Sonic Youth as early 80s noise mongers – a low fi, clattering mess of fuzzy post punk – sounding better than we ever remembered all these years later! There's an undercurrent of ominousness that permeates Confusion Is Sex – working with space and a sense of pacing that's an sharp counterpoint to the caustic waves guitar noise. We've been underappreciating these uber early Sonic Youth LPs – all hail Sonic Youth, who were pretty amazing earlier in the game than we previously realized! CD

A great one from the mid 90s – in the heart of Sonic Youth's middle major label period – and still on a hell of a creative win streak! This is genuinely exploratory, noisy 90s rock at it's finest – played by bonafide noise rock pioneers that really found something of a comfort zone between their underground early years and almost rock star immediate past. Longer songs that build in atmosphere and never out stay their welcome, but restrained enough and tightly packed enough to flirt with accessibility. We appreciate this period in SY history more and more as time goes by. A modern classic! Includes "Becuz", "Junkie's Promise", "Saucer-Like", "Washing Machine", "Unwind", "Little Trouble Girl", "No QUeen Blues", "Skip Tracer", the side-long masterpiece "The Diamond Sea" and more. CD

A one off "side project" from Sonic Youth in the late 80s, with some tongue in cheek numbers and few that are more in the vein of their other ouput of the era, but all with a strong nod to the reigning pop culture of the day. Includes "Needle Gun", "G-Force", "Macbeth", "Burnin' Up (Mike Watt orig demo)", "Children Of Satan/Third Fig", "Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening To Neu", "Moby Dik", "Making The Nature Scene", "Tuff Titty Rap" and "Into the Groovey". CD

Indie rock elders Sonic Youth's first high profile album on an indie label in about 20 years – the group's first for Matador, and a skillful mix of insistent, exciting melodic precision, barbed lyricism, random bursts of noise, and enough layered hypnotic guitar errata that you'll hear something new each time you come back to it! Through the years they continued to be pretty exciting, and for the most part managed to avoid repeating themselves, while still working in something of a comfort zone – once throwing a screwdriver in the old noise rock guitar neck with the addition of Jim O'Rourke to the group, and with O'Rourke's departure, former Pavement player Mark Ibold on bass. Kim Gordon is now freed up to be play guitar, making for a triple threat along with Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo – and it's a riveting sound. They don't reinvent the wheel on The Eternal – but they steer into adventurous waters – and as long as they're making records this good we're hoping they live up to title! Includes "Sacred Trickster", "Anti-Orgasm", "Leaky Lifeboat (For Gregory Corso)", "Antenna", "What We Know", "Calming The Snake", "Poison Arrow", "Malibu Gas Station", "Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn", "No Way", "Walkin Blue", "Massage The History". CD

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Music from Thurston Moore, the Stone Roses, Teenage Fanclub, White Zombie, the Roots, Hardvark, Sonic Youth, Southern Culture On The Skids, and Elastica, CD

Music from Concrete Blonde, Ivan Neville, Liquid Jesus, Pixies, Peter Murphy, Bad Brains with Henry Rollins, Above The Law, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Cowboy Junkies, and Chagall Guevara. (Soundtracks, Rock) CD