Sonic Youth "Daydream Nation" [1988]

Most musical "experiments" are total failures, which is why no one in their right minds would normally release them to the music-buying public. But in the dark days of the late-80s indie "suck-rock," things were very different: pointless noisescapes and horridly amateurish vocals were not only encouraged, they were allowed to run on until they became both rude and boring. Take the cloying, clamorous and oh-so-full-of-itself "Daydream Nation" by Sonic Youth (a clearly ironic band name -- these people all look like Montessori substitute teachers): a brazen double-album full of droney pop-rock and tuneless guitar pollution. They sound like R.E.M. having a bad trip on Lou Reed's leftover drugs when they're not self-consciously aping garage rock like the art-school poseurs they are. Imagine the Stooges and some random bar chick recording on mushrooms while Iggy's in the middle of writing his doctoral thesis to get a clear view of how edgelessly pretentious this album comes off. Sonic Youth were always good at playing the "cool kids," however, which is how their crap talent and worse ideas likely got signed in the first place, and were thus able to lead hundreds of lost, spoiled, talentless young assholes like lemmings into the sea of the independent-label music business. Be thankful if you weren't suckered in back in the day, and resist any urge you may have to check it out -- "Daydream Nation" is nothing more than a musical dumpster dive.