Sonic Youth
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Biography
[Edit]Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the '80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü were fairly conventional in terms of song structure and melody, Sonic Youth began their career by abandoning any pretense of traditional rock & roll conventions. Borrowing heavily from the free-form noise experimentalism of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, and melding it with a performance art aesthetic borrowed from the New York post-punk avant-garde, Sonic Youth redefined what noise meant within rock & roll. Sonic Youth rarely rocked, though they were inspired directly by hardcore punk, post-punk, and no wave. Instead, their dissonance, feedback, and alternate tunings created a new sonic landscape, one that redefined what rock guitar could do.
The band's trio of independent late-'80s records — EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation — became touchstones for a generation of indie rockers who either replicated the noise or reinterpreted it in a more palatable setting. As their career progressed, Sonic Youth grew more palatable as well, as their more free-form songs began to feel like compositions and their shorter works began to rock harder. During the '90s, most American indie bands, and many British underground bands, displayed a heavy debt to Sonic Youth, and the group itself had become a popular cult band, with each of its albums charting in the Top 100.
Such success was unthinkable when guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo formed Sonic Youth with bassist Kim Gordon in 1981. Moore had spent his childhood in Bethel, Connecticut; Ranaldo was from Long Island. Both guitarists arrived in Manhattan during the height of the New York-based post-punk no wave movement, and began performing with the avant-garde composer Glenn Branca, whose dissonant, guitar-based music provided the basis for much of Sonic Youth's early music. Moore's girlfriend Gordon had been active in the avant and no wave scenes for some time, and the pair helped stage the Noise Festival, in which the band made its live debut during the summer of 1981. At the time, Sonic Youth also featured keyboardist Anne DeMarinis and drummer Richard Edson. DeMarinis left the band shortly afterward, and the quartet recorded its eponymous debut EP, which was released on Branca's Neutral Records the following year. During 1983, Edson left the band to pursue an acting career and he was replaced by Bob Bert, who drummed on the group's debut album, Confusion Is Sex (1983). The band supported the album with its first European tour. Later that year, the group released the EP Kill Yr Idols on the German Zensor label.
Early in 1984, Moore attempted to land the band a contract with the British indie label Doublevision, but the label rejected the demos. Paul Smith, one of the owners of Doublevision, decided to form Blast First Records in order to release Sonic Youth records. Soon, he received a distribution deal from the hip U.K. indie label Rough Trade, and the band had its first label with strong distribution. During all these record label negotiations in 1984, the cassette-only live album Sonic Death: Sonic Youth Live was released on Ecstatic Peace. Bad Moon Rising, the group's first album for Blast First, was released in 1985 to strong reviews throughout the underground music press. The album was markedly different from their earlier releases — it was the first record they made that incorporated their dissonant, feedback-drenched experimentations within relatively straightforward pop song structures. Following the release of the Death Valley '69 EP, Bert was replaced by Steve Shelley, who became the group's permanent drummer.
Bad Moon Rising had attracted significant attention throughout the American underground, including some offers from major labels. Instead, Sonic Youth decided to sign with SST, home of Hüsker Dü and Black Flag, releasing EVOL in 1986. With EVOL, the group a became fixture on college radio, and its status grew significantly with 1987's Sister, which was heavily praised by mainstream publications like Rolling Stone. The group's profile increased further with the 1988 Ciccone Youth side project The Whitey Album, which was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Madonna and other parts of mainstream pop culture.
The band's true breakthrough came later in 1988 with the double album Daydream Nation. Released on Enigma Records, it was a tour de force that was hailed as a masterpiece upon its fall release, and it generated a college radio hit with "Teenage Riot." Though the album was widely praised, Enigma suffered from poor distribution and eventually bankruptcy, which meant the album occasionally wasn't available in stores. These factors contributed heavily to the band's decision to move to the major label DGC in 1990.
Signing a contract that gave them complete creative control, as well as letting them function as pseudo-A&R reps for the label, Sonic Youth established a precedent for alternative bands moving to majors during the '90s, proving that it was possible to preserve indie credibility on a major label. Released in the fall of 1990, Goo, the band's first major-label album, boasted a more focused sound, yet it didn't abandon the group's noise aesthetics. The result was a college radio hit, and the group's first album to crack the Top 100. Neil Young invited Sonic Youth to open for him on his arena tour for Ragged Glory, and though they failed to win over much of the rocker's audience, it represented their first major incursion into the mainstream; it also helped make Young a cult figure within the alternative circles during the '90s.
For their second major-label album, Dirty, Sonic Youth attempted to replicate the sloppy, straightforward sound of grunge rockers Mudhoney and Nirvana. The band had been supporting those two Seattle-based groups for several years (and had released a split single with Mudhoney and brought Nirvana to DGC Records), and while the songs on Dirty were hardly grunge, it was more pop-oriented and accessible than earlier Sonic Youth records. Produced by Butch Vig, who also produced Nirvana's Nevermind, Dirty became an alternative hit upon its summer 1992 release, generating the modern rock hits "100%," "Youth Against Fascism," and "Sugar Kane." Sonic Youth quickly became hailed as one of the godfathers of the alternative rock that had become the most popular form of rock music in the U.S., and Dirty became a hit along with the exposure, eventually going gold.
Sonic Youth again worked with Vig for 1994's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, which entered the U.S. charts at number 34 and the U.K. charts at number ten, making it their highest-charting album ever. The high chart position was proof of their popularity during the previous two years, as it received decidedly mixed reviews and quickly fell down the charts. Later in 1994, Moore and Gordon — who had married several years before — had their first child, a daughter named Coco Haley. Sonic Youth agreed to headline 1995's American Lollapalooza package tour, using the earnings to build a new studio. Following the completion of the tour, Sonic Youth released Washing Machine, which received their strongest reviews since Daydream Nation. After a series of experimental EPs issued on their own SYR label, they resurfaced in 1998 with the full-length A Thousand Leaves. NYC Ghosts & Flowers, which featured Jim O'Rourke as a producer and musician, followed in the spring of 2000. O'Rourke became a full member of the group, touring with the band and appearing on and producing 2002's Murray Street.
The five-piece Sonic Youth returned in 2004 with Sonic Nurse; one year later, however, O'Rourke departed the band to pursue a career as a film director. Late in 2005, the remaining bandmates issued SYR 6, a recording of a benefit concert for the Anthology Film Archives that Sonic Youth had played alongside percussionist Tim Barnes. Rather Ripped, a fusion of the mellow, sprawling feel of the band's previous two albums with a more stripped-down sound, was released in 2006. In 2008, the band resurrected the SYR series: J'Accuse Ted Hughes arrived that spring as a vinyl-only release, while Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth chronicled an improvised performance at 2005's Roskilde Festival. They also assembled a compilation album for Starbucks, Hits Are for Squares, featuring the previously unreleased track "Slow Revolution." Before the busy year concluded, Sonic Youth made additional headlines by leaving the Geffen label and signing with Matador, which prepared to issue the band's 16th album, The Eternal, during the following spring. The year 2010 was relatively quiet for the band, with members concentrating on individual projects like Shelley's Vampire Blues label; they also recorded the soundtrack to French director Fabrice Gobert's film Simon Werner a Disparu, which was released early in 2011. Moore and Gordon announced their impending divorce in the fall of 2011, creating doubt about the band's future past their year-end South American tour.
Title: SYR 6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop, Indie
Title: Battery Park, NYC: July 4th 2008
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Indie Rock, Post Punk, Alternative
Title: NYC Ghosts & Flowers
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Alternative
Title: Live at the Continental Club (Live / 1986)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Death Valley '69 (Remastered 2009) - Single
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative
Title: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Grunge, Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Pop, Alternative, Classical
Title: Simon Werner a Disparu
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Live In Denver 1986
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Title: CBGB, New York, NY (December 13, 1988)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Post Punk
Title: Andre Sider af Sonic Youth
Artist: Sonic Youth, Merzbow
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk Rock, Pop, Alternative, Indie
Title: J'accuse Ted Hughes / Agnes B. Musique (Syr 7)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Live in Venlo, Holland (Live; 1983)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Simon Werner a disparu (Bande originale du film)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Alternative, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Dirty (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered]
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Grunge, Indie Rock, Alternative
Title: SYR 2: Slaapkammers Met Slagroom
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop, Indie
Title: Slaapkammers Met Slagroom (Syr 2) - EP
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Sonic Youth: Live At the Continental Club, Texas 1986
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative
Title: Daydream Nation (Remastered Original Album)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock
Title: SYR 6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui (with Tim Barnes)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative
Title: SYR 8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth (feat. Mats Gustafsson & Merzbow)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative
Title: Riot In Melbourne (Live At The Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Australia 1989)
Artist: Sonic Youth
Genre: Rock
Title: Death Valley '69 / Brave Men Run (In My Family) - Single
Artist: Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Scriptures of the Golden Eternity
Artist: Sonic Youth, Lee Ranaldo
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative
Collections
Title: If I Were a Carpenter
Genre: Pop
Title: The Harry Smith Project Live
Genre: Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Elysium: A Benefit for The Art of Elysium
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Title: Juno (Music from the Motion Picture)
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Judgment Night (Music from the Motion Picture)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Rap, Rock, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: DGC Rarities, Vol. 1
Genre: Rock
Title: The Bridge School Concerts - 25th Anniversary Edition
Genre: Rock
Title: At Home With the Groovebox
Genre: Electronica
Title: Sleighed - The Other Side of Christmas
Genre: Rock
Title: No Alternative
Genre: Pop
Title: Fast 'N' Bulbous: A Tribute To Captain Beefheart
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative
Title: I'M NOT THERE
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Back To Mine: Guillemots
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo, Trip Hop, Electronica, House
Title: Demonlover
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Juno Soundtrack
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Theatre/Soundtrack, Humor, Acoustic
Title: Rough Trade Shops 25 Years (CD2)
Genre: Industrial, Indie Rock, New Wave, Punk, IDM
Title: Halloween Mp3's Vol. 07
Genre: Rock
Title: Studio Brussel Jaar Van De Gitaar 2 (CD1)
Genre: Rock
Title: Halloween Mp3's Vol. 13 - My Beloved Monster
Genre: Rock
Title: Rock Top 600 Vol. 1 (CD2)
Genre: Rock
Title: Rock Top 600 Vol. 3 (CD2)
Genre: Rock
Title: Rock Top 600 Vol. 4 (CD1)
Genre: Rock
Title: Mojo Presents Death Disco
Genre: Post Punk
Title: In Covers We Trust 21
Genre: Alternative Rock
Title: Studio Brussel-Alternative Nation
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Title: Studio Brussel: Alternative Nation
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Title: The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young
Genre: Rock
Title: If I Stay: Original Soundtrack
Genre: Rock, Pop, Theatre/Soundtrack, Indie
Title: Indie Anthems The Ultimate Collection (CD5)
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie
Title: Arte Summer Of 90's (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Rap, Rock, Pop
Title: My So-Called Life (Original Soundtrack)
Genre: Club/Dance, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Confuse Yr Idols (A Tribute To Sonic Youth)
Genre: Indie, Experimental
Title: Like A Hurricane: A Tribute To Neil Young
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Blues Rock, Folk Rock, Acoustic
Title: Latest & Greatest Indie Anthems (CD3)
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative
Title: Rock Collection 1988 (CD18)
Title: Rock Collection 1988 (CD3)
Title: Rock Collection 1988 (CD6)
Genre: Industrial Metal, Rock, Hard Rock, Noise Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal
Title: Rock Collection 1988 (CD9)
Genre: Rock, Black Metal, Hard Rock, Noise Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, Pop
Title: If I Stay (Original Soundtrack)
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Mr. Robot (Unofficial Soundtrack)
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Rock 90s Vol. 1 (CD2)
Genre: Rock, Punk, Alternative
Title: Rock 90s Vol. 2 (CD2)
Genre: Rock, Punk, Alternative
Title: Rock 90s Vol. 3 (CD3)
Genre: Rock, Punk, Pop, Alternative
Title: Rock 90s Vol. 4 (Original Soundtrack) (CD4)
Genre: Rock, Punk, Pop, Alternative, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Retrowave For People (CD2)
Title: Indie Anthems - The Ultimate Collection 2017 (CD5)
Genre: Garage, Acid Jazz, Punk, World Music, Ska, Indie, Folk
Title: Ultimate Rock Anthems 5CD (CD4)
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, Gothic Rock, New Wave, Punk, Thrash Metal, Indie
Title: Driven By Rock 5CD (CD1)
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Punk, Punk Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal, Country, Pop, Indie
Title: Les 30 Ans Des InRocKuptibles (CD4)
Genre: Electronica, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop, Pop Rock
Featuring albums
Title: Sound Unbound - Excerpts and Allegories from the Sub Rosa Audio Archives
Artist: Dj Spooky
Genre: Ambient, Electronica, Rock, Alternative
Title: Juno - Music From The Motion Picture
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Humor, Indie, Poetry
Title: If I Stay: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: If I Stay: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Deluxe Version
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: I'm Not There (Music From The Motion Picture)
Artist: Original Soundtrack
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: An anthology of noise and electronic music vol,1
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Electronica, Dancefloor
Title: Under The Influence
Artist: Dj Spooky
Genre: Ambient, Trip Hop, Hip Hop/R&B, Drum & Bass, Dub
Title: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Companion Pack (Original Game Soundtrack)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock
Title: Telling Lies 50th Birthday Concert (Bootleg) (CD1)
Artist: David Bowie
Genre: Electronica, Rock, New Wave, Punk Rock
Title: Exhibition Of A Dream
Artist: Einstürzende Neubauten / Einsturzende Neubauten
Genre: Electronica