So I figured I better to these at least every other day, otherwise they'll take fucking forever to come out. So here's my next pick, for the year 1988: Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation.
I was barely two years old when this record came out, a fact that consistently perplexes me. Here, Sonic Youth really perfected their style. Their seemingly symphonic weaving of guitars and bass came to be the band's signature sound, making Daydream Nation a classic of the indie genre and a staple in '80s underground rock. The album itself is highly referential, with the band giving shout outs from everyone to Joni Mitchell, William Gibson, Dinosaur Jr., Saul Bellows, and Andy Warhol's film Chelsea Girls.
Although each track is a gem, the real centerpiece is "Providence": distancing itself from most of the album's rock sensibilities, the song displays some of the band's more experimental tendencies. The song consists of a piano solo by Thurston Moore recorded at his mother's house using a Walkman, the sound of an amp overheating and a pair of telephone messages left by Mike Watt, calling for Moore from a Providence, Rhode Island payphone, dubbed over one another.
Experimental, trendsetting, and altogether ahead of its time, Daydream Nation is an absolute staple for any music lover's catalog.
Key Tracks: "Teen Age Riot", "The Sprawl", "Providence", "Candle"
Next time: 1989
Hint: 105
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