Nation, but not a go-to album for me. Bubblegum is a certified personal hit now
I don't remember it at all. Better than the other sonic youth albums we've listened to. Could maybe get into it if we listened to it a few more times.
This album overall reminded me of JC + the Voidz, but this one included more interludes, and made even less sense than the Voidz. Feeling a decent 3 here.
I’ve heard a couple of albums by Sonic Youth before and I’m torn. As a teenager trying to find my own style, I convinced myself that I could really like Sonic Youth, but I don’t know that this was ever really true. I liked some of their songs, but others just fell completely flat. Maybe they won’t ever be to my taste, or maybe I need to listen more thoroughly to appreciate them. I still enjoyed this album, and I’d give it another listen, but there are other works by Sonic Youth I’d rather hear.
Fuck no already. Overrated.
Sonic Youth, it never gels with me. This is loose sand wrapped in a hipsters mitten.
30/03/25 I have no feelings for this album.
liked the first half better
Art rather than music as such. Can see the appeal if you can appreciate it. Personally hope to never hear any of it alever again
Un solide Sonic Youth de la deuxième phase de Sonic qui est selon moi entre le 2ie album jusqu'à Daydream Nation. Ce n'est pas ma période préférée d'eux mais pour moi ça fait tout de même une écoute plaisante. La production 80s ajoute une couche de froid au bruit et voix sinistres et détachés d'émotions. On sent un certain cynisme, un détachement. J'aime bien
Bon, J'ai écouté d'une oreille plus distraite que d'habitude. J'aime beaucoup Sonic Youth mais il me semble que Sister qui vient après est pas plus essentiel. Il y a des moments forts, Starpower entre autres, mais on reste dans une ambiance vraiment lourde et dark. La production met vraiment une emphase sur un côté presque goth que je ne connaissais pas de SY. Mais bon. C'est pas lui que je vais ré-écouter. Si Daydream Nation est dans la liste, celui là ne fait pas partie des 1001 albums à avoir écouter dans sa vie.
Je sais pas. J'suis d'accord avec tout le monde. Ça s'écoute bien mais pas de goût de revenez-y. Je vais complètement oublier cet album. J'ai pas encore fini et je ne m'en rappelle pus déjà.
Some more Sonic Youth, ok. Lemme check I think this might be the 3rd album I've gotten from them? Yep third. This might be the oldest one so far. I think the other 2 were from the 90s. Yeah '88 and '90. mmmm I like this second track Shadow of a doubt. 4 stars
It’s noise but it’s noise with a purpose.
I liked Shadow of a Doubt and Bubble Gum, the rest were ok
I liked this more than I thought I would. That being said I didn’t love it. High 3 for these guys
3.5* 82%
Родители шугейза, Fitter Happier и много другого. E.V.O.L. - альбом про звук, его надо слушать чтобы кайфануть от него по настоящему. По звучанию его сложно назвать шугейзом каким мы его знаем по My Bloody Valentine, дебютника Blur и тд. Он представляет из себя смесь старого и нового рока, является переходной точкой между тем роком, который мы слушаем на батиных кассетах и роком, который мы слушаем в своих плейлистах. Определенно внушительный вклад в рок музыку. Дошугейзовые 4/5.
This record is dark, raw, and powerful. It’s a band hungry for revolution singing about pop culture and macabre situations. I love it.
Very influential because you can hear their sound in the 90s grunge scene but I could not find any tracks to grab onto from this album
Fattar inte storheten tyvärr. Tycker bara det är tråkigt. Tvåa.
Demasiado SY en esta lista EVOL sobra.
Again, not trying to yuck people's yum, this is just my opinion on this genre - I just don't enjoy this type of angsty music.
Loved it. another confirmation that i probably should have given these folks much more love when i was younger
fucking awesome
Big fan of sonic youth. Great band but I’m not super familiar with their discography outside of goo. But clearly I’ve been missing out cause this album is great. Shockingly haunting for a punk album but that’s really more of an accomplishment than a deterrent. Seriously if you are not familiar with SY I’d highly recommend them, but I would not recommend starting with this album. This felt like a more challenging album than others. It had a lot to offer to the listen as far as variety and creativity. But it’s still not the most accessible album to new fans. Really the only criticism is that I felt the middle of the album sort of meandered. Honestly though, this album is worth your time, super different.
Completely unknown band for me. the cover left me wondering if it was worth listening to. I got through it. It was tolerable.
Wanted to like this more than I did, last two songs were highlights (but last is a bonus song so doesn’t really count to me) 3.25/5