Not too long ago, it was accepted fact among pop culture commentators that nothing of any merit came out of the 80s, just big hair, bad fashion and danceable pop. Sonic Youth is the first (of many) arguments that can be made against that premise. They tore up New York's underground music scene with moderately long hair, phenomenal music, and, (eventually) danceable pop(?). The kind of pop that lame white kids would dance to in their bedrooms or art classes, accidentally slapping passer-bys with the wires to there walkman's headphones.

Here it is. The starting point. 'Daydream Nation'. In my opinion, it is the first record you should buy if you want to understand what SY is all about. 'Daydream Nation' is the perfect median between their earlier, more abrasive material, and the elaborate experimental rock compositions to come.
It was Sonic Youth's last independent label release. And it marked a change in the way they approached making music, a change that began with their previous album 'Sister'.
In the beginning, there was 'Confusion is Sex' their first full length. It is an amazing album full of amazing noise and rhythm, but perhaps not a good starting point for those who are used to more traditional guitar oriented music. That album made way for 'Bad Moon Rising' an odd, repetitive, barely coherent work that has some sort of confused beauty. The release of 'Sister' marked a new direction. They began writing 'real songs'. Songs with more coherent, almost traditional structure. They were writing pop music. Meaning: music that more people could relate to. This was not a sell-out. They improved. They made the pop context there own, they warped it into something different. Other bands tried to follow, often with less artistic success. (polvo, huggy bear, etc.,)

'Daydream Nation' was perfection of this new direction. It is near perfect Album.
The opening song, "Teenage Riot" is timeless. It is exactly what the title implies: an energetic, naive romp that doesn't let up. The guitar parts are well composed. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo's unconventionally tuned guitars sound great. One sounds almost like a violin, the other, like pure early-teen freedom. The song is almost awkward in its youthfulness. At first I almost didn't want to tell anyone I liked it.

The next song, "Silver Rocket" is pretty straightforward. You can hear where it may have influenced a couple of Nirvana songs. In the middle, it breaks into noise until it reaches a very predictable, yet extremely rewarding climax.

The tracks "the Sprawl" and "Cross the Breeze" are pure brilliance. The instrumental guitar break toward the end of "the Sprawl" is one of my favorite moments in recorded music. Ever.
It is mind bogglingly good. The guitars swirl and bite and kiss and almost seem to be thinking.
The greatest thing is, they barely sound like guitars. They just sound like music.
Kim Gordon's vocals are good on both songs.

The second half of the album starts off with "Candle". More brilliance. Great guitar work. "The Trilogy" near the end is fantastic, although some of Thurston's lyrics are a little sub-par.
"Providence" is a distant sounding piano track about how Moore accidentally threw away a bag of equipment when tripping on acid. It features an answering machine message from the bassist of great subculture fame, Mike Watt.

All in all, this album makes me feel odd. It doesn't exactly comfort me after a hard day of work. It ain't no easy listening. If you like it, it will absorb you. The record as a whole has a bit of an erie feel that doesn't quite go away, even when you get used to it. Because of this, it sounds fresh every time I listen to it.
What sets 'Daydream Nation' apart from other SY records, is that the vocals are much more palatable then on most of their other releases. On some albums I occasionally just want them to shut up and play their goddamn guitars.
To be honest I didn't like this album at first, or Sonic Youth for that matter. But, eventually it grew on me until I couldn't live without its wintry, youthful, dreamy sound.






Recommended: Yes