Daydream Nation

by

Sonic Youth

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Daydream Nation is clearly Sonic Youth's breakthrough album. A two lp set that focused all their previous ideas into one cohesive and brilliant album. The songs are stretched out more (though still song length)giving more of an idea of what they sounded like live. Music at this time was stuck in pop doldrums. Sonic Youth, which had built up a cult following, after the release of this album were then signed by a major label and brought all the indie rock bands into the light eventually including one that was just getting a start in Seattle that would soon eclipse all of them in popularity. However, back to Daydream Nation. The sprawling, though in no way self indulgent quality of the album took Sonic Youth into a new direction. Now, in getting the deluxe reissue treatment,it sheds new light on the album. On the 2nd disc you not only get live versions of all of the songs on the album (and Sonic Youth live takes what they do in the studio to a new level) but rarities as their version of "Within You, Without You" which was previously only available on a rare tribute album. If Daydream Nation were released for the first time this year, it would be one of the best albums of the year and with this deluxe reissue, in many ways it is.

. . . that is, if you're tone deaf. SY fans will immediately poo-poo my review for that statement, but let it be a warning to new-bes thinking about purchasing this album because of all the high praise it gets.

I actually like a lot of radical, tripped-out and avant-garde music, such as Faust, Mr. Bungle and Death, for example. And while I'm not exactly a fan, I really do like a fair amount of Sonic Youth, such as the eerie, trippy "Shadow of a Doubt" from EVOL and the epic, extended zone-fest "The Diamond Sea" from WASHING MACHINE along with quite a few of the tracks from their experimental SYR series of EPs.

While I'm well aware that my opinion is way outside the conventional views of Sonic Youth, I still strongly believe that DAYDREAM NATION gets a lot more credit than it deserves, I suspect in part because some people jump on the critical bandwagon in a vain attempt to look cool. I actually think their previous album SISTER is stronger and more paletable. Their major-label debut, GOO, does absolutely nothing for me but I do think there's some cool stuff on their next record, DIRTY, especially "100%" and "Drunken Butterfly."

One could say DAYDREAM NATION "rocks," but it's just so gratingly atonal and annoying, especially when Kim Gordon opens her mouth. To be perfectly honest, most of their music could be described that way. I think their later albums are typically more artistic, more listenable and generally better, but no doubt many fans prefer the alien F-U radicalism of their earliest material.

SY deserves props for their fearless experimentalism and severely art-damaged, strangely tuned, feedback-drenched guitars. But this band has an extremely limited appeal for good reason. Approach with caution.

I'm sure my review of DAYDREAM NATION does not conform to the vast majority of opinions by Sonic Youth fans, but I bet plenty of non-fans would agree with it. Whatever the case, it's my honest opinion.