Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth

by Lana Fleischli

Usually when I write about an album, I make mental or physical notes about it and what stands out to me– what meaning I get from lyrics, or the musicality, or the conceptuality. I usually listen to an album for a week or two, trying to analyze to my best ability– trying to crack the code and understand the deep thoughts that the artists are conveying. I always want to make sure to get at least a little deeper than one listen would be, because then what would the point be of reading these articles anyhow? My goal is to get readers to walk away having thought about these albums a little differently than before.

Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth has been one of the only albums that I cannot crack. 

I’ve grown up listening to Sonic Youth, so to write about an album as incredible as Daydream Nation turns the pressure on. However, I felt certain that I would be fine– I would get it eventually. 

Last week my mom asked me what happened to my Daydream Nation review? I told her I couldn’t write it, because I was having trouble understanding it. But that’s just it! She helped me realize that the “avant gardness” of the piece is what makes it one of Sonic Youth’s best albums. 

Sonic Youth has the ability to write music that makes you think about the world around you like the song “Youth Against Facism” on Dirty. However, their music also has the rare quality that it is that they are incredibly enlightening music-wise even if they aren’t singing about the trials and tribulations of being alive. They can have songs like “Kissability” that is just a fun word describing how someone looks to be a good kisser, and still, I will sit and listen to it in awe because everything about it is complex and intelligent. 

Sonic Youth’s music has a depth that is far-reaching because they created sounds that many musicians are still too scared to create. They weren’t afraid of distortion and the “badassery” that comes with it. 

Daydream Nation encompasses the incredible qualities of Sonic Youth and that’s why it is a masterful album. My personal favorite songs on the album are “Teen Age Riot,” “Silver Rocket,” “Total Trash,” and “Kissability.” This is a piece of music history, so if you haven’, go listen to it.