sonic youth essay I wrote for amherst college
Here it is the essay I promised. It was written way back in the day, I was a freshman in college trying to transfer from Umass:
Sonic youth
Sonic youth, a band in which the member’s collective geography ranges from California to New York is by far one of my favorite recording artists of all time. Their long history of fine recordings and stellar live shows provide them with a sort of legendary status in their own time. Though not a heavily commercial, or marketed band, sonic youth has redefined pop music, incorporating punk rock, experimental noise, and swift jazz motifs. Each band member’s personality and style comes through as well, with no bandleader to dictate on anything (Although Thurston Moore is arguably the anti-leader, if there ever was one, playing dissonant guitar rifts, while rocking the mop top look). I will talk about my two favorite members, even though I really love them all!
Lee Ranaldo is the closest thing resembling a beat poet. His wild guitar noises contrasts well with Moore’s rhythm guitar style. One of the things I like about Sonic youth is that pretty much all of their songs are fairly dissonant sounding, with different, unorthodox tunings. Yet at the same time, unlike most experimental music, it really rocks! Kind of like, “mind opening music for the average guy’s soul.” Ranaldo definitely plays a key role here.
Kim Gordon, female bass player from hell. Kim is so cool she’ll put out your fire. Kim was a devoted feminist from the start, writing songs like “flower” on their Bad Moon Rising LP released in ’83. “Use the power of man, to support the power of women…”She screams/narrates on the haunting track. Ironically, being the only female in the band, Kim has turned into somewhat of a sex symbol through out the years. She has flirted with the image of the relentless femme girl, but has always portrayed it with humor and cynicism.
Sonic youth
Sonic youth, a band in which the member’s collective geography ranges from California to New York is by far one of my favorite recording artists of all time. Their long history of fine recordings and stellar live shows provide them with a sort of legendary status in their own time. Though not a heavily commercial, or marketed band, sonic youth has redefined pop music, incorporating punk rock, experimental noise, and swift jazz motifs. Each band member’s personality and style comes through as well, with no bandleader to dictate on anything (Although Thurston Moore is arguably the anti-leader, if there ever was one, playing dissonant guitar rifts, while rocking the mop top look). I will talk about my two favorite members, even though I really love them all!
Lee Ranaldo is the closest thing resembling a beat poet. His wild guitar noises contrasts well with Moore’s rhythm guitar style. One of the things I like about Sonic youth is that pretty much all of their songs are fairly dissonant sounding, with different, unorthodox tunings. Yet at the same time, unlike most experimental music, it really rocks! Kind of like, “mind opening music for the average guy’s soul.” Ranaldo definitely plays a key role here.
Kim Gordon, female bass player from hell. Kim is so cool she’ll put out your fire. Kim was a devoted feminist from the start, writing songs like “flower” on their Bad Moon Rising LP released in ’83. “Use the power of man, to support the power of women…”She screams/narrates on the haunting track. Ironically, being the only female in the band, Kim has turned into somewhat of a sex symbol through out the years. She has flirted with the image of the relentless femme girl, but has always portrayed it with humor and cynicism.