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"Looking for a ride to your secret location, where the kids are settin' up a free-speed nation, for you..."
"Daydream Nation" is a masterpiece. Without a doubt. Released in 1988, it represents the definitive maturation of Sonic Youth, a further refinement of their style after beautiful records like "EVOL" and "Sister," a progressive adaptation of no-wave experimentalism to song form, without renouncing the sonic revolution of which Sonic Youth have always been proponents. 12 magnificent tracks, seamlessly following one another, among art punk, noise, garage, psychedelia, a perfect mosaic that Sonic Youth would never replicate in their discography: the alchemy present here, in fact, has something extra, that inexplicable element typical of masterpieces, and even though great albums would follow "Daydream Nation" ("Dirty," "Washing Machine," "A Thousand Leaves," the modern New York trilogy that opened the new millennium), this will remain the milestone of their vast musical output.
How can one not fully embrace the anti-Reagan rebellion of "Teenage Riot," the supersonic speed of "Silver Rocket," generational anthems like "Eric's Trip" and "Hey Joni" sung by the immense Lee Ranaldo, before reaching the total annihilation of "Trilogy," the true masterpiece of the album, structured in three parts ("The Wonder," "Hyperstation," "Eliminator Jr."), where guitars and vocals gradually become more anguished, until the desperate hardcore conclusion shouted by Kim Gordon (I saw her dance live to "Drunken Butterfly" and I was mesmerized...). A stunning album, then, "Daydream Nation," to own and cherish jealously, a watershed in the history of rock and music equal to the great albums of the '60s and '70s, a timeless jewel that everyone should own or at least know, given that, if noise and indie rock can be discussed today, it is undoubtedly thanks to these gentlemen from New York.
And tell me if that's not saying a lot...
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Teen Age Riot (06:56)
You're it.
No, you're it.
Yeah, you're really it.
You're it.
No, I mean it, you're it.
Say it, don't spray it.
Spirit desire, face me.
Spirit desire, don't displace me.
Spirit desire, we will fall.
Miss me, don't dismiss me.
Spirit desire, spirit desire.
Spirit desire, we will fall.
Spirit desire, we will fall.
Spirit desire, spirit desire.
Spirit desire, we will fall.
Spirit desire, we will fall.
Everybody's talking 'bout the stormy weather,
And what's a man to do but work out whether it's true?
Looking for a man with a focus and a temper,
Who can open up a map and see between one and two.
Time to get it before you let it get to you.
Here he comes now -- stick to your guns and let him through.
Everybody's coming from the winter vacation,
Taking in the sun in a exaltation to you.
You come running in on platform shoes,
With Marshall stacks to at least just give us a clue.
Ah, here it comes, I know it's someone I knew.
Teenage riot in a public station,
Gonna fight and tear it up in a hypernation for you.
Now I see it,
I think I'll leave it out of the way.
Now I come near you,
And it's not clear why you fade away.
Looking for a ride to your secret location,
Where the kids are setting up a free-speed nation for you.
Got a foghorn and a drum and a hammer that's rocking,
And a cord and a pedal and a lock, that'll do me for now.
It better work out,
I hope it works out my way.
'Cause it's getting kind of quiet in my city's head,
Takes a teen age riot to get me out of bed right now.
You better look it, we're gonna shake it up to him.
He acts the hero, we paint a zero on his hand
We know it's down,
We know it's bound too loose.
Everybody's sound is round it,
Everybody wants to be proud to choose.
So who's to take the blame for the stormy weather,
You're never gonna stop all the teenage leather and booze.
It's time to go round, a one man showdown -- teach us how to fail.
We're off the streets now, and back on the road on the riot trail.
02 Silver Rocket (03:46)
Snake in it
jack into the wall
TV amp on fire
blowin' in the hall
gun yr. sled
close yr. peeping toms
turbo organizer
crankin' on the knob
You got it
yeh ride the silver rocket
can't stop it
burnin hole in yr pocket
hit the power
psycho helmets on
you got to splice yr. halo
take it to a moon
nymphoid clamor
fuelling up the hammer
you got to fake out the robot
and pulse up the zoom
You got it
yeh ride the silver rocket
can't stop it
burnin hole in yr pocket
can't forget the flashing
can't forget the smashing
the sending and the bending
the ampisphere re-entry
You gotta have the time
Got a letter in your mind
Gotta heart injection
That you got yourself a line
You got it
yeh ride the silver rocket
can't stop it
burnin hole in yr pocket
03 The Sprawl (07:39)
To the extent that I wear skirts
and cheap nylon slips
I've gone native
I wanted to know the exact dimension of hell
does this sound simple?
Fuck you! Are you for sale?
Does 'Fuck you' sound simple enough?
This was the only part that turned me on
but he was candy all over
come on down to the store
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
I grew up in a shotgun row
sliding down the hill
out front were the big machines
steel and rusty now I guess
outback was the river
and that big sign down the road
that's where it all started
come on down to the store
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
come on down to the store
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
come on down to the store
you can buy some more, and more, and more, and more
you can buy some more, more, more, more
06 Total Trash (07:30)
It start at the top
Now it's spiralling down
Works best when it's lost
Diggin' under the ground
Never mind it now
We can bring it back
It's total trash
And it's a natural fact
That I'm not no cow
It's never the same
It's more than a game
Can't take it away
Can't kill all the shame
It's a guilty man
That increased the crack
It's total trash
Sack 'em on the back
With a heavy rock
There he goes again
Magic monkey friend
Can I love the time
That he seems to spend
With all the kids in town
It start at the top
Now it's spiralling down
Works best when it's lost
Diggin' under the ground
Never mind it now
We can bring it back
It's total trash
And it's a natural fact
That I'm not no cow
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Other reviews
By rob
Sonic Youth are an unusual exception. They give rise to the flames.
That candle indeed sets the listener’s mind aflame. And it never disappoints, not even for a moment.
By markocc
Sometimes noise is the best music a man can listen to.
Daydream Nation is a crazy and terrifying scream, something that makes you uneasy but at the same time is wonderful, it’s like a drug.
By maryg
Every word spoken about "Daydream Nation" is certainly not wasted, as this album will never cease to amaze the audience, not even after a billion listens.
The historical significance of "Daydream Nation" is immeasurable: just considering the substantial number of bands that have drawn inspiration from it for their own sound.
By gianmarcolodi
"'Teenage Riot' for me was a way of being, a warning, I wasn’t and wouldn’t accept staying quiet or having a normal relationship."
"'Trilogy' which for me was honey, ambrosia that someone poured directly into my ears because then the next morning someone would come to talk to me about the storm."
By Dan Erre
Thurston Moore shouting: 'I don’t wanna die, guys.'
Their noise, especially live, could also be pure abstractionism.
