^^^ otm
― methinks dababy doth bop shit too much (m bison), Sunday, 26 April 2020 23:57 (four years ago) link
My favourite songs are generally Thurston's so Thurston
― circa1916, Monday, 27 April 2020 00:11 (four years ago) link
His solo work is generally most consistent with what I like in Sonic Youth.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Monday, 27 April 2020 00:38 (four years ago) link
Psychic Hearts the song
that track really is fantastic, his finest moment in some ways, more lyrically direct than a lot of SY tunes
― zoomer death circus (sleeve), Monday, 27 April 2020 01:38 (four years ago) link
Kim is good. Lee is good. Steve is good. Thurston's kinda too much. Jim probably shouldn't count.
So Bob Bert it is.
― charlie brown from outta town (GM), Monday, 27 April 2020 04:51 (four years ago) link
xp to Psychic HeartsKinda the ultimate punk rock love song. In the grander, universal sense of the word love. One of the very few SY related tracks that gets me emotional.
― circa1916, Monday, 27 April 2020 05:21 (four years ago) link
Lee does all my favorite songs
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Monday, 27 April 2020 05:29 (four years ago) link
i can't really stand Thurston Moore either, at least his personality, what happened with Kim, his embarrassing behavior in the Year Punk Broke....but he is still responsible for most of the Sonic Youth highpoints if you look at their entire career.
― akm, Monday, 27 April 2020 14:27 (four years ago) link
Some prime irritating Thurston in The Year Punk Broke, but some saving moments too.*going at a bowl of soup*“I need this elixir of... skinhead violence"
― circa1916, Monday, 27 April 2020 15:31 (four years ago) link
Lee saved them from becoming too much of the Thurston and Kim show and helped them become a much more rounded, venerable group as a whole (dodgy beat poet stuff aside)
Plus, his tunes and guitars etc
― Master of Treacle, Monday, 27 April 2020 18:40 (four years ago) link
Amazing setlist on this one. Don't know if I'll shell out for any of these when there are plenty of good live shows on Youtube but a p good listen: https://sonicyouth.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-brooklyn-2011
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 03:46 (four years ago) link
(also via Raymond)
I saw that 98 tour in Toronto with the same setlist. I think they were very consistent with the setlist on that tour. I've heard "boring" from other people but I really enjoyed them all the three times I saw them.
(That 2011 Brooklyn show is probably one I'm most likely to shell out for if I do tbc! i'm already reconsidering, listening to it on good speakers now.)
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 03:51 (four years ago) link
Disappearer popped up on my playlist tonight, it was good
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 28 April 2020 05:07 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 25 May 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
i'm voting for steve shelley because hey, let's face it: drummers are cool.
also the one time i got to see them was on 4 july when they were touring rather ripped and all throughout the set, steve and lee had some sort of side banter going completely off mic and steve just kept bursting out laughing every time lee walked over, leaned in, and said something. it was very endearing.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Monday, 25 May 2020 00:43 (three years ago) link
this is a band that is wayyyyyyyy more than the sum of its parts
100% truth. That said, I'm voting Kim for the vocal on "Shadow of a Doubt," though I could just as easily vote Thurston for preaching the free jazz gospel to indie rock dorks in the 90s.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 25 May 2020 02:04 (three years ago) link
I think Steve's drumming is deceptively simple and actually super intentional, tasteful, and in the pocket. There's clearly a reason they all keep hiring him for their solo projects when they could go with anyone.― change display name (Jordan), dimanche 26 avril 2020 17:07 (four weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink
― change display name (Jordan), dimanche 26 avril 2020 17:07 (four weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink
Never responded to this but, yeah, thanks, that's cool and makes sense. He does sound effective and distinctive to me.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Monday, 25 May 2020 04:26 (three years ago) link
As much as I love the tonal chaos, SY really snapped into focus for me when Steve joined. I'd say his control over the dynamics of their songs is my favourite thing about the band.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Monday, 25 May 2020 04:41 (three years ago) link
i remember seeing lee renaldo in the photographers zone all through one ATP--sonic youth were playing, i mean, he wasn't just randomly there--but he looked like he was a camera nerd in a way that i also found suggested endearing things about him
― the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Monday, 25 May 2020 11:20 (three years ago) link
Kim is way cooler than Thurston, but they are both too rich art school for me to really relate. Lee by comparison seems a bit more approachable and I have never really remember reading an interview with Steve.
― earlnash, Monday, 25 May 2020 11:50 (three years ago) link
kin to Klaus Dinger and I didn’t see anybody giving Klaus shit for having one dominant groove mode.
Here's Steve actually being Klaus for Michael Rother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp3Nt1xWjjE
Steve gets my vote for running Smells Like Records and actually tracking down Lee Hazlewood and somehow convincing him that people wanted to hear his records again.
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 25 May 2020 13:42 (three years ago) link
Thanks, kind of surprised that he pulls off that motorik beat so well. I just realised that Hallogallo is probably a variation of Halligalli ("Halligalli machen", to make noise, to throw a party).
― walking towards the sun since 2007 (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 25 May 2020 14:37 (three years ago) link
Kim is way cooler than Thurston, but they are both too rich art school for me to really relate. Lee by comparison seems a bit more approachable
Iirc, Ranaldo got a visual art degree like Gordon did (although his was from a state school), while Moore dropped out of college after a quarter semester and worked in a doughnut shop but, yeah, Ranaldo's family background was more blue-collar. Doubt that Moore grew up especially rich, with his Dad drifting between jobs and then dying when he was a teenager.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Monday, 25 May 2020 14:55 (three years ago) link
Good discussion, good points all around. Voting Thurston, the art not the artist I ftw, in this case at least.
― Spocks on the Run (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 May 2020 14:57 (three years ago) link
Voted for Thurston as well.
― pomenitul, Monday, 25 May 2020 15:00 (three years ago) link
A friend of mine one time went to some non-SY gig where Steve was on it and told me that he "couldn't keep a beat," or maybe "wouldn't" which kind of prejudiced me again him for a long time, but he seems to be the perfect drummer for this band though. Use to see Lee driving his old Mercedes Wagon near City Hall and probably would enjoy hanging at with him the most if it came to that, theoretically at least, but not going to let that sway me.
― Spocks on the Run (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 May 2020 15:01 (three years ago) link
Found used copies of Kim’s Body/Head records and snatched them up happily. Struggled through them several times and I have decided they’re not for me. Similar feeling to their SYR series. I liked the idea of free range Sonic Youth but the listening experience is actively irritating.
― Cow_Art, Monday, 25 May 2020 16:39 (three years ago) link
Steve. The rest are pretentious, in various degrees
― nostormo, Monday, 25 May 2020 17:51 (three years ago) link
yah its sonic youth. vote kim 2020
― plax (ico), Monday, 25 May 2020 19:20 (three years ago) link
Good poll. Midway thru Hits of Sunshine in the pre-dusk rays. Gen X Fab Four indeed
― llurk, Monday, 25 May 2020 23:18 (three years ago) link
I didn't vote for Lee, but I hope to see some votes for him!
― stop torturing me ethel (broom air), Monday, 25 May 2020 23:49 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 26 May 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
129 votes, heh. ILM stays true to its roots.
― pomenitul, Tuesday, 26 May 2020 00:04 (three years ago) link
Oh man, Lee!
― stop torturing me ethel (broom air), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 00:14 (three years ago) link
Lee only won because of the breakup
― calstars, Tuesday, 26 May 2020 00:24 (three years ago) link
idk he was always my fave
― sleeve, Tuesday, 26 May 2020 00:32 (three years ago) link
Lee is free.― earlnash, Sunday, April 26, 2020 4:10 PM (four weeks ago)
Lee is free.
― earlnash, Sunday, April 26, 2020 4:10 PM (four weeks ago)
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 01:24 (three years ago) link
Lee is kinda corny, sorry.
― circa1916, Tuesday, 26 May 2020 02:14 (three years ago) link
i thought he was going to be third so i voted for him but kim is actually my favorite
― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 03:17 (three years ago) link
Nice version of "Karen Revisited" here: https://sonicyouth.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-cabaret-metro-chicago-il-2002
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 04:02 (three years ago) link
v disappointed in you all
― plax (ico), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 07:08 (three years ago) link
― walking towards the sun since 2007 (alex in mainhattan), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 09:33 (three years ago) link
they're all corny
― The Cognitive Peasant (ogmor), Tuesday, 26 May 2020 11:26 (three years ago) link
Corn is part of what makes them great.
― stop torturing me ethel (broom air), Wednesday, 27 May 2020 13:44 (three years ago) link
sonic corn
― methinks dababy doth bop shit too much (m bison), Wednesday, 27 May 2020 17:27 (three years ago) link
just listened to Kim's solo album again, so good
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 27 May 2020 17:40 (three years ago) link
steve (i love the first two records but he's so important! he focuses the band!) > kim ("shadow of a doubt" alone means kim > thurston) > thurston > lee
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 29 May 2020 16:12 (three years ago) link
though this thread reminded me that i've never listened to every sonic youth album so i'm just gonna go through the whole discography
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 29 May 2020 16:13 (three years ago) link
WHERES JIM?!
― flappy bird, Friday, 29 May 2020 17:31 (three years ago) link
A Thousand Leaves got me into Daydream Nation, and I still love 3/4ths of it ("Hoarfrost" is my favorite Ranaldo song ever). As much shit as I give him now, Christgau's unbending enthusiasm for ATL helped me "get it" in 1998-1999.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 17:06 (three years ago) link
My ranking: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2019/10/05/ranking-sonic-youth/
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 17:08 (three years ago) link
xxxp Thurston had a lot of trouble remembering lyrics, some very funny stuff abt this in Goodbye 20th Century
― sleeve, Thursday, 16 July 2020 21:02 (three years ago) link