Sonic Youth

Barcelona: RUTA 66, 1994. Besides Björk, the band was made up of:. Sonic Youth: I dreamed of noise. The band's sound was characterized by whimsical yet heartfelt lyrics, and the imploring, girlish voice of vocalist Björk Guðmundsdóttir, who later went on to great success as a solo artist. Julia, Ignacio and Jaime Gonzalo. Albums include the following:. ^† Repackaged for CD by DGC with Confusion Is Sex in 1995. They received critical and popular acclaim in both the US and the UK.

^* Reissued in 1988 by SST as Sonic Death -- Early Sonic 1981 - 1983.
The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic rock-pop band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. Moore and Gordon are married and have a daughter, Coco Gordon Moore. Margrét Örnólfsdóttir (keyboards). Jim Sclavunos is currently involved in The Bad Seeds with Nick Cave, in addition to his own band The Vanity Set. Bragi Ólafsson (bass). Bert was later involved in No Wave descendants Pussy Galore and Boss Hogg, among others. Þór Eldon (guitar).

Former personnel include Richard Edson (drums 1981-1982), Bob Bert (drums 1982-1986), Jim Sclavunos (drums 1982-1983) and Ann DeMarinis (keyboards 1981-1982) Edson left the band to appear in movies such as Platoon and Stranger Than Paradise. Einar Melax (keyboards). In 1994, journalist Alec Foege published a full-length biography of the band called Confusion is Next: The Sonic Youth Story. Sonic Youth's career is also chronicled in Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups by Michael Azerrad. Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpet). The band was also slated to perform in 2004's Lalapalooza tour along with acts such as The Pixies and Flaming Lips, but the concert was cancelled due to lackluster ticket sales. Sigtryggur Baldursson (drums). Sonic Nurse had decent sales due to performances on TV talk shows including Late Night with Conan O"Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The Great Crossover Potential (greatest hits compilation) (1998).

The band also showed their pop culture commentary and sense of humor with the track "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Conan Doyle Hand Cream", a faster-tempo song sung by Kim Gordon which spoofed the pop singer's life, including her short-lived relationship with rapper Eminem. It's It (remixes collection) (1992). Their next and most recent album was 2004's Sonic Nurse, which garnered critical acclaim and was mellower and poppier than previous work, but still maintained their sense of musical experimentation with SY trademarks such as feedback-rich guitar solos and alternate tunings. Stick Around for Joy (1992). This next album would be titled Murray Street in memory of their destroyed studio. Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! (1989). A jet engine reportedly smashed into the studio, destroying it. Life's Too Good (1988).

The band was busy working in their NYC studio, Murray Street, during the September 11, 2001 attacks. These records featured experimental artists such as Jim O'Rourke, Yoko Ono, and, on Goodbye 20th Century (1999), the works of experimental classical composers such as John Cage, Steve Reich and Christian Wolff. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band began releasing a number of records on their own Hoboken, New Jersey-based label SYR. Steve Shelley has been involved in running the Smells Like Records and SYR record labels, as well as playing in backing bands for Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Two Dollar Guitar.

Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore have played with many experimental/noise musicians, including William Hooker, Don Dietrich, Christian Marclay and Mission of Burma, among others. Kim Gordon collaborated in Free Kitten, and started an MTV-adored fashion label X-Girl, based in L.A. In the meantime, members of the band diversified their talents. Sonic Youth's influence as tastemakers continued with their discovery of avant skateboard video director Spike Jonze and their revival of Macaulay Culkin via a video directed by the very young Harmony Korine.

They were particularly important in the growth of grunge: their 1991 tour with the then-unknown Nirvana being captured in the film 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Managing to stay afloat in the cut-throat music industry financially while maintaining some sense of self and dignity, Sonic Youth have proved highly influential on underground rock music. By Daydream Nation (1988), Sonic Youth had perfected this style, becoming virtuostic sculptors of guitar noise. Starting with Bad Moon Rising and EVOL, the listener can hear the band beginning to craft pop songs from the raw stuff of feedback and distortion.

Sonic Youth have gradually incorporated more conventional elements of pop music into their work, while still maintaining an experimental quality. A very vocal camp maintains that Confusion is Sex in particular has never been equalled by the band; nevertheless, SY would not make records like Sonic Youth or Confusion ever again. Their first album--greatly indebted to Branca--plays very austere and reserved, consciously arty and layered, while their next two important projects, Confusion is Sex and Kill Yr Idols, are hyper-aggressive aggregates of swirling noise. Sonic Youth began in extremes.

I thought [hardcore] was very musical and very radical" (Julia and Gonzalo 51). "It was great," said Moore, "the whole thing with slam dancing and stage diving, that was far more exciting than pogoing and spitting.. Moore and Gordon, especially, were impressed by the intensity of the musicians involved, and their ability to organize nationwide. Besides Branca, Patti Smith, and the Stooges, another early influence was hardcore music of the early 1980s.

Drummer Steve Shelley played drums for the hardcore band the Crucifucks before joining Sonic Youth. They were associated with the "No Wave" art/music scene in New York City, but have outlasted most associated bands. Supposedly their name mocks the preponderance of bands with the name 'youth' in the title in NYC in the early 1980s.
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Their most recent release, Sonic Nurse was released on June 7, 2004. The band currently consists of Kim Gordon (bass guitar, guitar, vocals), Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Lee Ranaldo (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), Steve Shelley (drums 1986- present) and Jim O'Rourke (guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, laptop) (2000-present).
. Initially inspired by the noise experimentation of Glenn Branca—with whom most of the band have performed—as well as the heavy garage rock-acid-rock of The Stooges, they were known for using a variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and for applying screwdrivers or other preparations to guitars to alter the instruments' timbre.

Sonic Youth are an experimental rock group formed in 1981. Download sample of "Teenage Riot" from Daydream Nation. 1996 - "Little Trouble Girl". 1993 - "Whores Moaning - Oz '93 Tour Edition".

1993 - "Sugar Kane". 1992 - "Youth Against Fascism". 1992 - "100%". 1990 - "Disappearer".

1990 - "Kool Thing". 1989 - "Candle". 1988 - "Teenage Riot". 1986 - "Starpower".

1986 - "Into the Groove(y)" (as Ciccone Youth). 1986 - "Halloween II". 1986 - "Flower/Satan is Boring". 1985 - "Flower/Halloween".

SYR3: Invito Al Celo (SYR, 1998). Silver Session (For Jason Knuth) (Sonic Knuth Records, 1998). SYR2: Slaapkamers Met Slagroom (SYR, 1997). SYR1: Anagrama (SYR, 1997).

Kill Yr Idols (Zensor, 1983) ^†. Sonic Nurse (DGC, 2004). Murray Street (DGC, 2002). NYC Ghosts & Flowers (DGC, 2000).

SYR4: Goodbye 20th Century (SYR, 1999). A Thousand Leaves (DGC, 1998). Made in USA (Rhino, 1995). Washing Machine (DGC, 1995).

Screaming Fields of Sonic Love (DGC, 1994). Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (DGC, 1994). Dirty (DGC, 1992). Goo (DGC, 1990).

Daydream Nation (Enigma/Blast First, 1988). "The White(y) Album" (Enigma/Blast First, 1988, as Ciccone Youth,
with Suzanne Sasic, J Mascis and Mike Watt). Sister (SST, 1987). EVOL (SST, 1986).

Bad Moon Rising (Homestead, 1985). Sonic Death^* (Ecstatic Peace, 1983). Confusion Is Sex (Neutral, 1983). Sonic Youth (Neutral, 1982).