Any takers?
I love this band. Not everything they have done is great - in fact there has been at least one utter clunker, but generally Sonic Youth have been interesting and inventive at the very least, and thrilling, bewitching and transcendent at their best. In fact at their peak they were probably the best US band around.
Sonic Youth manage to take challenging arty experimentation and sculpt warm sonic structures. Whilst their music is often dissonant, with their prepared guitars and fascination with noise, they also have a fine ear for a hypnotic rhythm and a tune, as well as knowing the value of space in music. It also helps that Moore and Ranaldo are masterful guitarists.
The period 1986-88 saw Sonic Youth explode from the avant-garde scene onto the international stage with a trio of brilliant, seminal albums, Evol, Sister, and Daydream Nation. When I first heard Evol's barrage I thought "Wow, how will they ever top this" but Sister is on another plane, an unbelievable record, arty, disciplined yet distorted but warm and human. Yet the double album Daydream Nation manages to surpass even that, as the band stretch their legs and sights. A stunning achievement and possibly one of the best albums ever.
As they have got older the music has relaxed back into a more conventional groove, but the quality has generally been excellent. In fact 2009's The Eternal was, in my opinion, as good as anything they had done since Daydream Nation. It features punky riffs, duelling guitars, gently strummed acoustic guitar and waves of distortion. Perhaps not as focused as it could be, but really, who cares?
They were pretty damn thrilling live as well!