Sonic Youth Biography

Rock group. Original members included Thurston Moore (1958- ), Kim Gordon (1953- ), Lee Ranaldo (1956- ), Ann DeMarinis, and Richard Edson (1954- ). Based in the experimental sounds of guitar-driven rock, Sonic Youth has reigned as alternative rock royalty for more than two decades. Vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Thurston Moore started the band in 1981 with bassist and vocalist Kim Gordon and drummer Richard Edson. (Keyboardist DeMarinis was only with the band for a short time.) Early on, guitarist Lee Ranaldo came aboard. Ranaldo and Moore had known each other from their time with Glenn Branca, an avant-garde composer who created experimental orchestra pieces for guitars.

Influenced by the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, Sonic Youth put their own spin on rock music. They incorporated feedback into their music and used unusual tunings to create a new type of soundscape. Playing with noise, Sonic Youth seemed to pick up where punk left off, taking the music in more avant-garde direction. Their first recording—a self-titled EP—was released in 1982 on Neutral Records, which was run by Branca. Their early songs show a lyrical minimalism, but they still managed to touch on such dark topics as death and convey a sense of alienation and angst. Not long after the EP’s release, Edson left the group and was replaced by Bob Bert. Also around this time, Gordon and Moore got married.

After a few albums, Sonic Youth released Bad Moon Rising (1985), which helped them further develop their following in the underground music scene. It earned positive reviews and led to more lucrative recording contract offers. True to their independent roots, Sonic Youth decided against the major labels and signed with SST, which also handled hardcore punk acts as Black Flag. Their first album for SST was EVOL (1986), which got a lot of play on college radio stations. By this time, Bert was out and Steve Shelley had taken over as drummer for the band.

Released on Enigma Records, Daydream Nation (1988) was a huge breakthrough for Sonic Youth. The album received a lot of positive media attention and spawned the modern rock hit, “Teen Age Riot.” Rolling Stone later said, “Daydream Nation presents the definitive American guitar band of the Eighties at the height of its powers and prescience.” After this album, Sonic Youth decided to sign up with Geffen Records and made their major label debut in 1990 with Goo. Grappling with what it meant to go corporate, or sell out as detractors might say, the band insisted on retaining creative control as a part of their deal with Geffen.

The album made many top ten lists for the year, including in Jon Pareles’s list in The New York Times. He said, “Amid guitars that ring and crash and jitter, there are cryptic, offhanded ruminations on rock stardom and sexual tension—too noisy for pop songs, too concise for anarchy.” With its modern rock hit, “Kool Thing,” Goo was also the first Sonic Youth recording to make it onto the album charts. Touring with classic rock icon Neil Young, the band acted as his opening act.