Was Kim Gordon influenced by the vocals of Detroit punk band Niagara?
When discussing underground and alternative rock pioneers, it’s impossible to overlook Kim Gordon. From her undeniable allure as a New York icon to her enduring success with Sonic Youth, Gordon’s name has become synonymous with experimental brilliance. She has consistently redefined the boundaries of creativity, reshaping what it means to be truly original.
While analysing Gordon’s craft, it might be easy to assume that her influences all stem from the same category of pioneering avant-gardists, and while that is true to a point, her drive more accurately appeared from her desire to be different without compromising on her own authenticity. In other words, she knew music came with a fight, one she would never back down from.
Some of these mannerisms appear subtle, while others stand proud and glaring, challenging the landscape of underground music and mainstream rock. “Women make natural anarchists,” the musician once said, a mantra that bled into much of her work and a natural ethos that strengthened and enhanced every time she noticed industry sexism rear its ugly head. As she put it: “The music industry is so… the sexism is so ingrained in it, on every level, that it’s unbelievable.”
This desire to pick apart the industry and reveal its shortcomings didn’t just burgeon over time; it was ingrained in her from day one, especially after discovering other punk and noise bands that sought to deliver the same kind of exhausted aggression that came to the fore in many of her own lyrical choices. One such band was Destroy All Monsters, whose chaotic energy helped define the Detroit underground scene in the 1970s.
Their unconventional approach was their common ground, but Gordon gravitated not only towards the sound dynamics they experimented with but also towards the vocalisations and how lead singer Niagara blended raw emotion with a detached, almost hypnotic delivery. While it’s safe to say Gordon likely established her vocal style with various influences, there are several distinctive similarities between the two singers, namely how they sing with a sort of minimalism that feels cold yet endearingly so.
Interestingly, ex-member Ben Miller later noted the similarities, saying, “Looking back [Niagara’s] singing, I like the way she originally did it. You know, the way Kim Gordon copied when Sonic Youth first started out — like ‘I Love You But You’re Dead’ or ‘TH Queen’. The early DAM songs carried over to the early art-punk version.”
In fact, beyond the vocal parallels, the connection between Destroy All Monsters and Sonic Youth feels almost inextricable, not only because of their shared influences but also through Thurston Moore’s later role in bringing them into the mainstream spotlight with a compilation of their music. Gordon initially introduced Moore to band member Mike Kelley after they had bonded over shared musical passions, with their mutual admiration for avant-garde solidifying their respective artistic ventures.
While Gordon’s vocalisation was built on several factors, there’s no denying the impact of Destroy All Monsters’ sound, which perfectly complemented her direct and unpolished approach, not just in the tonality of her voice but also with the themes of rebellion and resilience that she explored.
