Hey man, I think they're one of the best bands ever...but the noise is VERY interesting to me. If it doesn't work for ya, I guess it just doesn't work.
Its not whether you get it or not; you may like other noise, and yes, some bands have much more noise, but sonic youth is all about bringing noise to a listenable pop/punk sensiblity. Oh, and go see them live sometime...wow
I only own 6 out of the 19 Sonic Youth albums, and I would consider myself a fan. However, I only listen to a few of those 6 albums that I own: 'Washing Machine' (1994, possibly the best Sonic Youth I've heard), 'Dirty' (1992, I'll call this 2nd best), and parts of 'A Thousand Leaves' (the song "Hoarfrost" is reason enough to buy that album but the tracks fronted by Kim Gordon were kind of annoying). I really dig the early- to mid-'90s Sonic Youth because they seemed more like an experimental punk band than just a noise band.
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Posts: 35 | Location: Madison, WI | Registered: 20 June 2005
I also believe Daydream Nation is a little overrated. But worth the price just for "Teen Age Riot." After that song, I kind of space out and the rest of the album just kind of drifts by. I think that's how it's supposed to work. Too bad you'd have to flip the vinyl three more times on the LP version.
Posts: 2 | Location: Georgia, USA | Registered: 05 July 2004
Sonic Youth is a great band and yeah, maybe they're overrated. But Sonic Youth is all about technical music and melodies and calculated sounds, even more since a while. Some people will say they don't even rock since a couple of years. The answer is: yeah, and it's normal. It's a miracle for them to be alive 25 years long. It's a miracle that they walk with their own feets and that they can sing again (if you think Kim can sing...she can but can't control his voice totally). They play what they want to play and that's all. Maybe they are not original because they repeat themselves, but i'm not the one who think that. The 2004 album was called "sonic nurse", the next will be "sonic life", and i hope the next after will be "sonic sonic" or "sonic death" just to laught even more at people who hate them.
No possible way. Sonic Youth are amazing. Try going through Daydream Nation track-by-track with breaks in-between (except for the Trilogy). That's what I had to do with Disintegration, sometimes an album's just packed too full.
Speaking of Disintegration, good album though it may be, the Cure are far more overrated than Sonic Youth - at least Sonic Youth can still make an incredible album or two (Murray Street/Sonic Nurse).
But no way are they the most overrated band ever, you just don't 'get' it. Either you'll come around eventually or you're just closed-minded and always will be, but the Youth are essential and always will be.
Posts: 76 | Location: Ohio | Registered: 21 May 2005
Originally posted by Crash: First of all, comparing Sonic Youth to a musical entity as great as Aphex Twin is close to blasphemy in my book. Secondly, my beef with Sonic Youth is not an issue of accessibility. It's an issue of bad music that completely lacks anything resembling, say, melody, or some other such thing.
If you think Sonic Youth's music lacks "melody, or some other such thing" than not only do you not get it, but you're a fucking idiot.
Posts: 22 | Location: So Cal | Registered: 26 January 2006
Originally posted by Crash: And don't tell me I don't get it. I enjoy arty music as much as the next guy. But artiness is all Sonic Youth has. They just throw a bunch of noise together with some pseudo-meaningful lyrics in a sad effort to try to sound smart. I can't tell you how angry I was after buying Daydream Nation because of "Teen Age Riot" and about 50 million glowing reviews, only to discover it was garbage.
I personally love Sonic Youth (well at least four of their albums). I think the Beatles is the most overrated band of all time. I'm not saying that they're bad, just that critics seem to worship their music to cultic porportions. I just think they were a very good pop band.
Posts: 838 | Location: Portland, OR | Registered: 22 October 2005
It's so sad how Sonic Youth has embarrassed SY fans post-Dirty. I will admit, everything since Experimental Jet Set has been crap.
But everything from Confusion is Sex to Dirty (at least the first half of Dirty) makes Sonic Youth the best band of all time.
The funny thing is, most people that don't like '82-'92 SY don't like them actually because they don't get them.
The deep lyrics, the intense, harsh, dissonant, atonal, noise-rock textures, etc, really leave many causal music listners who only listen to boring, simple, non-threatening music very threatened. Basically, they are afraid that they will feel stupid if they try to even decipher their lyrics, so they don't even try.
The dissonant atonality of Daydream Nation or Bad Moon Rising, like another poster said, is very offensive to many people, who see music as more of an escape from a complex and scary world, as opposed to an expression of it. Basically, they like rock'n'roll that just "soothes the soul."
It's sad to see so many "cool" indie hipsters trash 82-92 Sonic Youth because they just don't have the mental capacity to understand more complex forms of expression. (Refer back the the thread-starter who called the lyrics "pseudo-meaningful" just because this moron can't understand the lyrics.)
Instead, they turn to music that has sucked all of the passion, intensity, and complexity out of music and rehash simple 60's rock'n'roll. (Think Strokes, White Stripes, etc)
Edit: If you are one that hasn't heard much early SY, download the songs Hey Joni, Eric's Trip, The Wonder, Pipeline/Kill Time, Cross the Breeze, and Wish Fulfillment.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: slipdream,
Welcome, and that's a very interesting post. However, I wish to point out a coupla three things about it.
1. The Atonality of Bad Moon Rising is much more Capital A than that of Daydream Nation. Bad Moon Rising was the first Sonic Youth album I actually bought at the time of release, and I still have it on vinyl and played it recently, as well as playing my double vinyl of Daydream Nation. This leads me to...
2. Your claim about many people, perhaps at this site, most of whom you probably don't know, although I'm sure you personally know a few in your own experience, who you make BROAD generalizations about, such as "they just don't have the mental capacity to understand more complex forms of expression", "only listen to boring, simple, non-threatening music", "they are afraid that they will feel stupid", "they turn to music that has sucked all of the passion, intensity, and complexity out of music". This sounds like something God might pass on down to his cretinous fruit-eating children. I understand that you FEEL about things which you feel about, so I hope that I don't have to explain that others MAY FEEL too, so lighten up. I think it's the best way to share. P.S. If I sound overbearing, I'll lighten up too.
3. I believe that there are plenty of Sonic Youth lovers and haters here. I think that I'm a lover, but calling them the best band of all-time is quite daring (I'll admit, points for you), so can you explain that opinion clearer and friendlier, so we can all continue this interesting discussion.
"Naked Woman, Naked Man Where did you get that nice sun tan?"
Posts: 12945 | Location: Behind the Orange Curtain | Registered: 14 May 2004
I get the feeling that Sonic Youth are actually taken for granted, and are actually supremely underrated. Their style is one of a kind, and their songs are intricate yet bombastic.
With kids going for the hollow posing of Grizzly Bear these days, it's hardly a surprise that Sonic Youth has fallen off the map, but it is undeserved. They are spectacular.
Posts: 21 | Location: South Korea | Registered: 14 September 2006
Originally posted by slipdream: It's so sad how Sonic Youth has embarrassed SY fans post-Dirty. I will admit, everything since Experimental Jet Set has been crap.
I'm sorry, you're not a Sonic Youth fan. Next.
Posts: 21 | Location: South Korea | Registered: 14 September 2006
