Sonic Youth
EVOL
1986, SST Records
Though I wanted this to be NR Essentials #1, I promised I'd wait until I hit double digits. And yes I know I'm preaching to the choir, but this ongoing list is meant to be the records essential to me. The records that have shaped my ears. To leave SY off the list, even if it is obvious, would be a mockery of my musical vocabulary. If anything, this is the most essential record in my collection. There is no other album that has so heavily shaped sound-mind.
Every part of the aesthetics here are important. Starting with the packaging and going right through the sound of the drums (that many ppl hate, but I love), and the guitars that don't even sound like guitars. There is not a song here that I don't love (although admittedly, when I say that, I'm talking about the original album sequencing which did not fuck itself up by tacking on a cover of "Bubblegum" after the afterglow ending of "Expressway").
//sidenote// I've said this before here, but this album sounds to me like the soundtrack to the best 80's slasher that never got transferred to DVD.//
I could go on and on and on. But again, you probably don't need me to on this one. So I'll just say, if yr a recent SY convert and you dn't have this one Please Go Get It Now. [then after you fall in love with it, hunt down it's sonic sister, MADE IN USA]
...please just leave me (my EVOL.)