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THE REVIEW
When I hear about the '80s, I'm invariably flooded with a sea of nonsense like "decadence," "death of rock," etc... OK, but does the name Sonic Youth mean nothing to you? Sonic Youth is the band that, more than any other, since '82 has revolutionized rock and the way it is played.
"Daydream Nation" is their masterpiece, which has established them among the best musical realities of the last two decades of the century. Major exponents of that crazy movement called "No Wave," truly anarchic (unlike the Sex Pistols), Sonic Youth draws from the deafening symphonies of the brilliant Glenn Branca and the bacchanals in pure Velvet Underground style, and after releasing an EP in '82, in 1983 they gift us with their first, absurd album: "Confusion Is Sex."
It's certainly not easy to talk about an album like this: a bewildering, crazy debut, misunderstood by many, that marks a turning point in the history of rock and music. 9 terrifying tracks, where Moore & co. convey to us metropolitan unease and anguish, imprinted in detuned and screeching guitars, desperate and flattened voices. How can one not be shocked by Kim Gordon's lament in "Shakin Hell" or the masterpiece "Confusion Is Next," in which Thurston Moore recites: "Chaos is the future and behind it is freedom, confusion is next and next after that is the truth...". In the CD version, there is also room for the EP "Kill Yr. Idols," another 4 ingenious tracks between noise and madness, fear and delirium... What else can I say? I really recommend everyone to buy this record and listen to it, ready to be shaken by a unique and revolutionary sound from a band that has never stopped evolving, and that even more than 20 years and 19 albums later, continues to amaze us...
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Summary by Bot
This review praises Sonic Youth's debut album Confusion Is Sex as a revolutionary and challenging work that reshaped rock music in the 1980s. It highlights the album's raw, chaotic sound and the band's anarchic roots in the No Wave movement. The inclusion of the EP Kill Yr. Idols enhances the CD experience, showcasing noise and madness. The reviewer highly recommends the album for its unique place in music history and its ongoing influence.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Sonic Youth
American experimental rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Core members across their most influential period included Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley; Jim O'Rourke later collaborated and is mentioned as an official member in reviews.66 Reviews
Other reviews
By Alessandro Gentili
Listening to this record hurts, it is harmful, it’s a masochistic perversion, but in the end, the title is a warning: confusion is sex.
A chaotic fury worthy of the best punk permeates most of the tracks, marked by pure and extreme noise; dissonances in tons, walls of detuned guitars.
By gate
"Madness, alienation, chaos, hatred, fury: every single note of the album is imbued with these five elements."
"After the first piece, 'Bad Mood,' probably the closest to the concept of 'normality,' begins a journey through songs that are not songs: they are pure noise deliriums."
