What would you say is/was Sonic Youth's hardest/heaviest song? - Page 2

!@#$%! · 02.27.2021, 05:39 PM

i think listenability is misleading. there is an emotional correspondence missing.

eg pierrot lunaire is difficult but in no way "heavy".

besides, shit like christmas music is truly unlistenable to me, but not because it's "heavy".

they took an emotional dimension of music and overintellectualized it and missed the mark.

(lol nerds?)

musicplatypus · 03.01.2021, 01:24 AM

Yeah, if it is listenability, Mouse on Mars is pretty heavy!

I had a a friend give me an album of theirs because he said it was "unlistenable." I really frickin' loved it.

GeneticKiss · 03.02.2021, 06:24 PM

To me, the average person is a member of a nuclear family whose house in suburbia has an F-150 and a RAV4 in the driveway. Monday thru Friday, father leaves the house at 8 to be at the office at 9, since traffic clogs the highway (and he wants to pick up an Egg McMuffin for breakfast on the way), while mother takes their 2.5 children to school. She stops at Starbucks for a latte on the way home, or to her job at the pharmacy if it's a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. She works so they can have some extra money for their annual trip to Disneyland. At the office, father banters with his office buddies about the latest Call of Madden and the hot intern working the desk. After school/work, the children collect in front of their 40" smart TV to check out the latest content on Disney+, while mother checks Pinstagram for fashion, parenting and interior design tips. At 9, the children pile into their bunk beds. Father and mother stay up another hour or so to go over their finances and chat a bit more about their respective days. If father is lucky, they'll have missionary position sex before turning in, and if he's REALLY lucky, she'll let him leave the lights on this time.

(the above obviously ignores our current face masks and social distancing reality)

If anyone here is like they are on this board in real life, nobody on here fits that description, nor does anyone who listened to Sonic Youth pre-Daydream Nation or post-Washing Machine.

Severian · 03.13.2021, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicplatypus

Yeah, if it is listenability, Mouse on Mars is pretty heavy!

I had a a friend give me an album of theirs because he said it was "unlistenable." I really frickin' loved it.

Mouse on Mars? Shit, I’ve always found them extremely enjoyable. An underrated potential crowdpleaser from the eye-dee-em era. And still going strong. New album, AAI, is very good.

appleo · 10.01.2021, 08:04 AM

"Heavy" is a term that can be interpreted in different ways.
I see a lot of good answers above, and they all have merit.
Sonic Youth have achieved "heavy" in many ways across many songs.
For my definition of "heavy", I'll go with a kind of feeling or sound that is exemplified with Led Zep's "Dazed and Confused", much of Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality", the Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be", much of the Melvins "Ozma" & "Gluey Porch Treatments", Mudhoney's version of "Halloween", & "Sweet Young Thing", and Nirvana's "Paper Cuts"... you know, HEAVY!

With that definition out there, I would say Sonic Youth's entry into that hall of crushing fuzz would have to be either "Swimsuit Issue" or "Screaming Skull".

As for the earlier stuff, "Bad Moon Rising" touches in it too, like the muted quasi-thrash guitar in "Death Valley" when they sing "You're right!" Or even on "Confusion" the DEEP guitar sounds in "Inhuman". Or the GRATING guitars breaking into harmonics in PCH off "Sister". Even the relatively poppy "Mary Christ" off "Goo" has a nice heavy riff (if you can call it that).

SY also blew out eardrums on later records, "Renegade Princess" was rather rocking on the mostly otherwise meditative "NYC Ghosts", but maybe "moshable" and "heavy" are 2 different attributes. I recall "Rather Ripped" as kicking much ass, as well as "The Eternal".
But for "heavy" as in "metal", I'm sticking with the "Dirty" album & "Screaming Skull"!

appleo · 10.01.2021, 08:04 AM

"Heavy" is a term that can be interpreted in different ways.
I see a lot of good answers above, and they all have merit.
Sonic Youth have achieved "heavy" in many ways across many songs.
For my definition of "heavy", I'll go with a kind of feeling or sound that is exemplified with Led Zep's "Dazed and Confused", much of Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality", the Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be", much of the Melvins "Ozma" & "Gluey Porch Treatments", Mudhoney's version of "Halloween", & "Sweet Young Thing", and Nirvana's "Paper Cuts"... you know, HEAVY!

With that definition out there, I would say Sonic Youth's entry into that hall of crushing fuzz would have to be either "Swimsuit Issue" or "Screaming Skull".

As for the earlier stuff, "Bad Moon Rising" touches in it too, like the muted quasi-thrash guitar in "Death Valley" when they sing "You're right!" Or even on "Confusion" the DEEP guitar sounds in "Inhuman". Or the GRATING guitars breaking into harmonics in PCH off "Sister". Even the relatively poppy "Mary Christ" off "Goo" has a nice heavy riff (if you can call it that).

SY also blew out eardrums on later records, "Renegade Princess" was rather rocking on the mostly otherwise meditative "NYC Ghosts", but maybe "moshable" and "heavy" are 2 different attributes. I recall "Rather Ripped" as kicking much ass, as well as "The Eternal".
But for "heavy" as in "metal", I'm sticking with the "Dirty" album & "Screaming Skull"!

02.27.2021, 05:39 PM	#21
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,546	i think listenability is misleading. there is an emotional correspondence missing. eg pierrot lunaire is difficult but in no way "heavy". besides, shit like christmas music is truly unlistenable to me, but not because it's "heavy". they took an emotional dimension of music and overintellectualized it and missed the mark. (lol nerds?)
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.01.2021, 01:24 AM	#22
musicplatypus little trouble girl Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 84	Yeah, if it is listenability, Mouse on Mars is pretty heavy! I had a a friend give me an album of theirs because he said it was "unlistenable." I really frickin' loved it.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.02.2021, 06:24 PM	#23
GeneticKiss expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,666	To me, the average person is a member of a nuclear family whose house in suburbia has an F-150 and a RAV4 in the driveway. Monday thru Friday, father leaves the house at 8 to be at the office at 9, since traffic clogs the highway (and he wants to pick up an Egg McMuffin for breakfast on the way), while mother takes their 2.5 children to school. She stops at Starbucks for a latte on the way home, or to her job at the pharmacy if it's a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. She works so they can have some extra money for their annual trip to Disneyland. At the office, father banters with his office buddies about the latest Call of Madden and the hot intern working the desk. After school/work, the children collect in front of their 40" smart TV to check out the latest content on Disney+, while mother checks Pinstagram for fashion, parenting and interior design tips. At 9, the children pile into their bunk beds. Father and mother stay up another hour or so to go over their finances and chat a bit more about their respective days. If father is lucky, they'll have missionary position sex before turning in, and if he's REALLY lucky, she'll let him leave the lights on this time. (the above obviously ignores our current face masks and social distancing reality) If anyone here is like they are on this board in real life, nobody on here fits that description, nor does anyone who listened to Sonic Youth pre-Daydream Nation or post-Washing Machine. __________________ https://handinthefates.bandcamp.com<--music
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.01.2021, 08:04 AM	#25
appleo empty page Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 0	"Heavy" is a term that can be interpreted in different ways. I see a lot of good answers above, and they all have merit. Sonic Youth have achieved "heavy" in many ways across many songs. For my definition of "heavy", I'll go with a kind of feeling or sound that is exemplified with Led Zep's "Dazed and Confused", much of Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality", the Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be", much of the Melvins "Ozma" & "Gluey Porch Treatments", Mudhoney's version of "Halloween", & "Sweet Young Thing", and Nirvana's "Paper Cuts"... you know, HEAVY! With that definition out there, I would say Sonic Youth's entry into that hall of crushing fuzz would have to be either "Swimsuit Issue" or "Screaming Skull". As for the earlier stuff, "Bad Moon Rising" touches in it too, like the muted quasi-thrash guitar in "Death Valley" when they sing "You're right!" Or even on "Confusion" the DEEP guitar sounds in "Inhuman". Or the GRATING guitars breaking into harmonics in PCH off "Sister". Even the relatively poppy "Mary Christ" off "Goo" has a nice heavy riff (if you can call it that). SY also blew out eardrums on later records, "Renegade Princess" was rather rocking on the mostly otherwise meditative "NYC Ghosts", but maybe "moshable" and "heavy" are 2 different attributes. I recall "Rather Ripped" as kicking much ass, as well as "The Eternal". But for "heavy" as in "metal", I'm sticking with the "Dirty" album & "Screaming Skull"!
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.01.2021, 08:04 AM	#26
appleo empty page Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 0	"Heavy" is a term that can be interpreted in different ways. I see a lot of good answers above, and they all have merit. Sonic Youth have achieved "heavy" in many ways across many songs. For my definition of "heavy", I'll go with a kind of feeling or sound that is exemplified with Led Zep's "Dazed and Confused", much of Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality", the Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be", much of the Melvins "Ozma" & "Gluey Porch Treatments", Mudhoney's version of "Halloween", & "Sweet Young Thing", and Nirvana's "Paper Cuts"... you know, HEAVY! With that definition out there, I would say Sonic Youth's entry into that hall of crushing fuzz would have to be either "Swimsuit Issue" or "Screaming Skull". As for the earlier stuff, "Bad Moon Rising" touches in it too, like the muted quasi-thrash guitar in "Death Valley" when they sing "You're right!" Or even on "Confusion" the DEEP guitar sounds in "Inhuman". Or the GRATING guitars breaking into harmonics in PCH off "Sister". Even the relatively poppy "Mary Christ" off "Goo" has a nice heavy riff (if you can call it that). SY also blew out eardrums on later records, "Renegade Princess" was rather rocking on the mostly otherwise meditative "NYC Ghosts", but maybe "moshable" and "heavy" are 2 different attributes. I recall "Rather Ripped" as kicking much ass, as well as "The Eternal". But for "heavy" as in "metal", I'm sticking with the "Dirty" album & "Screaming Skull"!
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|