Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising is a pivotal album in Sonic Youth's catalog. It's the last to feature second drummer Bob Bert (Steve Shelley would take over from here) and the first to explore traditional song structures. The group's Glenn Branca–influenced No Wave origins can still be heard in the sturm und drang of the guitars through the droning "Society Is a Hole," but there's a sense that Sonic Youth is finding a new balance between instrumental experiments and songwriting ambitions. "I Love Her All the Time" settles into a loopy tonal scheme that's either beautiful if you're a fan or an impenetrable mess if you're not sympathetic to Sonic Youth's approach. "Death Valley '69," a duet between Thurston Moore and Lydia Lunch, is a near-rocker that points to the group's future. The Flower EP is appended, with the excellent "Flower" and "Halloween" bringing Kim Gordon into the spotlight with a feminism and power that would provide a major inspiration to the Riot Grrrl movement.