When taking a trip back to the 80s it can be a nightmare for some, with the sights of spandex, big hair and glitter causing feelings of uncontrollable nausea. However, once you’ve heard too much George Michael and blaring synths for anyone to handle, you realise that the 80s isn’t all about this. Bands like Sonic Youth in fact contrast these sounds so starkly with their post-punk attributes that it feels like you could be in a whole other era.
Taken from the album Sister which was released in 1987, ‘Schizophrenia’ is one of the band’s most resounding tracks with almost every element of their sound being drawn together in three distinct sections, starting with a steady drum rhythm and the spaced out vocals of lead singer Thurston Moore. We then move on from these discordant guitar riffs to a section of chugging harmonics which carry the distant vocals of bassist Kim Gordon (who also happened to be the thirty year partner of Moore) before the pace suddenly picks up in a frenzy of tension, which carries us to the track’s last act of ominous sounding guitars and scuzzy background noise. It’s really an epic demonstration of how powerful a guitar can be with the sparse collection of vocals leaving it to act as the melody and portray the immense feelings of doom and grief which still resonate almost 30 years on.
The tale of Sonic Youth doesn’t end with splendor, as Gordon and Moore’s marriage fell apart causing Kim to leave the band in 2011. Even though they continue to remain optimistic about her return and some sort of glorious reformation, she refers to the band as having ‘split up’ several times in her autobiography Girl In A Band.
Sonic Youth truly add another dimension to the music of the 80s with ‘Schizophrenia’ being the painful anthem needed to combat and challenge this no less than extravagant era.
Words by Will Castile