Thirty years after its release, Sonic Youth’s double-album magnum opus remains the defining document of American indie rock. Never before or after would this band—or any other—synthesize the urgency of punk, the abrasion of noise, and the beauty of pop into such a monumental whole. All three of the group’s songwriters are at their peak here. Thurston Moore eases into his eternal place as the wise older brother to the world’s floppy-haired, alternate-tuned guitar boys on anthems like “Teen Age Riot” and “Total Trash.” Kim Gordon, mother of all riot grrrls, tears through such prescient #MeToo ragers as “Eliminator Jr.” and “Kissability.” And Lee Ranaldo, the Deadhead-turned-drone scientist, marries the free-associative legacy of the Beatniks with Warholian downtown cool on “Eric’s Trip,” “Hey Joni,” and “Rain King.” Daydream Nation served as the bridge between the ’80s underground and the ’90s alternative explosion; Sonic Youth signed to major DGC following its release, then helped their friends Nirvana join the same label. The DNA of everything that came before, and everything that came after, is encoded in this album. –Amy Phillips / Pitchfork.com
