This page contains Sonic Youth songs, albums and video links. Music profile for Sonic Youth with events, tracks, videos, pictures, lyrics and band information.
Sonic Youth is an United States|American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Current personnel are founding members Thurston Moore (vocals and guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals and guitar), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass guitar|bass, guitar), Mark Ibold (bass), and Steve Shelley (drums).
In their early career, Sonic Youth were associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the punk rock ethos throughout the evolving American Indie (music)|indie underground music|underground that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. They have found moderate mainstream success, and are generally seen as one of the leading alternative rock groups of their time.
Sonic Youth are inspired by the guitar symphonies of Glenn Branca (with whom most of the band have performed), the heavy protopunk of The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, and MC5, the punk poetry of Patti Smith, the Krautrock of Can (band)|Can, the psychedelic garage rock of The 13th Floor Elevators, as well as avant-garde composers like John Cale. The band were often praised for "redefin[ing] what rock guitar could do"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:audfyl4jxpnb~T1 | title=Sonic Youth Biography | author=Erlewine, Stephen Thoma... read all