Daydream Nation

Artist: Sonic Youth
Album: Daydream Nation
Label: Enigma (1988), Geffen Reissue (2007)
Genre: Noise-Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative Rock
Influences: John Cage, The Stooges, MC5, Television, The Velvet Underground
Influenced: Everyone who plays a guitar

Download Day Dream Nation

1988 was the year that Sonic Youth, the most notable underground band of the Reagan years, reached its apex. With a noisy, undecipherable debut in the early 80's underground scene known as No-Wave, Sonic Youth had been growing into something quite unlike its contemporaries. Starting with the 1986's Evol and followed by (my 2nd favorite) Sister in 1987, they had begun to allow pop and rock structures into their songs, not just belligerent noise. In 1988, they achieved the perfect balance of noise and rock, creating unforgettable 70 minute track by track perfection. The track that will catch everyone's first listen is the anomalous lead track "Teen Age Riot", a beautifully constructed rock song (arguably, the first real indie rock song ever written), displaying the chemistry within the guitars as well as within the rhythm section. The rest of the album, is a tad bit more abrasive, but instead of painfully abrasive as with previous records, the abrasiveness is not only tolerable, but sublime. "Hey Joni", my favorite track, is perhaps one of the greatest rock songs ever written. The already unbelievably hard riffs and driving beat explodes out of silence. And then steadily, the song builds and builds and builds to power that not even Led Zeppelin could dream of (which could be said for most of the album). Avoiding a track by track praise, I would like to sum it up and say that no where out there, is there a more complete album. Beach Boys quality songwriting with Bad Brains energy. What else is there?

-Daniel Blat