Hold That Tiger - Sonic Youth

Sister - Sonic Youth

Advantages: Loud, experimental, totally cool
Disadvantages: Not for the pop fan!

~~~A Personal History~~~ Sister is Sonic Youth's 5th album, but when it came out in 1987 it was the first of theirs that I had heard. 15 at the time, it blew me away. This is the album that fired me with a passion for music that has stayed with me to this day. To my pubescent mind, Sonic Youth were the embodiment of cool, no one would or could ever criticise my musical taste - if they didn't like Sonic Youth, they should at least admire them, and if they didn't, well to me that just demonstrated their lack of appreciation of good music. There was a mutual respect between the band and other serious musicians (Pubic Enemy, for example - Chuck D guests on Kool Thing), and I sensed this would extend to their fans. As a Sonic Youth fan and as a 15 year old girl, I felt untouchable, all powerful. All this was crystallised at a gig ...

sonic0209 16.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Sister - Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped

Advantages: Sonic Youth's creativity hasn't left them just yet
Disadvantages: Shame bonus tracks weren't part of the album proper

Rather Ripped is the, dare I say it, poppier follow-up to Sonic Youth's critically acclaimed duo comprising Murray Street and Sonic Nurse. And it doesn't disappoint; Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo serve up yet more intricate guitar interplay, while Kim Gordon provides agressive vocals and menacing bass alongside Steve Shelley's unfaltering drums. While it's not quite on a par with their best work, it serves as a reminder that Sonic Youth is as relevant today as it was in the early eighties. 1. Reena: one mouthwatering riff and it's like their ordered chaos of unorthodox guitar tuning and eerily cool vocals never went away. A barnstorming opener with powerful drums complementing Moore and Ranaldo's interweaving guitars. Gordon's breathy vocal floats effortlessly over this musical gem. 2. Incinerate: sounding like the roaring inferno ...

Aufwiedersehen 16.03.2008 (31.03.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Rather Ripped - Sonic Youth

An Influence of the New Music Youth

Advantages: A Classic, Atmospheric, Very Cheap
Disadvantages: Occassionally Repetitive, Some Filler

I'm a massive music fan, so when I saw that my mate owned the whole Sonic Youth back catalogue I decided to investigate and educate myself in Sonic Youth ways. The first Sonic Youth album I listened to was 'Goo', but I think 'Daydream Nation' is far more accessible for first time listeners for Sonic Youth. 'Daydream Nation' was originally released in 1988, but considering this was nearly twenty years ago now it doesn't sound dated at all. A new deluxe edition of 'Daydream Nation' is out this year (2007), but the original version is still knocking about and this is the one I'm reviewing. According to Amazon this original version of the album is a penny shy of £5, whereas the new deluxe version is nearer to £15, so I think its worth investing in the cheaper one while its still avaliable - especially if you're not a die-hard fan ...

tac20 21.05.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth