Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

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Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by shadowplay » Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:58 am

Just passing this on, obviously no one here needs telling and it's not flawless but if you are looking for a virus free read.

Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Recorded in a studio overlooking a polluted canal, the alternative band's second album sprang from humble beginnings. But, writes Ed Power, it was the record that helped them discover their place in the world


I tell you its always weird to see records you bought new getting this sort of treatment. Also it's hilarious that I'm always complaining about all the incredibly repetitive 'I loved these dudes in college' threads and here we are...

D
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by beauzooka » Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:03 am

Thanks for the heads up shadowplay!
BMR is certainly a dark/strange/creepy record that opened a lot of doors for American independent rock. Not to mention a whole new approach to guitar and incorporating dissonance into writing and recording.

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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by Danley » Wed Apr 29, 2020 1:12 pm

I'm a Sonic Youth fan and I enjoy Bad Moon Rising. I didn't realize it was that influential or breakthrough (considering I always heard Daydream Nation was their first experience being 'influential' upon release) - I just thought it was a good album, from previous to the time before they got 'big' :) Will give it a watch
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Wed Apr 29, 2020 1:56 pm

That was a good read. Thanks!

I can't think of a better Sonic Youth track than Death Valley '69 and the whole album, along with EVOL, showcase a really interesting point in the band's timeline. You can clearly hear elements of their Confusion Is Sex output but there's a hint of what's to come later on albums like Sister. Cleverer, catchier songwriting that still manages to retain their raw, experimental edge perfectly.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by andy_tchp » Wed Apr 29, 2020 3:10 pm

Thanks for posting this. LOVE Bad Moon Rising and decided to dust it off a couple of months ago, still as good as ever; their entire first decade of output really is a remarkable thing.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by Danley » Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:39 pm

Sister is the first album I really think they had figured out. But I have fondness (probably more than usual) for everything from Murray Street/ A Thousand Leaves on to Sonic Nurse/Rather Ripped. In ways I like their newer stuff better but I also wasn’t ‘there’ in the ‘80s. Daydream Nation is still what I think they deserve most recognition for; phenomenal, and no fluff.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by BoringPostcards » Fri May 01, 2020 6:39 pm

They had a very chaotic overall sound before picking up Steve Shelley, who joined for EVOL.
I like the early stuff a lot and understand it is not for everyone.
Had they not got Steve and his tight and groovy drumming, they may have never lasted so long.

Thanks for posting. BMR is a great album. Very moody. Brave Men Run is a hell of an opener.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by Tehz_ » Sat May 09, 2020 7:09 pm

Absolute banger of a record. First SY album I ever listened to, actually, and I’d still call Brave Men Run my favorite song of theirs.

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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by s_mcsleazy » Wed May 13, 2020 1:00 am

me and my friends once had a massive argument over the best sonic youth album. weirdly i was the only one standing up for dirty.

bad moon rising is a weird one for me in that i like it but if i'm not in the mood for it, i tend to not like it.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by tune_link » Wed May 13, 2020 10:38 am

May as well jump in on this. Love SY. I pretty much like every single album to some degree, the ones I put on the bottom rung would be NYC Ghosts & Flowers (I don't care for beat poetry....) and The Eternal (seems like it could have used some more work but even it has moments). In high school (mid 90s) my friends and I became absolutely obsessed with the first EP on SST with the blue cover. I think the first SY song I ever heard was "100%" and that was it, I was hooked for life. My favorites if pressed would be in this order - EVOL, Daydream Nation, Sister. The run from BMR to Experimental Jet Set is without flaws, period (yes that's not a typo I love Experimental Jet Set big time and feel it is underrated to a ridiculous degree). I have most of the SYR releases and other live works/ephemera/solo albums/etc. I recall watching The Year Punk Broke and as someone who had already been into Nirvana when I finally saw it the footage that floored me was Sonic Youth and Dino.

I'm sure because of the whole Kim/Thurston split it's probably a pipe dream but I'd love to hear them come back even now and do something to really close things out properly.

Anyway, I have a huge Bad Moon Rising subway poster framed in one of the rooms in my house. It belonged to my wife when we first started dating and was one of those markers of personal taste where I walked into her apartment on our first date and saw it and said "yeah this is gonna be alright" and here we are 18 years later.

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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by SadFuzz » Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:52 pm

Love the Halloween vibes on this album, though maybe i'm being swayed by the pumpkin on the cover.
Probably my fave SY album, but all of their 80s output is a 10 for me.
Recently got really into A Thousand Leaves, like BMR, deserves more credit.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by shadowplay » Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:24 am

Are you loathsome tonight?

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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:35 am

Thanks for posting this. The documentary looks like it could be really cool.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by panoramic » Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:06 am

shadowplay wrote:
Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:58 am
Just passing this on, obviously no one here needs telling and it's not flawless but if you are looking for a virus free read.

Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Recorded in a studio overlooking a polluted canal, the alternative band's second album sprang from humble beginnings. But, writes Ed Power, it was the record that helped them discover their place in the world


I tell you its always weird to see records you bought new getting this sort of treatment. Also it's hilarious that I'm always complaining about all the incredibly repetitive 'I loved these dudes in college' threads and here we are...

D
I still listen to it once in a while
Last edited by panoramic on Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bad Moon Rising at 35: How Sonic Youth’s 1985 masterpiece reinvented indie rock

Post by soggy mittens » Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:42 am

Yeah thanks for the link, just watched it and it was absolutely amazing. Total OG event. :)
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