Sonic Youth, initially comprising of guitarist / vocalists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, guitarist / bassist / vocalist Kim Gordon and drummer Richard Edson, were formed in New York City in 1981. A product of the No-Wave music scene of the late 1970s, the group had their roots in abrasive, experimental music, with Moore and Ranaldo having previously worked with the experimental composer Glenn Branca. The band were joined in 1985 by drummer Steve Shelley, and have now recorded 14 albums together, as well as many side and solo projects. Their work has been consistently challenging and innovative, and they are widely regarded as one of the most intriguing and influential bands of their time. This view has been added to by the strength of their record "Sonic Nurse", which also featured the talents of Jim O'Rourke.
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Sonic Youth
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sonicyouth.com, saucerlike.com, MySpace, luxnet.at/sonic-youth/homepage.html, scaruffi.com/vol4/sonicyou.html, Twitter
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Sonic Youth
Band, The | Chronic Youth | S.Y. | Sonic Youth, The | Sonic-Youth | Sonik-Youth | Sonik-Youth, The | SY
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Reviews & Discussion
Very underrated band in my opinion. Consistent with the high quality of their releases over such a long span.
I notice they're even widely unknown to people who actually care about indie / alternative rock and go to a lot of gigs, listening to Bloc Party, Maximo Park and the like (well, at least a few years back - you get the picture), for example, which seems unfair.
I notice they're even widely unknown to people who actually care about indie / alternative rock and go to a lot of gigs, listening to Bloc Party, Maximo Park and the like (well, at least a few years back - you get the picture), for example, which seems unfair.
Who would've thought that 20 years down the road SY will still be playing music and moreover will be featured in cartoons ?
But it is happening, despite the fact that they're were one of the most abrasive bands around in the 80's and even though they lessened a volume little bit by now, it still holds true to some extent. Of course, its not always hits in case of SY and there are plenty of misses in my humble opinion, but still...
They put "noise" in "noise rock" and did almost inevitable - forced masses to appreciate loud and filthy distorted sound, as opposed to traditional pop/rock wankery.
But it is happening, despite the fact that they're were one of the most abrasive bands around in the 80's and even though they lessened a volume little bit by now, it still holds true to some extent. Of course, its not always hits in case of SY and there are plenty of misses in my humble opinion, but still...
They put "noise" in "noise rock" and did almost inevitable - forced masses to appreciate loud and filthy distorted sound, as opposed to traditional pop/rock wankery.
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The band began using non-traditional guitar tunings and methods to produce an awe-inspiring sound that had never been heard before. On Confusion is Sex, this sounds very raw, but by Sister, this sound had been perfected. For me, Sister is the band's peak. The epic Daydream Nation that followed is often hailed as their best, but nothing comes close to the sheer experimentation that resulted in Cotton Crown (Sister).
By Goo, the band had moved to the David Geffen label and perhaps due to the pressure of following up on Daydream Nation, the album sounds over produced and stifled, lacking the creative energy of their earlier releases. This was recaptured to some extent on Dirty, however the band moved away from their sonic experimentation roots to a new, more commercial sound from here on in.
I would list them as the most creative band since Pink Floyd by a mile. Sister and Daydream Nation are works of true genius.