Distortion and feedback? On a Sonic Youth forum? No way!

I like it when people know more than a smidge about what they're takling about. Everything I've heard of Lightning Bolt (which is, in fairness, by no means comprehensive) is pretty tonal. The reason they're called effects pedals is because they affect the sound - if the sound underneath is tonal, it doesn't matter which pedal you're using, the music is still tonal. Which is where feedback can produce some non-consonant sounds, but it's rare that these sounds don't have a harmonic relationship to the core tone. I find most noise-y pedals tend to still produce consonant overtones, even with feedback.

Anyway. Personally, I prefer tonal feedback, but the last few years I don't really like anything other than clean on an electric guitar. Distorted violin I'm a fan of (Kosugi), and percussion sounds amazing feedbacking. The thing with SY, and Hendrix for that matter, is that they've got superlative control over their feedback, (except in their 'free' sections, obviously) it's very much part of the song

That's very true, and I was experimenting with such a thing when I've started this poll the other day. I've turned on a microphone, switched on a synth , and turned the volume up super-loud on both, while I stuck the mike into my mouth and played conventional chords on the synth. Even though you get some nicely erractic modulations making an appearence with the feedback, the synth chords were 'weirded up', but still tonal.