Sonic Youth's Beautiful Side
 

When people think of Sonic Youth they automatically think noisy chaotic feedback driven dissonant sounding guitars but sonic youth is a diverse band. They've released some beautiful songs. So I'm asking what are your favorite beautiful sonic youth songs?


I like: Diamond Sea, Genetic, Cotton Crown, Sunday, Tuff Gnarl, Saucer Like, Paper Cup Exit, I Love You Golden Blue ,Lee#2 and Karen Revisted.

I'd go with Kotton Krown.

Sonic Youth favorite soft songs:

The Empty Page
Disconnection Notice
The Diamond Sea
Paper Cup Exit
Unmade Bed
Sweet Shine
Unwind
Dude Ranch Nurse

My favourite SY song is Beauty Lies in the Eye, which is very lovely and pretty indeed.

As a whole, don't forget SYR6.

diamond sea, i love you golden blue & saucer-like

Why would they think that? I'd assume that most likely people have heard songs from their post-dirty era, which is far from noisy and chaotic.

A few beautiful songs on otherwise relatively noisy albums:
Cotton crown, Brave men run (in my family), Schizophrenia.

well, not any particular sparse songs.but are several months I'm into A Thousand L period and with period I mean sonorities. I dont listen so often that album and live recordings though. but I really like all that.

sunday, little trouble girl, The Empty Page, Disconnection Notice,I Love You Golden Blue & Unmade Bed

Shadow Of Doubt, Disconnection Notice, Sugar Kane, Teenage Riot

I'm suprised no one has mentioned Unwind. I generally find the whole of ATL to be quite peaceful and melodic too. I think the way they mix the beautiful melodies with the choas is what appeals to me most about SY.

beauty in sonic youth is subtle, raw, relevant;
written into the song, and seeming to be connected to the inner workings of each performer....
a few songs i remember fondly that are of this category:

the intro to bad moon rising
shadow of a doubt
snare, girl
theresa's sound-world
on the strip
schizophrenia
genetic
hey joni
tunic
bone
trilogy
hoarfrost
dripping dream
,..

For sure! I agree with this completley. You have songs like "Drunken Butterfly" as well as songs like "Dripping Dream" that take two completley different perspectives on who Sonic Youth are. They combine some chaotic, and some peaceful sounds to create different collaborations of noise. They cover sounds from nearly every genre that I can think of, and that's what I like about them.

snare girl is nice..the majority of the last 2 albums are lovely beautiful songs!.. such as new hampshire..dripping dream.. ect!

theresa's sound world, sweet shine, cotton crown, hoarfrost.

theresa's sound world, golden blue, unwind, cotton crown.. etc..

Kotton Krown, Diamond Sea and Schizophrenia are BEYOND beautiful.

This is a good thread for those wanting to make a chill SY playlist.

Good call on Unwind.

I'd say Karen Koltrane is pretty nice.

Anagrama is very beautiful.

No one has mentioned "Sweet Shine". I think that song is rather pretty.

Yeah Sweet Shine is great....and EJST&NS BITCHES.

skip tracer, cotton crown

Starpower.

I know they're not a backward looking band, but all the same I'd love for them to do a CD of re-recorded acoustic versions of some of the non-noisy stuff, and Starpower should be on it.

I think certain lazy journalists tend to use Sonic Youth as shorthand for 'feedback-drenched-pummelling-skronk-rock', which is only half of the story. If those jerkoffs actually let their ears do the listening they'd see the beauty contained within the sonic canon. So yep, all the songs mentioned. Love Kotton Krown (although I was disappointed that only Thurston sings it when playing it live), Candle, Expressway to yr Skull, Diamond Sea, Sugar Kane etc etc.

I think Sweet Shine is really underrated. I like it far more than many of the SY singles, and I don't see why they don't get too too much credit for the song. It has amazing lyrics, and it's emotionally in-depth.

I dont think i have ever written on here about what this band means to me personally.From the very first time i listened to them i got the impression of a group of people that found joy in expressing themselves but at the same time placed their feet firmly on the ground they walked on.That is vital as a musician because it allows you to try and experiment with sounds and words taking life and its effects on you as a point of reference and inspiration.From there on you can only evolve as a person and therefore as a musician

Yeah, this side of SY is as important as the noisy side. I'd say I Love You Golden Blue and Snare, Girl (a very underrated song)

diamond sea, little trouble girl, washing machine, bee bee's song, safe in hell, expressway. snare girl

Word. And I think "The Diamond Sea" is very overrated. :eek:

It is, although the mere fact that it's overrated doesn't make it worse in any way :p

two words: personality crisis
one date: november 2 1991
one setting: bridge school benefit
one link: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/cc/110291.html

as for the softer youth stuff: PEACE ATTACK!

It's an ok song. I don't have a problem with it. I'm just not in love with it like some.

Actually, I think it's my least favorite song on Washing Machine.

That's understandable. The fact that it's on washing machine gives it lots of competition with other songs. Personally my favorites would be Becuz and Saucer-Like, but the Diamond Sea is lovely.

oooooooooow,i LOVE karen koltrane........

That's a tought question, Tim. Sonic Youth have made a lot of great beautiful songs, but i'd have to tie it between the Diamond Sea and Karen Revisited (for the LSD reference and the line "she claims religion kills more than it saves you, man"). But i also like Lee's cover of Bob Dylan's "Momma, You Been on MY Mind". I really like that song, it has a great melody (Dylan's the shit) and i absolutely love the squeaky feedback scratchings in the background. *Perfect* Sonic Youth need to cover more songs, they are exeptional at recreating great music by other great musicians. Some more covers of the Velvet Underground, perhaps? I'd really like to see/hear them cover either "Heroin" or "Sister Ray". Now, THAT would be nice!

I love sonic's mellow side...however....I don't really want to hear these songs accoustic....I like them all electric!

diamond sea and empty page

what about Small Flowers Crack Concrete

I personally think many songs are really beautiful:

i love you golden blue
diamond sea
shadow of a doubt
intro to stones is amazing! as well as candle

Wish Fullfillment
Sugar Kane
The Diamond Sea
Sunday
Cotton Crown
Shadow Of A Doubt