Sonic Youth

On Tour

527,518 listeners (14,939,812 plays)

Listening now: fitter, perAccidens, Carpetsmoker

alternative, indie, experimental, post-punk, rock

New York, United States (1981 – present)

Sonic Youth is an experimental rock group formed in New York City in 1981. The band consists of Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) and Steve Shelley (drums)

In their early career Sonic Youth were associated with the no wave art and music scene in New York City, but have outlasted most associated bands.

Initially inspired by the experimentation of Glenn Branca and The Velvet Underground and the heavy garage rock of The Stooges, they are known for using a variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and for applying screwdrivers, drumsticks or other preparations to guitars to alter the instruments’ timbres.

Members of the band have released books of poetry and prose (a beatnik influence is evident in both their writing and lyrics), produced, written and performed in films (such as “1991: The Year Punk Broke”, “Perfect Partner”, “(this is known as) the blues scale” and “last days”). They have staged shows of visual art, and curated the All Tomorrows Parties music festival. They’ve even appeared in and performed a version of the theme song for “The Simpsons”.

In addition to their 21 albums as Sonic Youth there is much material recorded and performed with other artists, solo albums, and side-projects. It can be said that Sonic Youth are an artistic collective just as much as they are a traditional rock/pop band.

1	Superstar full track	5,142
2	Teen Age Riot full track	2,941
3	Kool Thing full track	2,216
4	Silver Rocket full track	2,199
5	The Sprawl full track	1,714
6	Incinerate	1,605
7	100% full track	1,489
8	Sugar Kane full track	1,483
9	Dirty Boots full track	1,458
10	Candle full track	1,433
11	Eric's Trip full track	1,423
12	Total Trash full track	1,415
13	Hey Joni full track	1,392
14	Kissability full track	1,344
15	'Cross the Breeze full track	1,269

Top Albums

Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
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Rather Ripped
Sonic Youth
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Dirty
Sonic Youth
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Goo
Sonic Youth
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Shoutbox

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MelvinfromHell wrote:
15 minutes ago

Hi, I´m sorry but I posted a wrong link, here you can listen to the music of the band I´m in: http://www.myspace.com/theelknoizejohnsonmusic or directly here at last.fm under: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Elk+Noize+Johnson so you can get our stuff scrobbled if you want to bye

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Radio_Skull wrote:
48 minutes ago

"play them daydream nation and they'll run away covering their indiefag ears." My mom started dancing to Daydream Nation. fail

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Crucifuck wrote:
1 hour ago

Happy 50th birthday, Thurston.

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YouthViolence wrote:
3 hours ago

Fucking legends.

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R0cketT0RuSsIA wrote:
5 hours ago

play bad moon rising and they will commit suicide because it isnt superstar. Sonic Youth have an amazing legacy. EVOL never gets much love from my friends

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absolia wrote:
5 hours ago

who is forgetting that?! no one. they're just ignorant to it, or they don't give a fuck. you need to stop being so indignant about something that will never change. and i need to stop being so indignant about you blathering on about it.

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higginst wrote:
7 hours ago

"SY had a massive legacy spanning 3 decades before it came out." -- thats what pisses me off, is that people seem to be forgetting that

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janelesque wrote:
8 hours ago

Best Sonic Youth song forever = Death Valley 69. I never watched Juno

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SonicExplosion wrote:
yesterday evening

skull smashin' goodness = bad moon rising

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SPACEFACTORYREC wrote:
yesterday afternoon

We hope you'll be interested by new hot tunes by David Carretta, Adriano Canzian, Dancepig and more we thank you to listen and play our music. http://www.last.fm/label/SPACE+FACTORY/

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mat35 wrote:
yesterday afternoon

Can't believe Juno is still affecting SY. Kimya Dawson and all her related bands I can understand, but SY had a massive legacy spanning 3 decades before it came out.

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david_23 wrote:
yesterday morning

Well,,, that reminds me all the church battle about nirvana and the unplugged.... You indie integrist... Nevermind.... By the way, is there someone who's going to see them this summer? I'm going to see them the 9th of august at Saint Nazaire and I can't wait for that. I saw them in 1995 (just after washing machine) and it was just fuckin awesome!!!

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LessConfusion wrote:
yesterday morning

lol @ this shoutbox still being about Juno.

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absolia wrote:
yesterday morning

i just dry heaved

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higginst wrote:
yesterday evening

"superstar isn't their sound at all" -- finally someone just out n out says it. jeez.

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rigoisphat wrote:
Wednesday evening

no because superstar isn't their sound at all. play them daydream nation and they'll run away covering their indiefag ears. you don't know how many times i've mentioned sonic youth to other people only to hear "OMG I LUV SUPERSTAR!!!!11!!!!1"

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HotPoop wrote:
Wednesday evening

WE NEED MORE HIGGINST join higginst!! our SAVIOUR!!!!!! 1 000 000 post on last.fm

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freefestival wrote:
Wednesday evening

No because then we have hipster fags listening to Sonic Youth and pretending to know them when the first time they actually heard of them was in Juno.

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nicoinfurs wrote:
Wednesday afternoon

no it's not, you shouldn't give good music to little children

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david_23 wrote:
Wednesday morning

chill out girls and guys.... If Juno has been able to make some people discover SY, then it's a good thing. They will probably listen to some other SY tracks later (@ SY newb : you can try Goo or Washing Machine for an easy discovery). By the way : Sonic Youth rules.

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Events

Aug 1 Lokerse Feesten Grote Kaai, Lokeren, Belgium
17 shouts | 145 attendees
Aug 4 Les Méditerranéennes Plage des Mourets, Leucate, France
3 shouts | 5 attendees
Aug 5 Øyafestivalen Middelalderparken, Oslo, Norway
110 shouts | 642 attendees

Add event | See more

Recent Activity

Dalamar8 tagged Sonic Youth with ‘post punk’. yesterday evening
motionpicture tagged Sonic Youth with ‘show me your riffs’ and ‘show us your riffs’. yesterday evening
c777 tagged Sonic Youth with ‘alternative rock’. yesterday afternoon
deadbambi tagged Sonic Youth with ‘alternative’ and ‘noise-rock’. yesterday afternoon
melwebster tagged Sonic Youth with ‘alternative’. yesterday afternoon
Floydzep, josipa_simic and nickexclamation tagged Sonic Youth with ‘seen live’. yesterday afternoon
victor-taylor tagged Sonic Youth with ‘indie rock’. yesterday morning
DunKhan tagged Sonic Youth with ‘experimental’ and ‘alternative’. Wednesday evening
wildimagination tagged Sonic Youth with ‘seen live’. Wednesday evening
DFA1979 tagged Sonic Youth with ‘artrocker’. Wednesday evening