also in the 90s, they had a larger presence as arbiters of cool than a band, ime.
― mizzell, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:03 (six years ago) link
Honestly, they seem completely irrelevant now, and we should really be talking about some band that the Spotify algorithm likes. Consigned to the dustbin of history.
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:03 (six years ago) link
Like, isn't there some North Korean band that glenn likes that should be taking their place in this discussion?
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:05 (six years ago) link
Evol-Sister was the peak and both sound fat as fuck imo
― The Remoans of the May (Noodle Vague), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:05 (six years ago) link
man I'm listening to A Thousand Leaves right now, it's so good, they really fell in love with phaser pedals
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:05 (six years ago) link
xp yeah EVOL and Sister have p good production, but imo the songs on Daydream Nation are better
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:06 (six years ago) link
They peaked with Daydream Nation, you can't surpass Teenage Riot.
― Grantman, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:07 (six years ago) link
they actually did, it's called "Rain on Tin"
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:07 (six years ago) link
i guess as they got songier i loved them less but Sister at least has a bunch of great songs even if i don't love "Schizophrenia"
― The Remoans of the May (Noodle Vague), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:08 (six years ago) link
and i've got no problem with anthemic but it's not a thing i associate with or want from SY
― The Remoans of the May (Noodle Vague), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:09 (six years ago) link
DN might be their best album and imo Trilogy is the best thing on it
― imago, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:10 (six years ago) link
They never really mastered songwriting, and hence music was forced to rely on the likes of Steve Kipner and other professionals. Thank god songwriting was recovered from the ignorant masses. It's the only reason we still have music as we know it today...
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:10 (six years ago) link
Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped are two of their best albums. So many good tunes.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:10 (six years ago) link
'88-94
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:10 (six years ago) link
― The Remoans of the May (Noodle Vague), Friday, May 12, 2017 2:05 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
otm. i'd add bad moon rising too
― marcos, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:13 (six years ago) link
Good questions to ask: why were they important (or were they). Which albums were important in terms of musical history.
I'm sure that Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped are the correct answers. Thanks, fuckwad, or whatever your name is. Amazing tunes, whooo!
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:13 (six years ago) link
alfred otm, NYC G&F thru Rather Ripped is easily their best run.
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:14 (six years ago) link
EVOL/Sister for me too. I was 16 in 1992 though *blows minds*
tbh I at least like most of their stuff from all decades
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:14 (six years ago) link
NYC G&F is an outlier, thanks to stolen equipment and a credulous bass player....
― dlp9001, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:15 (six years ago) link
listening to NYC G&F for the first time in a while, never noticed the O'Rourkian glitch-fest at the end of the first track.
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:20 (six years ago) link
Their mid-80s run (Bad Moon Rising/Evol/Sister/Daydream Nation) is great, Goo is a misstep, Dirty is crap, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is almost good, and everything afterward is completely irrelevant.
― Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Violent J (誤訳侮辱), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:22 (six years ago) link
A cord and a pedal and a life that'll do for now
― calstars, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:22 (six years ago) link
tbh I at least like most of their stuff from all decades― Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 May 2017 13:14 (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 May 2017 13:14 (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This is true for me too but I guess I would place the peak in the 80s, since those five main studio albums still seem another-level to me. First, I was a little intrigued by flappy bird's comments on production, considering how someone born in 1993 might have no reference point for a time when it was a lot more difficult and expensive to get recording fidelity. But then he went and liked the production on Evol and Sister so that's probably not what's going on.
I hate most of that Ciccone Youth thing, though.
― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:24 (six years ago) link
I do rate Murray Street about as high as the 80s albums, though!
― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:26 (six years ago) link
i've never liked the production on daydream nation: everything seems masked, sister has a much richer sound
― mark s, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:29 (six years ago) link
For me the turning point was seeing them supported by Pavement in 92. Pavement just felt so inspired in comparison - I didn't feel the need to see SY again. Hence my vote for 80s.
― Grantman, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:30 (six years ago) link
90s sonic youth is so bad
― just another (diamonddave85), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:30 (six years ago) link
― Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Violent J (誤訳侮辱), Friday, May 12, 2017 2:22 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
also otm
― marcos, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:30 (six years ago) link
Hah hah, not touching this thread. Range of opinions on SY evidenced over and over again to be too varied. Last stretch of comments all as correct or wrong as any other. Good luck.
― grandavis, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:33 (six years ago) link
― mark s, Friday, May 12, 2017 2:29 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah this is otm, Sister sounds much more saturated.
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:34 (six years ago) link
Never really got why so many people think Dirty is crap tbh
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:46 (six years ago) link
They became interesting with 100% and should have called it quits after Creme Brulee.
― how's life, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:46 (six years ago) link
We've got a sound! = EVOL, Sister, DYWe've got a modern rock/MTV audience! = Goo, Dirty, EJTSLet's jam! = WM, ATY, NYCG&FWe've learned to combine these things! = MS, SN, RR
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:49 (six years ago) link
I like to love every one of these albums except WM and the one released in 2009.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:50 (six years ago) link
murray st and sonic nurse are my favs so i guess 00s
― ciderpress, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:54 (six years ago) link
Murray Street was the biggest disappointment for me because they brought in the two saxophonists from Borbetomagus on one song, and then just had them bleat softly in the background for like a minute.
― Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Violent J (誤訳侮辱), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:56 (six years ago) link
much too long, yes
― mark s, Friday, 12 May 2017 18:59 (six years ago) link
Sister sounds much more saturated.
Oh, totally. It was done on an all-tube analogue board, which I'm pretty sure they pushed/saturated. Such a pleasantly warm and in-the-red sound.
― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:59 (six years ago) link
"Kotton Krown" and "Theresa's Sound-World" are my favorite let's-simmer-in-sound-for-its-own-sake SY moments.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:00 (six years ago) link
Daydream Nation was the peak, but the biggest dropoff didn't come until after Goo.
― 20-lol pileup (WilliamC), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:05 (six years ago) link
i love the diversity of opinions itt :)
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 19:16 (six years ago) link
which are the LPs not yet repped for?
― mark s, Friday, 12 May 2017 19:16 (six years ago) link
whichever they are they are are the best
― mark s, Friday, 12 May 2017 19:17 (six years ago) link
I still love all those 80s records.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:20 (six years ago) link
― mark s, Friday, May 12, 2017 3:16 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Confusion is Sex & SYR series
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 May 2017 19:21 (six years ago) link
Washing Machine and A Thousand Leaves are my favorites and the ones I return to most often though being in my teens when they were released is no doubt a contributing factor.
― evol j, Friday, 12 May 2017 19:22 (six years ago) link
Confusion was included in this:
those five main studio albums still seem another-level to me
― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:22 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506nWs6Wi-U
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:23 (six years ago) link
EVOL is apex for me. it's the one where it sounded like they could be almost anything at all, and most of the tracks on it feel less 'received' or stereotyped in terms of structure than Sister and later records. That would become their biggest weakness to my ears, ditty after ditty...
― fish louse (Jon not Jon), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:24 (six years ago) link
My favorite albums from Sonic Youth are Daydream Nation and Goo.I pretty much like to imagine a world where Sonic Youth is a pop band.So in my little world they peaked from 1988-1990. Not sure how that translates to the poll answers tho.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Friday, 12 May 2017 19:35 (six years ago) link
Considering the 90s were a time where Beck was into drone guitar and Olivia since before he could speak and he was so slack that his real name was the sound of a sneaker hitting the wall I think that playing into the dissonance = credibility = cool equation was probably a part of it, even if the story of them starting SYR to allay "sell-out" accusations was spurious
― fgti, Saturday, 10 June 2017 00:13 (six years ago) link
that Beck interview is fucking classic. SYR4 is great.. i was a super-stupid fan of sonic youth in 1999, and it fell right in line with my own trajectory outwards, discovering the larger world of music, fucking around with sounds and recording regularly. side A (of 4) sounded fully unhinged, with Kim G's vague, hushed vocals woven into the loose fabric - it was mysterious and difficult to understand. it introduced me to Christian Marclay, who made satisfying percussive sounds w/turntable, records etc. on "Burdocks" (a highlight) and throughout the four sides (the longer Cage pieces esp.) "Six for New Time" is another highlight, maybe the closest thing resembling a song (Slint-like?) on the album, and it introduced me to Pauline Oliveros. loved the variety of percussion and electronic sounds, the general sparseness of it, with meaty textures and odd juxtapositions.. but the ideas it presented were sometimes more appealing than the actual material/results. i'm glad to have been naive or ignorant of any supposed political or aesthetic intent for the album at the time, though i really dug the layout (font, graphics etc.) of the SYR series.
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Saturday, 10 June 2017 00:14 (six years ago) link
― fgti, Friday, June 9, 2017 8:13 PM (twelve minutes ago)
this post is poetry
― flappy bird, Saturday, 10 June 2017 00:30 (six years ago) link
True story (and PUA tip): I shared that interview with my current partner of 3.5 years when we were first courting.
― Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow (Sund4r), Saturday, 10 June 2017 00:44 (six years ago) link
SYR4 is great.. i was a super-stupid fan of sonic youth in 1999, and it fell right in line with my own trajectory outwards, discovering the larger world of music, fucking around with sounds and recording regularly.
This was very similar to my experience. By '99, I'd just started getting seriously into experimental composers. From my weirdly self-absorbed pov, it just seemed like a logical direction for them to go at the time, with the alternative moment in popular culture having more or less passed, esp after they had already put out a 20-minute song that was mostly a noise jam on a Geffen record.
― Tomorrow Begat Tomorrow (Sund4r), Saturday, 10 June 2017 13:11 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Sunday, 11 June 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Monday, 12 June 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
154 votes! nice. kinda surprised that 00s placed last
― flappy bird, Monday, 12 June 2017 00:03 (six years ago) link
The results are too close
― EZ Snappin, Monday, 12 June 2017 00:13 (six years ago) link
Lmao
― the rockists' red glare (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 12 June 2017 17:44 (six years ago) link
this fuckin guy http://pitchfork.com/tv/22-over-under/1987-thurston-moore-rates-harry-styles-vaping-and-90s-nostalgia/
― DPRK Nowitzki (lpz), Monday, 12 June 2017 18:03 (six years ago) link
154 votes
wtf
― Οὖτις, Monday, 12 June 2017 18:04 (six years ago) link
xp i love that when they get to "90s nostalgia" thurston sounds like he's midway through a stereotypical old person speech "which was the style at the time..."
also damn i know i've thought this and probably posted this before but are those caricatures they do for the over/under's intentionally really bad and unflattering?
― flappy bird, Monday, 12 June 2017 18:15 (six years ago) link
The "1987" in that url was really fucking with my head.
― the rockists' red glare (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 12 June 2017 18:29 (six years ago) link
vaping blows
― busy bee starski (m coleman), Monday, 12 June 2017 18:43 (six years ago) link
otm
― flappy bird, Monday, 12 June 2017 18:49 (six years ago) link
"Sugar is just wicked at my age."
― flappy bird, Monday, 12 June 2017 19:20 (six years ago) link
hey that too (i'm the same age as him); weight gain is a bitch for old dudes, even stringbeans like thurston
― busy bee starski (m coleman), Monday, 12 June 2017 19:26 (six years ago) link
TeenAge wiot
― calstars, Tuesday, 13 June 2017 01:29 (six years ago) link
hello twenty, fifteen!
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Tuesday, 13 June 2017 17:58 (six years ago) link
sister-sister-sister
― space2k, Monday, 19 June 2017 18:31 (six years ago) link
radical adults lick godhead style
― reggie (qualmsley), Monday, 19 June 2017 19:16 (six years ago) link
boys go to jupiter get more stupidergirls go to mars become rockstars
― flappy bird, Monday, 19 June 2017 19:52 (six years ago) link
one two one two one two titty
― massaman gai, Monday, 19 June 2017 19:54 (six years ago) link
don't forget to close the door
― the rockists' red glare (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 20 June 2017 04:09 (six years ago) link
Terror Twilight’s second attempt at actualization began at Sonic Youth’s Lower East Side studio/practice space Echo Canyon, rented out to the band at friends’ rates. The manageable budget was the main attraction but within a couple days it became apparent that the studio’s sundry idiosyncrasies were a bridge too far for Godrich. Acceptable headphone mixes were nearly impossible to achieve and the faders were upside down.
they peaked a lot when the faders were upside down, probably
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 9 April 2022 15:25 (two years ago) link