#426: Sonic Youth - EVOL (1986)

Zack: Much like Talking Heads, it has been 6 years since we last listened to a Sonic Youth album, which is still a very deflating thing to type out. This one makes a little more sense though. While Sonic Youth have 5 albums on the list (compared to Talking Heads’ 4) and we therefore should have probably listened to a second one like 100 or so albums ago, I really do no like Sonic Youth. I typically find their music to be screechy and annoying. I may have, therefore, been a little lax about suggesting we listen to a Sonic Youth album. Maybe I let it slip my mind for the past 2+ years...whoops. Anyway, here we have EVOL, which is the third Sonic Youth album but the first one they made that the listmakers deemed worthy. EVOL is, according to Wikipedia, when Sonic Youth decided to go in a more pop-oriented direction, which hahaha wait really? I would not say EVOL shared much with, say, Madonna’s 7x platinum album True Blue from the same year. Anyway, I did not like this album. I also did not like Goo, which is the Sonic Youth album they always tell you to start with. I do not like Sonic Youth. And I don’t particularly understand anyone who does. Take that as you will.

Favorite Tracks: Death to Our Friends; Shadow of a Doubt; Secret Girl

Emily: Much like when we listened to Goo way back in 2011, I'm still kind of in-between on Sonic Youth after listening to EVOL. I sat down this morning to listen to it before Zack woke up. He came into the living room after I got through about three songs and I told him I thought it was pretty good so far - not a lot of noise, and heavier on the creeping rock melodies. And then I hit the middle of the album, which can best be described as screechtastic. I had spoken too soon. But then I hit the last track, Bubblegum, a power-pop track filtered through Sonic Youth's noise-rock style. Sadly, Wikipedia tells me that Bubblegum was a CD bonus track not on the original album, and therefore doesn't count. So without that song, I disliked more songs than I liked on EVOL, but I'd be happy to add the tracks I liked to a playlist without the noise. I guess I'll see how I feel about the next three Sonic Youth albums, the next of which should come sooner than six years from now.

Favorite Tracks: Star Power; Shadow of a Doubt; Tom Violence

#72: Sonic Youth - Goo (1990)

Emily: I feel like most people fall into two camps regarding Sonic Youth - the "they are so innovative and creative no other band can ever be like them!!" camp, and the "how the hell is this noise even music?!" camp. I, for one, fall somewhere in between. There are some Sonic Youth songs I absolutely love - their cover of Superstar is one of my favorite songs of all time. But then, there's the noise. Sonic Youth loves their distorted guitars. Sometimes it works by adding a cool, unique dimension to their alternative-punk sound. Other times, it's just jumbled noise, especially when that's all a song is. Goo contains songs on both ends of the spectrum. As much as Sonic Youth songs tend to sound the same, there was a surprising degree of variability within this album. I personally enjoy the songs where Thurston Moore sings. His voice is much more suited to a punky, less-distorted sound, and the tracks where he sings reflect that sensibility.
Favorite Tracks: Dirty Boots; Kool Thing; Mary-Christ

Zack: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!!!!!! When I think of Sonic Youth, that's basically what I hear. At some parts of this album, I thought I had been proven wrong. And then, sure enough, along came the shrieking that saved the day by proving that I was, as per usual, right all along. The tracks Mildred Piece and Scooter + Jinx are the two tracks that proudly display why Sonic Youth falls into the genre of "noise rock." They're nothing more that pain-inducing background noise forcefully dragged to the foreground. Some of the other songs, however, make those few shrieks bearable. When Sonic Youth is good, they're really good. Songs like Dirty Boots, Disappear, and the ever cool Kool Thing are alternative-punk anthems that make you want to punch the air and rock out.
Favorite Tracks: Dirty Boots; Kool Thing; Disappear