The band that defined the 1990s, according to Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo
Rock and roll is a constantly evolving entity, rarely sticking around in one avenue of inspiration for too long; a fact that the 1990s encapsulated brilliantly. From the abrasive realm of Seattle grunge, to Riot Grrrl, Britpop, and, perhaps most regrettably, nu-metal, it seemed as though new era-defining scenes were emerging every day – and Sonic Youth didn’t really pay heed to any of them.
A particularly strange decade for the New York no-wave obsessives, the 1990s was the era that Sonic Youth’s previously underground, otherworldly output finally broke into the musical mainstream with records like Goo. That newfound audience inevitably changed the band, but you still got the sense that they weren’t creating music to appease their listeners; that idea was never written in the no-wave handbook, passed down to them by the incredible teachings of Glenn Branca during their early years.
Their entry into the epicentre of the alternative rock sphere did, however, give Sonic Youth the chance to rub shoulders with some of the other movers and shakers of that strange era in American rock. As such, elements of Kim Gordon and the gang can be found in virtually every big alt-rock album from that time; Kurt Cobain was borderline obsessed with their output, and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna even appeared in their ‘Bull in the Heather’ music video.
One particular band that endeared themselves towards those in the Sonic Youth camp, though, were Stockton’s Pavement, whose slacker rock mastery – much like Sonic Youth – never seemed to fit neatly into one scene over another.
Back in 2017, when plucking out some of his favourite albums for The Quietus, guitarist Lee Ranaldo highlighted Pavement’s 1992 masterpiece Slanted and Enchanted as a notable highlight.
“For me, Pavement were my favourite band of the ’90s,” Ranaldo began, heaping immediate praise onto Stephen Malkmus’ outfit, “and they really defined the ’90s for me better than Nirvana or any other band, because they were shambolic and had elements of all the things that came right before them like the Sonic Youth era and the grunge period.”
That endearingly eclectic sound is presented beautifully throughout that 1992 record, but Ranaldo’s appreciation for the band stretched far beyond their recorded material.
Expanding upon his adoration for the 1990s band, the Sonic Youth guitarist declared, “Malkmus was such a literary voice, and they were such a great band in spite of everyone living in a different city.” He explained, “They hardly ever rehearsed and their songs were always thrown together in some way, but they made this music that inspired me almost more so than anybody else at the time.”
While Sonic Youth’s pool of influences was always rather expansive, ranging from the off-beat rhythms of James Chance to the pioneering psychedelia of Kevin Ayers, it seems as if their listening habits back in the 1990s were routinely dominated by Pavement, and after all, who could blame them?
