Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation-Deluxe Edition
Geffen/UME
By David Chiu
In 1988 during when acts such as U2, Whitney Houston and George Michael were the rage, Sonic Youth blasted the doors wide open with Daydream Nation, a masterpiece of post-punk rock. The music is rooted in the avant garde and recalls the glories of the Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat; yet despite the experimentations and the angular guitar noise, it sounds focused. The opening tracks “Teenage Riot” launched the album through over an hour’s worth of rip-roaring songs including “Eric’s Trip,” “Silver Rocket,” and “Hey Joni.” If you need any evidence of the kind of live band Sonic Youth was back in 1988-1989 look to the bonus disc on this reissue, which contains live versions of Daydream Nation’s songs recorded around the time of the album’s release; it also contains four cover tracks including the Beatles’ “Within You, Without You,” and Neil Young’s “Computer Age.” Even nearly 20 years on, Daydream Nation still sounds fresh and electrifying today.
NewBeats 