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User
Soundoffs 66
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Last Active 12-11-18 5:41 pm
Joined 06-18-11
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| Top 20 Sonic Youth Songs
Sonic Youth is one of the best bands in the last 50 years. These are my personal favorite songs by the band from a career spanning 30+ years. I'm partial to their later work, in the 2000's mainly but I do like a lot of their early work as well. Please be gentle in your judgements. | | 1 |  | Sonic Youth
The Eternal
Antenna - The Eternal will likely be the last studio album by SY. It's unfortunate. The album is a bit lopsided compared to their other releases from the 2000-2009 decade. Amidst excellent SY songs are some downright silly ones. However, in my opinion, Antenna is the gem that takes the album from a mediocre one to a great one. It's everything I love about the band and if this be their swan song, it's one helluva song to go out on. | | 2 |  | Sonic Youth
Sonic Nurse
Stones - Sonic Nurse is my favorite album by SY. From start to finish the album is near perfect in my opinion, and is truly underrated when considering the age of the band at the time. Stones falls in the middle and offers that unique bridge so few albums are able to maintain these days. | | 3 |  | Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation
Teenage Riot - Of course, it had to be on here. It's the quintessential SY song just because without it, we all probably wouldn't know who SY was. This song really needs no description or reason, but I will say that the individual parts of Riot are what make it so enjoyable. Kim's intro, then launching into their most memorable riff, and the modern punk influenced lyrics - its the most SY became truly defined. | | 4 |  | Sonic Youth
Rather Ripped
Incinerate - The most accessible SY song of all time, is also one of their best imo. Not because it was on the radio but because of fond memories and because it has the warmest guitar riff I've ever heard. I cannot listen to Incinerate without feeling completely relaxed for lack of a better term. | | 5 |  | Sonic Youth
Dirty
Sugar Kane - A lot of people don't like Dirty. I love it. As far as the 90s are concerned, Sonic Youth was just that - dirty. Screeching guitars and in your face punk/alternative - except for this song. This is pure pop bliss from a band not known for many pop songs of this caliber. | | 6 | | Sonic Youth
Sonic Nurse
The Dripping Dream - I told you, I love Sonic Nurse. This gives us Thurston at his most lucid, with very descriptive, poetic lyrics, that display some of his best wordplay. Moore's lyrical accomplishments were already pretty vast by the time he reached this moment, so further exploration wasn't expected of him, but it was a welcome addition. Nurse is filled with several moments like this, which is probably why it's my favorite. | | 7 |  | Sonic Youth
Washing Machine
Becuz - Washing Machine is underrated. It's Kim's record ultimately, and there's not a single poor song on the album. I'm not a huge fan of Kim's vocals on most albums, they can go either way for me. But here, the way she whispers her vocals almost, with such a hushed feel, it's very comforting. Washing Machine is one of my favorite albums by the band, particularly because of this and Junkie's Promise. | | 8 |  | Sonic Youth
Sister
Schizophrenia - Sister rules. Hard. The opening track is one of the best openings to an album I've heard. Double duty from our two vocalists, a memorable riff, and the beginning of one of SY's most iconic albums. Truly an awesome introduction. | | 9 |  | Sonic Youth
Murray Street
Disconnection Notice - Murray St. surprised many. Not a lot of people thought SY could rebound after NYC, but they did and reinvented themselves for the new millenium. A lot of people will praise The Empty Page, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but for me Disconnection Notice does what Empty Page did for the start of this album - it pulls you in. The albums fairly short on tracks, so to me, Page and Notice act as bookends for the album in a way (I realize that Notice is not the last track on the album, ty) that keeps us listening. | | 10 | | Sonic Youth
Dirty
100% - Dirty's probably my favorite 90s SY album running close with Washing Machine. 100% was one of my first exposures to SY and it remains to this day as one of their best pure rock songs. When I mentioned how SY was "dirty" in the 90s, nothing says dirty like 100%. It sounds at times like this song was written for Kim to sing, but Thurston's vocals are perfect for it. | | 11 |  | Sonic Youth
Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star
Bull in the Heather - Kim can be polarizing at times but I think it's in a good way. Here, on this highlight from Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, she's in top form. Experimental is another underrated album for sure but pretty much most of their 90s material is underrated to me. Bull in the Heather is all Kim, no trash. | | 12 | | Sonic Youth
Washing Machine
Junkie's Promise - The opening lyric may be one of the silliest upon first listen. But I feel that if patient with this Moore song, an appreciation will develop. As I already stated, Washing Machine is more or less Kim's album, she plays guitar on most of the album, vocals on half, and she's the face of the album. So anything that Moore does is going to be unique because of his rather small presence on the album. Promise is one of those few moments on the album when the focus is on Moore, and he executes the lyrics pitch perfectly. | | 13 | | Sonic Youth
Rather Ripped
Do You Believe in Rapture? - Closing out Rather Ripped was probably difficult. The band had reinvented themselves again for the 2000's and this was their last great album before the unven The Eternal. To close out RR, SY had to reflect a bit on such a massive career. The minimalism infused into Rapture is one of the best examples of SY at their most stripped down. Moore's vocals are clean, and very contemplative. One of the best ways to close out an album, Rapture is a more tender SY if you will. | | 14 | | Sonic Youth
The Eternal
No Way - Antenna and No Way make The Eternal a great album just by being there. Given what we learned 2 years later about the future of the band, No Way could be viewed as a forshadowing to the Moore/Gordon split. It sounds like a bunch of other songs by SY, but what stands out is the content, and even the realization years later that it could have been an expression from Moore as to the issues residing in their 27 year long marriage. It's haunting in a way. | | 15 | | Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation
Trilogy - Many will probably wonder why I'm listing this as the 2nd best closer to an album considering just how friggin epic this is, but DayDream Nation gets a lot of praise for many reasons - so its expected of it to have such a dynamic and blistering finale. The trilogy is an epic 14 minutes in length, and it' doesn't need an explanation. If you've listened to Daydream Nation, you've heard it, and you know. | | 16 | | Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation
Silver Rocket - If I had to pick a song that would keep many from enjoying Sonic Youth it would be Silver Rocket. It's a fast SY song, and it follows up the engaging Teenage Riot which could be polarizing for anyone new to SY. But here Moore's splintering vocals are what captures me the most on it. It's already on one of the greatest SY albums, and it's even more incredible live. | | 17 |  | Sonic Youth
Goo
Dirty Boots - I know a lot of people are fans of Goo, and it's a solid effort by SY, but it's particularly low on my list of their albums for one reason or another. Granted, I have not spent as much time with Goo as I have the others probably, but I'm still a fan of Dirty Boots, continuing on with my acknowledgement at how 90s SY is very dirty rock/punk. | | 18 | | Sonic Youth
Washing Machine
The Diamond Sea - If Trilogy was epic, I don't know how you'd classify the Diamond Sea. To me, its very indictative of what SY represents, and it's a great way to close out the best SY album of the 90s. | | 19 |  | Sonic Youth
Confusion is Sex
Kill Yr Idols - Probaly one of the few tracks that I enjoy from pre-Sister era SY, and with good reason. Kill Yr Idols is the abrasive Sonic Youth that my younger self would have probably enjoyed the most, but as I've grown older I've leaned more towards their reflective side as they age. There's a lot of angst here, and I'm sure many prefer the older SY albums as opposed to anything in the last 15 years. Whenever I'm feeling abrasive, I look to Kill Yr Idols. | | 20 |  | Sonic Youth
EVOL
Tom Violence - As you may have noticed, a lot of earlier SY is falling at the bottom of the list. It's not unintentional. I prefer the later years of the band, but I can still find value in the early material. This is a very basic song by SY, but I enjoy it because of that. | |
ThroneOfAgony
10.15.12 | I need to check this band out. What album should I start with? | YankeeDudel
10.15.12 | i would say one of their albums | TheCrocodile
10.15.12 | Eh, go with Daydream Nation I suppose. | Ethics
10.15.12 | Disagree with this big time, but it's a cool list.
I love Sonic Youth as well. | WeepingBanana
10.15.12 | uhh Cross the Breeze is the best SY song | profoundword
10.15.12 | Cool list man, I love Sonic Youth. I think 18 may be my all time favourite SY song, Washing Machine is definitely one of their best albums, even if it isn't considered one of the classics. | rapideyemovement
10.16.12 | Disagree with this big time, but it's a cool list. [2] | happyfunball
10.21.12 | Start with Dirty, it is one of the best and most accessible. | cracker999
10.18.13 | It's a bit different being a fan of their late stuff but I guess I found them in 1990 so Daydream, Goo, Dirty all got heavy play growing up then Washing Machine but with your taste for their softer melodic side you missed out on the great 'Sunday' from Thousand Leaves
and Cross the Breeze is awesome, also Mote, Theresa's Sound World, Titanium Expose all could have been contenders | Parallels
10.18.13 | dont agree with ranking completely, but this should get featured just cause damn sonic youth rules | NordicMindset
10.18.13 | daydream nation fuck the world | dmp3131
10.18.13 | Havent listened to this band much at all, but 4 is amazing. | Atrophy
10.18.13 | wheres cross the breeze alsdjf;lhsdghkldasl | NordicMindset
10.18.13 | teen age riot was my first sonic youth song i heard. rb2 memories |
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