Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

I can guess that this was very innovative at the time, and a big step forward for that kind of post-punk sound. It holds up well, and is definitely a good album, I just have a hard time really getting into it. The production's a little lo-fi by today's standards, and I think there's an overall lack of polish. Some people may like that, which is fine, I just like music crafted with a little more care. It's a little too long for the amount of ideas it has, and can seem like just a lot of detuned guitars prattling together. It all sounds pretty good, but not much of it really demands my full attention. It's totally fine to have on in the background when you're doing something else, but I can't really see myself dedicating too much of my spare time to it. Not to belittle the album, though. There's plenty to like about it.

"Teen Age Riot" is a nice catchy opener, despite being almost seven minutes in length. "The Sprawl" is the first song featuring the female vocalist, and is pretty nice until the two minutes of feedback at the end. I think the whole record would be better if it was just tightened up quite a bit. "Cross the Breeze" is one of the most enjoyable on the album with a hard, frenetic pace. "Total Trash" is an interesting song with a melody that breaks down and comes to a halt as it goes on. "Kissability" is the shortest actual song at barely over three minutes, and pretty enjoyable. "Trilogy" is a three part epic that starts hard and fast, slows down for a while, and then picks up again for the finish. It kind of encapsulates the entire album, interesting in parts but a little too long for its own good.