[tasteinmen]

I've been reading over a few topics recently and there are a few questions I have:

1. Do you listen to SY for their guitar work because it seems you don't like either Thurstons or Kims vocals (only read one complaint about Lee's vocals). You say neither can sing and can destroy a song with their vocals and lyrics.

2. I've read people reassessing albums and saying they are inconsistent, would this go for all of their albums? Judging by what people say inconsistency in an album is having tracks that you skip, I skip songs on most SY albums but that doesn't mean I don't love the album, I skip In the Kingdom #19 and Marilyn Moore but EVOL is still my favourite album.

3. People always seem to try and relate moments of a song to previous SY tracks, is it because you want to hear that sound again? Because there are the occasions where I feel SY have made that noise before but otherwise sounds completely different. E.G. Contre Le Sexism sounds similar to Ghost Bitch, I feel SY were at completely different places in their lives, making the songs completely different for me.

I don't know, I haven't known them as much as the majority of you, just wondering out of curiosity, and please dont be bitchy!!!

Since I started listening to them I thought their 90's onwards music was a lot different to their 80s material (I prefer their 80s music), and I don't understand why Kool Thing was given the name DV2 since Death Valley 69 and Kool Thing sound completely different apart from the tuning of guitars, DV69 is timeless and aggressive where as Kool Thing was just a grungey single seeking for new fans.

Any comments that are useful to a growing noob would be much appreciated.

[syntax-free]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

I've been reading over a few topics recently and there are a few questions I have:

1. Do you listen to SY for their guitar work because it seems you don't like either Thurstons or Kims vocals (only read one complaint about Lee's vocals). You say neither can sing and can destroy a song with their vocals and lyrics.

2. I've read people reassessing albums and saying they are inconsistent, would this go for all of their albums? Judging by what people say inconsistency in an album is having tracks that you skip, I skip songs on most SY albums but that doesn't mean I don't love the album, I skip In the Kingdom #19 and Marilyn Moore but EVOL is still my favourite album.

3. People always seem to try and relate moments of a song to previous SY tracks, is it because you want to hear that sound again? Because there are the occasions where I feel SY have made that noise before but otherwise sounds completely different. E.G. Contre Le Sexism sounds similar to Ghost Bitch, I feel SY were at completely different places in their lives, making the songs completely different for me.

I don't know, I haven't known them as much as the majority of you, just wondering out of curiosity, and please dont be bitchy!!!

Since I started listening to them I thought their 90's onwards music was a lot different to their 80s material (I prefer their 80s music), and I don't understand why Kool Thing was given the name DV2 since Death Valley 69 and Kool Thing sound completely different apart from the tuning of guitars, DV69 is timeless and aggressive where as Kool Thing was just a grungey single seeking for new fans.

Any comments that are useful to a growing noob would be much appreciated.

1. I listen to sonic youth because i feel like they've created their own universe that is really unique. I personally LOVE thurston's vocals, it's beautiful. Kim's okay. The guitar work is nice to listen to, depends what song.

2. I don't know if i'd call them inconsistent.. maybe just, really different each time, and each album. It's good to listen to a whole album before you decide if you like it, sometimes twice.

3. I don't know.

4. ...there's no number 4. Just keep listening to them, wait for the falling in love part. Once that happens, you will listen to nothing but sy for about 6 months straight, i mean that happened to me anyways.

[Sonic Youth 37]

Originally Posted by syntax-free

1. I listen to sonic youth because i feel like they've created their own universe that is really unique. I personally LOVE thurston's vocals, it's beautiful. Kim's okay. The guitar work is nice to listen to, depends what song.

2. I don't know if i'd call them inconsistent.. maybe just, really different each time, and each album. It's good to listen to a whole album before you decide if you like it, sometimes twice.

3. I don't know.

4. ...there's no number 4. Just keep listening to them, wait for the falling in love part. Once that happens, you will listen to nothing but sy for about 6 months straight, i mean that happened to me anyways.

Agreed, thought I say I love the guitar work and love Kim's voice on DDN, the rest is just...good.

[Everyneurotic]

it's the personal experience and opinion, really.

what i don't get about the board is everybody trying to make everything a general opinion, like we ALL think something when only a few do.

case in point, i don't think daydream nation is their best album but you read people type "it's everybody's favorite".

i personally like all three vocalists, i think i like kim best by a hair.

the only album i skip tracks is nurse ("dude ranch nurse" and "paper cup exit", *shudder*). all of the rest are start to finish affairs.

and i only compare a song if it reminds me of something they have done before. ever since they stopped changing their tunings for each album, they have started to sound too samey in spots.

all of this is my opinion. i don't really care or am affected by what you people think.

and before some says "uhh, you do it too, you generalize", please take into account that i'm mostly being sarcastic on the board.

[tasteinmen]

Originally Posted by syntax-free

1. I listen to sonic youth because i feel like they've created their own universe that is really unique. I personally LOVE thurston's vocals, it's beautiful. Kim's okay. The guitar work is nice to listen to, depends what song.

2. I don't know if i'd call them inconsistent.. maybe just, really different each time, and each album. It's good to listen to a whole album before you decide if you like it, sometimes twice.

3. I don't know.

4. ...there's no number 4. Just keep listening to them, wait for the falling in love part. Once that happens, you will listen to nothing but sy for about 6 months straight, i mean that happened to me anyways.

Don't get me wrong, I am already in love with Sonic Youth, I don't listen to anything but Sonic Youth at the moment, these are just notes on things I have noticed regarding other fans opinions. Although I have a SY playlist for my car, I don't feel as though I'm listening to them unless I put an entire album on, as I feel every album is different and is a different era.
I love Kims vocals, the majority of my personal favourites are kim songs, but on the odd occasion I wonder, would it kill her to try and sing? but I know her style of singing is one of many factors that make SY sound fresh and unique. She seems to have many styles of singing; from her aggressive, grungey 'courtney love-like' vocals from "hendrix necro" to her beautiful, whispering seducing vocals from "shadow of a doubt", etc.

[Cantankerous]

1. NO.

2. i don't know what the fuck you're talking about

3. no, i don't even listen to anything after dirty.

[Sonic Youth 37]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

Don't get me wrong, I am already in love with Sonic Youth, I don't listen to anything but Sonic Youth at the moment, these are just notes on things I have noticed regarding other fans opinions. Although I have a SY playlist for my car, I don't feel as though I'm listening to them unless I put an entire album on, as I feel every album is different and is a different era.
I love Kims vocals, the majority of my personal favourites are kim songs, but on the odd occasion. I wonder would it kill her to try and sing? but I know her style of singing is one of many factors that make SY sound fresh and unique. She seems to have many styles of singing; from her aggressive, grungey 'courtney love' vocals from "hendrix necro" to her beautiful, whispering seducing vocals from "shadow of a doubt", etc.

You already love SY and that's enough. No one here loves them for the exact same reasons. Personally I think my reasons for loving them are the best and the rest be damned. I do believe that most people here would agree with me that your personal reasons for loving them are the one's you should be concerned with.

Some of my own curiosities for you:
-I won't hardly listen to 2 or 3 SY songs in a row without listening to the whole album.
-Only once every 3-6 months will I listen to anything off DDN outside of the whole album because the songs sound so different outside the flow of the album.
-I still get shivers down my spine when the guitar first kicks in on Teen Age Riot, even after 4 years. Every time, without fail.
-I WILL NOT listen to the album version of The Diamond Sea outside of Washing Machine. The is the perfect ending for that album.
-I'm not the biggest Expressway fan in the world. It's a damn fine song, but I don't think it's one of their best.
-Murray Street is my favorite album of theirs since DDN.

might add some more later...

[syntax-free]

"your personal reasons for loving them are the one's you should be concerned with."

YES.

[Death & the Maiden]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

1. Do you listen to SY for their guitar work because it seems you don't like either Thurstons or Kims vocals (only read one complaint about Lee's vocals). You say neither can sing and can destroy a song with their vocals and lyrics.

I think most people note how Thurston and Kim don't have "good" voices. ie they're not very skilled at singing, but this doesn't mean people don't like their voices.

[andrei]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

... and I don't understand why Kool Thing was given the name DV2 since Death Valley 69 and Kool Thing sound completely different apart from the tuning of guitars, DV69 is timeless and aggressive where as Kool Thing was just a grungey single seeking for new fans.

I think KT is the 90s equivalent of DV 69. It is bassically the same riff based song. DV 69 came right after SY's post-"no wave" era (first EP, Confusion Is Sex, KIll Yr Idols) as the most Pop(y) song seeking for new fans, like KT came after the Indie era (BMR, EVOL, Sister, DDN) opening a territory for the new grunge fans.

I personally like DV more than KT (in fact, i don't like at all KT), but that a different thing...

[greedrex]

1. never said anything about vocals . Actually i luv the way they all sing.
gtr work, yes. I think they're the best creating "sonic" soundscapes with two gtrs that always go well together WITHIN (not always but still) a pop context, which i think should really be respected and mmmm worshipped
Now i also love Steve's style, especially on WM, ATL and SYR1+2, my favourite sonic era. nuff said

2. i never skip ANY song. I never listen to ne song at a time. I listen to the whole LP EVERYTIME, i actually do this with just any music / band. not specific to SY. I'm very into the LP as a consistent whole / work of art ; artwork included. None of their LPs could be considered inconsistent per se. The only that is under in terms of songwriting is for sure NYCGF even though it comprises Free city rhymes or eponymous track. RR is also kind of under in terms of mmmm atmosphere, that's the first LP in which i find too many reminiscences about past riffs ( that could be a new thread actually) and well it's not really radical, is it? anyway i love to spin it when the weather is fine and hot, it's a summery LP. What was the question?

3. I don't understand the question. But SY brings back memories of utter blast and wild sexuality. nuff said.

[deflinus]

for fuck's sake, they're sonic youth. we dig them. thats it

[Dead-Air]

1) Certainly the guitar work makes them one of the most important and unique rock bands ever. That said, I like their vocals. I prefer Kim's earlier voice, because I fear she thrashed it in later years. Sometimes the raspiness is used to great effect though. Nobody in the band is a great "singer", but so what? Lou Reed can't sing either, and he's still one of my favorite vocalist ever.

2) I don't particularly find any of their albums inconsistent, and I rarely skip any tracks. I can't imagine skipping "In the Kingdom #19" myself, it's so damn brilliant! My favorite album is Bad Moon Rising, which is like one big song. There are some albums I don't think are as amazing as others. Experimental Jet Set etc. has always struck me as a record that could have been better if many of the songs had been developed past the "sketch" phase they were trying for. But that's just one album, and I don' t think it's incsonsistent, just consistently not finished.

3) I think it's probably pretty natural to relate one work of art by a given artist to another later work by same. Honestly, I think you're reading too much into it. People come here to discuss Sonic Youth, and that's one jumping off point to do so from. I just hope the next album has a significant amount of drumstick through the frets moments to relate to the old days!