via//chicago

via//chicago hall of fame - "Teen Age Riot"

"Everybody's talkin' about the stormy weather..."

In a just world this would have been the song to kick-start the so-called alternative revolution. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" did the job, I suppose, but Sonic Youth's anthemic aesthetic always seemed much more fitting than the more mainstream rock approach brought by Nirvana. The hyperactive riff is absolutely undeniable and the lyrics, dripping in detached sarcasm as they are, seem to perfectly capture the spirit of the times. Sure, the song and its parent album (the stone cold classic Daydream Nation) are among the brightest stars in the indie canon, but I've never been able to figure out why it never caught on with a larger audience. Was it the willfully obtuse free-associating Kim Gordon intro? Doubtful, since the single edit excised that (a true crime if you ask me - Thurston's riff is ten times more powerful after Kim's poetic prick-tease). I just don' t get it, this is one of Sonic Youth's most compelling, accessible songs and it should have been blasting out of every teenage bedroom around the country. But that's okay. At least I'm able to enjoy this song on my own terms and I'm not faced with it every time I flip on classic rock radio or another mindless nostalgia-fest countdown show (unlike certain other alternative anthems). This song hasn't lost a single ounce of power or intensity over the last 19 years, nor is it ever likely to. And for that very reason, I'm proud to present this song as the second inductee into the via//chicago Hall of Fame.

Sonic Youth - "Teen Age Riot"