The Zimmermann Note

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation

I think that if there were ever a process to consider the poster children for indie rock, Sonic Youth would have to be in that discussion. The band had been together for almost 30 years, continually making music by their rules.

“Teen Age Riot” is one of those songs that contains the spirit of punk with the sounds of avant-garde rock. Having performed this song a good 100 times on the air guitar with my wife, I think that we have the first two minutes of the song memorized as we would interchange on our interpretation of Thurston Moore/Lee Ranaldo on guitars. While the song itself has been described anointing J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. President, for me it signifies a Pre-“Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

This is the album for the beginner to start with in the Sonic Youth canon. When the Library of Congress is preserving an album, it should give an indication of it’s worth. Sonic Youth not just borrow from their predecessors like the Velvet Underground and the Stooges; there is still that movement after Punk broke to expand that energy into an artistic endeavor. At times, it’s Kim Gordon channeling Patti Smith in the delivery of the lyrics, and other times feels like a progressive rock albums as Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo battle head to head and noodle their way through the album. There are also 4 songs that last more than 7 minutes in length which is somewhat unheard of on prior Sonic Youth albums but this room allows for their sound to open up.

It was the idea that going in that they would try to capture some of the bands live sound on the record, but they were able to balance the sound such that it sounds precise but not over rehearsed. It sounds like punk, powerful and psychadelic at the same time.

Oh yes, the air guitar. Teenage Riot was the song that my wife and I “performed” at our wedding. I think that the guests must have thought that we were insane for doing so but it always became our thing and still is and also the clinching reason why this album is a classic in my eyes.

Sidebar:

Whenever considering the battle of rock bands between UK vs. America in the 80’s the early favorite, based on MTV videos was obviously the UK but there is something that happens in America. While the UK was busy “Flock of Seagulling” their hair and acting fairly egotistical in the process, it was the US that was exploring the depths of rock and roll and will own the legacy of that era. (As a side note: Seeing photos of Robert Smith at Lollapalooza makes me realize that the Cure are just a caricature of their former selves). I think that while I was writing this that this album felt like another feather in the cap of the American rock scene.