The Depths · All albums

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth · 1988

• Scores: Noise 4, Unease 3, Complexity 3 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Noise rock
• Mood: abrasive, sprawling, restless
• Sound: alternate tunings, extended songs, feedback

Daydream Nation is where Sonic Youth’s long improvised pieces and noise met pop melodies on a double album. The band recorded it in July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in New York with Nick Sansano, using unorthodox guitar tunings, and several songs end in long instrumental sections. Some of the songs ran to more than half an hour when written, and instead of trimming them as on earlier records the band kept them expansive, which led to a double album. “Providence” is built from a piano solo recorded on a Walkman, an overheating amplifier and phone messages left by Mike Watt, and “Trilogy” is a three-part suite mixed overnight. It was a major influence on alternative and indie rock, including Nirvana.

Track list

1. Teen Age Riot (6:57)
2. Silver Rocket (3:47)
3. The Sprawl (7:42)
4. ‘Cross the Breeze (7:00)
5. Eric’s Trip (3:48)
6. Total Trash (7:33)
7. Hey Joni (4:23)
8. Providence (2:41)
9. Candle (4:58)
10. Rain King (4:39)
11. Kissability (3:08)
12. Trilogy: The Wonder (4:16)
13. Trilogy: Hyperstation (7:13)
14. Trilogy: Eliminator Jr. (2:38)