Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)

With each successive studio album in the '80s, NYC's Sonic Youth came closer to flirting with mainstream rock 'n' roll. The band's abundant feedback, discordant drones, alternate guitar tunings, and cryptic lyrics were used with more conventional song structures as the band's popularity rose. Daydream Nation appeared at the end of the '80s, as CDs were quickly becoming the popular medium. Daydream Nation (which was also released as a double vinyl album) took advantage of the CD's longer length, indulging in extended instrumental hijinks and an abundance of song ideas. Every aspect of the group's approach is represented, from the compact rock thrust of "Silver Rocket" to the epic styling of the album's closing "Trilogy," where the guitars pile up with progressive rock ambition. Still, this isn't easily accessible music. The hooks are still often buried in the murk, and the wall of sound might take several plays to penetrate. While "Hey Joni," "Total Trash," and "Teenage Riot" have catchphrases that help listeners orient themselves, the instrumental onslaughts are meant to send them into suspended time and space, where gravity and traditional musical expectations are transcended.