Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)E

The Artist

Sonic Youth emerged from New York's early-1980s no wave scene, built around the core of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, and drummer Steve Shelley. They made their name by dragging avant-garde noise, alternate guitar tunings, and screwdrivers-in-the-strings experimentation into the shape of rock songs, becoming one of the defining American underground bands of their generation. By 1988 they'd already released a string of increasingly ambitious records on independent labels, sharpening their sound from atonal skronk toward something more melodic and expansive. Daydream Nation is widely treated as the album where all of that finally coheres, the peak of their independent era just before they signed to a major. It set the template that a generation of alternative and indie bands would follow.

The Album

Recorded in the summer of 1988 in New York and co-produced by the band with Nick Sansano, Daydream Nation was originally released as a double LP on Enigma/Blast First. The band tracked much of it live in the room to capture the interplay of their heavily detuned guitars, then layered vocals and overdubs on top, keeping a raw, roomy feel across more than 70 minutes of music. Its release came right at the moment American indie rock was gathering commercial momentum, and it acted as a bridge between the underground and what would soon be called alternative. Thematically it circles urban alienation, media saturation, apocalyptic unease, and the strange romance of late-'80s New York. The Deluxe Edition adds a full live performance of the album plus demos and covers, including takes on The Beatles, Mudhoney, Neil Young, and Captain Beefheart.

Listen For

The guitar tunings. Almost every song uses a non-standard tuning, which is why the guitars ring out with those strange, bell-like overtones you can't quite place. Listen to how "Teen Age Riot (Album Version)" opens with a chime that sounds like no other rock record.

Steve Shelley's drumming. He's the anchor that lets the guitars roam. Pay attention to how he drives "Silver Rocket (Album Version)" and "Total Trash (Album Version)" with a straight-ahead propulsion that keeps the noise from floating away.

Long-form structure. Several tracks stretch past six or seven minutes and shift shape mid-song. "The Sprawl (Album Version)" and "Cross the Breeze (Album Version)" both start in one place and end somewhere completely different.

Kim Gordon's voice. Her half-spoken, half-sung delivery gives the record its coolest, most unsettling moments. Her performance on "Cross the Breeze (Album Version)" moves from a murmur to a full-throated howl.

Lyrics as collage. The words pull from William Gibson, Denis Johnson, tabloid noise, and street overhearings. "The Sprawl (Album Version)" borrows its title from cyberpunk, while "Providence" is built around a rambling answering-machine message from Mike Watt.