Sonic Youth... WTF???

[Spaceboy]

SY isn't meant to be listened to with the same ears as more traditional rock. They came from a very removed offshoot of punk rock where artistic expression was more important than sound. It's something you either get or don't, but they are fantastic at what they do and extremely influential to certain styles. If you're trying to analyze and pick apart their playing as you would with a flamenco player, then your head is in the wrong place to be listening to them. It's an artistic approach to music, not a musical approach.

 

[rupe]

SY isn't meant to be listened to with the same ears as more traditional rock. They came from a very removed offshoot of punk rock where artistic expression was more important than sound. It's something you either get or don't, but they are fantastic at what they do and extremely influential to certain styles. If you're trying to analyze and pick apart their playing as you would with a flamenco player, then your head is in the wrong place to be listening to them. It's an artistic approach to music, not a musical approach.

That's such a load of shit...just another way to justify garbage. Artistic expression my ass.

Here's some artistic expression for you

 

[Red_Label]

Red,

Jags and Jazzmasters have huge sonic value...... The unique and singular trem bar the weird haunting sustain behind bridge -- the "twionks" from hitting behind the bridge -- in the case of the Jag the juxtaposition of the gibson scale and fender woods-- and in the case of the Jazzmaster a Much more solid bridge pick-up sound than a start..... (again in-between fender and gibson/while being a less heard sound...)

Sorry but you are talking out of your ass

Yeah... I guess you're right. Based on some of the shit I've seen you post on this site... you'd definitely know about talking out of one's ass.

 

[benduncan]

thats the funniest youtube video ive seen all year

 

[Red_Label]

That's such a load of shit...just another way to justify garbage. Artistic expression my ass.

Awesome vid!

Totally agree. Why do people always resort to that lame excuse when they're trying to justify their enjoyment of crap? Just say "it's crap, but I enjoy it anyways" and have the balls to roll with that. I like friggin Katy Perry. It's commercial, lowest-common-denominator crap, but it's catchy and I like it (and I like looking at her tits).

I get that SY has their own schtick and digs that. Great for them. I still think it's poorly played music by poor musicians with very poor skills and a poor knowledge of their instruments. I sure as shit wouldn't hire any of them to teach music to my kids.

 

[freeballinusa]

Perhaps I am Out of my ass at times, Just thought it was unfair to assume the Jags and Jazzmasters were chosen only to be 'different' I prefer them to Les Pauls and Strats sonically... Though I do love all of them!

Didn't mean to be douchey Some of us Love Jags!

 

[benduncan]

That's such a load of shit...just another way to justify garbage. Artistic expression my ass.

Awesome vid!

Totally agree. Why do people always resort to that lame excuse when they're trying to justify their enjoyment of crap? Just say "it's crap, but I enjoy it anyways" and have the balls to roll with that. I like friggin Katy Perry. It's commercial, lowest-common-denominator crap, but it's catchy and I like it (and I like looking at her tits).

I get that SY has their own schtick and digs that. Great for them. I still think it's poorly played music by poor musicians with very poor skills and a poor knowledge of their instruments. I sure as shit wouldn't hire any of them to teach music to my kids.

at the same time (though i dont know much about sonic youth) the "artistic just means its weird", "artsy people just like it because its weird, it has no value" like its some cop out, is said by a lot of people about things which are over their heads. i am not specifically referring to anyone here, i dont know much about sonic youth or the people on here. but when i try to explain a film, song or a work of modern art to my dad, he literally cant understand it. it has to do with peoples ability to read things, objects, people, thoughts, anything. most people see things exactly as they are, others see them in multiple different ways.

im just trying to say it goes both ways

 

[freeballinusa]

Well put Ben

 

[Red_Label]

Perhaps I am Out of my ass at times, Just thought it was unfair to assume the Jags and Jazzmasters were chosen only to be 'different' I prefer them to Les Pauls and Strats sonically... Though I do love all of them!

Didn't mean to be douchey Some of us Love Jags!

It's cool man. I actually owned a pair of Fender Squire Supersonics for a while and thought they were cool. I generally don't care for the stuff that looks like the cheap Sears/JC Penny guitars in the early 80s when I was a kid. My first guitar was such a guitar and it was just totally unplayable.

 

[Red_Label]

at the same time (though i dont know much about sonic youth) the "artistic just means its weird", "artsy people just like it because its weird, it has no value" like its some cop out, is said by a lot of people about things which are over their heads. i am not specifically referring to anyone here, i dont know much about sonic youth or the people on here. but when i try to explain a film, song or a work of modern art to my dad, he literally cant understand it. it has to do with peoples ability to read things, objects, people, thoughts, anything. most people see things exactly as they are, others see them in multiple different ways.

im just trying to say it goes both ways

I hear what you are saying and agree that people are different and just won't get some things based on their tastes, experience and background.

Having said that... I sat through the whole SY segment last night and never once felt like it was going "over my head". I just sat there the whole time thinking "WTF is this shit?"

 

[benduncan]

im not familiar with SY, i was just pointing that out since everyones posting videos, the only grungey type stuff i listen to is a band called deportivo. it really depends on the album or song though, they change their sound. ignore the emo looking guy in the thumbnail, thats from a nearly 1 second frame, lol

 

[dirtyfunkg]

I'm not a Sonic Youth fan, but I can put it this way: my dad thought Radiohead was complete crap 10 years ago when my brother played OK Computer for him. "Noise, not music," I believe, were his exact words. Ten years later, he heard my brother listening to it and he was transfixed. I don't consider that being "over his head" as my dad has very broad and open minded music taste, but sometimes it just takes a lot of time and exposure to let an unfamiliar sound grow. I HATED Tool the first three years I knew about them back in junior high. One fine day, my old drummer lent me AEnima and made me promise I'd listen to the whole thing. That night I smoked a joint and listened, and somehow it all clicked. Since then, Tool has been one of my favorite bands. To think I thought it was just noise and odd times for their own sake. And for the record, I was a better guitar player than Adam Jones when I was 13 years old... and it's not like Radiohead is comprised of technically or even theoretically gifted musicians. These guys are just artists.

That said, I don't really like Sonic Youth. Yet.

 

[benduncan]

i can say i dont like things, but whenever i say somethings bad i always try ask myself "according to whom?", within reason that is, lol