Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley (drums) followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, rounding out the core line-up. Jim O'Rourke (guitar) was a member of the band from 1999 to 2005.
Sonic Youth emerged from the experimental no wave art and music scene in New York before evolving into a more conventional rock band and becoming a prominent member of the American noise rock scene. Sonic Youth have been praised for having "redefined what rock guitar could do" using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings and preparing guitars with objects like drum sticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timbre. The band is considered to be a pivotal influence on the alternative and indie rock movements.

After gaining a large underground following and critical praise through releases with SST Records in the late 1980s, the band experienced mainstream success throughout the 1990s and 2000s after signing to major label DGC in 1990 and headlining the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. In 2011, Ranaldo announced that the band was "ending for a while" following the separation of married couple Gordon and Moore. Thurston Moore updated and clarified the position in May 2014: "Sonic Youth is on hiatus. The band is a democracy of sorts, and as long as Kim and I are working out our situation, the band can't really function reasonably." Gordon refers several times in her 2015 autobiography Girl in a Band to the band having "split up".

Top 3 of all time

IN

Ayeee

Sonic Nurse

The best Kim has ever sounded vocally was on that album.

My fav track on the album:

The ending riff, ooof.

The GOATS

Could post a million songs but will keep it to 1 at a time. This is one of my faves. That krautocky groove after the vox finish gets me in a trance

The GOAT band referencing the GOAT director.

Time to put the casuals on

Also one of the most consistant bands off all time, do they have any not so good record?

@Koala @atl

Silver Session maybe

I kept hearing about how great this album was, plus mythical Christgau's A+ rating, but it never clicked with until I was 18 on a particular trip to Cyprus. Listened through the headphones and it took me to another dimension. Gorgeous album.

Thurston's fav thing they've done

Nice. It's one of those albums that seems underwhelming at first but one day you realise it's something special. Probs my fav

Rap Critic - I Can't Believe This

First page not for sale

He also said that if it was up to him every song they made would be as long as The Diamond Sea.

Need a 25 minute Panty Lies tbh

any of you met/seen the band?

i met steve at a sy film premiere last year, very cool & humble guy

went up to him cause he was near merch & said 'do you take cash or credit?' and he was like 'uhhh idunno cash?' and it was just hilarious. clearly he wasnt the vendor but i wasnt thinking lmao