Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation

First and foremost, welcome readers (if you’re out there, and many thanks if you are!). This marks the first review of my brand-spanking new blog, Daydrunk Nation, in which I will review famous albums while under the influence. Should be fun for all of us, I think. I may shed a few tears and hiccup a couple times in the writing process, but this should be smooth sailing for you. At least I hope it is.

Let me start by saying I am terribly humbled to be reviewing the namesake of this blog, Sonic Youth’s fifth album Daydream Nation. This is an album ranked number one (ONE!) on Pitchfork’s “100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s” list, as well as number 13 on Spin’s list of “100 Greatest Albums from 1985-2010.” This album is a huge fucking deal, as is Sonic Youth, and I feel incredibly unworthy. But I am a child of the MTV Generation, a generation that really doesn’t give much of a shit about anything (man can I relate to “Teenage Riot”), so full steam ahead I go.

I’m not even going to pretend I know what this whole album is about, just that Sonic Youth hates corporations and capitalism and materialism and Californication. And Ronald Reagan.

Take “Teenage Riot” for example. It’s pretty much an invitation for kids to stop being so apathetic, to stop seeing themselves as just kids without opinions or actions that can make an impact, and Sonic Youth is telling them to riot! Hot damn! This shit still applies today!

I really wish I’d found this album when I was an angsty teenager, because songs like “Silver Rocket and “The Sprawl” would have been scrawled ALL OVER my notebook margins. “I want to know the exact dimensions of hell / Does this sound simple? / Fuck you! / Are you for sale? / Does ‘fuck you’ sound simple enough?”

Kim Gordon’s lyrics are easily the scariest, most in-your-face, which is probably my favorite aspect of Sonic Youth: their scary-as-fuck female bassist. Yeah, all of Sonic Youth is pissed about the current state of things, but especially Kim. Her words being delivered in the harsh voice of an attractive woman is a giant slap in the face, a middle finger to the “kissability” that determined whether or not a female musician could be successful. Kim says “Fuck you” to kissability, and I scream, “THANK YOU!” to Kim.

“You’re so soft you make me hard” is my favorite line from “Kissability.” Essentially, the song is all about how selling out equates success--if you look good, you can make it. It’s not difficult to be a pretty face, and it’s not difficult to succeed if you have a pretty face. It’s PROSTITUTION OF THE SOUL!

This whole album makes me horny, and it also makes me angry and stressed out and makes me want to pick up an instrument and make some goddamn noise.

“Eliminator, Jr.” sounds like something they play on repeat in hell. Which makes sense, really, because it’s all about the Preppie Murder (Google that shit; I had to). The stabbing drums and shrieks from the guitar/bass amps are terrifying. There’s a lot of harsh tones, a lot of disorganization and dissonance. They are trying to make listeners uncomfortable, and it works. This is an album that both jells and grates—album opener “Teenage Riot” has an obvious semblance of order and was placed at the beginning of the album to keep people from turning off the record. Some songs are consonant and soothing/satisfying, while album closer “Eliminator, Jr.” actually sounds like something recorded for the sole event of ripping out one’s toenails.

Kim attacks the listener on “‘Cross the Breeze,” and holy faacck, would I do anything to hang out with that woman. Pour her a shot, pack her a bowl, punch Thurston and his new lady in the face/genitals, whatever, I’ll fuckin’ do it. I’m not a huge fan of her latest project, Body/Head, but I respect the absolute hell out of that woman and the things she accomplished, both as a part of Sonic Youth and independently.

Did you know that Lee Renaldo sings the lyrics on “Eric’s Trip?” Apparently he does, though his vocals sound quite a bit like Thurston Moore’s. He sings “Hey Joni” too, and by my third listen of the album I can hear the difference in the tone of their voices. He also sings “Rain King,” which I don’t care about too much. His voice is just a little boring. I’d rather hear Kim.

Man, the guitar riffs in “Daydream Nation” are actually perfect. I think this is an almost perfect song. It grows long and slightly repetitive by the end of its seven minutes, but it’s a really fucking good song. Thurston’s vocals and lyrics are perfect. Creatively written, require several listens/reads to fully understand them. This is a thoughtful album, and listening to it requires thought. It doesn’t make for great background noise (my boyfriend was too stressed out by the noise and had to go into a different room to write a paper). Daydream Nation grabs your attention in a threatening grip; it’s hardly friendly--in fact, it’s a little hostile. But it’s beautiful and a musical masterpiece.

This album was like a stepping stone for underground rock, for alternative music. They played by no previous rules—they fucked with their guitar tunings, they played out of time, and made their instruments make noises they weren’t supposed to make. Sonic Youth fucking experimented with this album. They made a statement and inspired countless other alternative artists.