Sunday, July 22, 2007

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Seeing as a deluxe edition of this album has recently been released, I figured that now would be as good a time as ever to talk about it. It is after all, an album more than worthy of a few words. Sonic Youth’s tale is a rather bizarre one. Despite so many people being oblivious to their existence, they remain as one of the world’s most influential bands. They have never reached a status of stardom and nor did they need to. They managed to touch all right people and it was through notoriety and word of mouth that Sonic Youth gradually gained the respect they deserved. These days, you’d be hard pressed finding a musician who isn’t influenced by them in one way pr another, even if they don’t realise it. If you are one of those people who are only just now thinking that it is time you gave Sonic Youth a listen, I dare say your music tastes are about to take a turn for the better. You don’t find Sonic Youth by listening to ‘hits’ on the radio, you find them by scratching beneath the surface, looking for deeper meaning and a greater challenge for your senses. Daydream Nation is frequently quoted as the best Sonic Youth album, or at least the most significant and serves as a great introduction to the band, as it did for me just a few short months ago. I’m certainly not the biggest expert on Sonic Youth, but I don’t think that should stop me talking about them. As I discovered Daydream Nation, fell in love with its subtleties, realised that its seemingly ‘standard’ sound was evidence of the profound impact it had, I was left craving more. I’m not quite sure what’s in this deluxe edition, but it seems to me like nows the perfect time to reignite the flame, in old fans and newcomers alike.

Teen Age Riot – As the first track on the album, this song intrinsically linked with the album in my mind. The guitars are so simple yet perfect and as with the whole album, my dislike for long songs seems to simply vanish.

‘Cross The Breeze – This song must have made a pretty significant impression on me cause I was screaming the lyrics at people, much to their bewilderment, all last night. It represents the rougher, more frantic side of their sound.

Released: 10/1988 | Website | Myspace

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