Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation: Deluxe

It's perhaps more than a little ironic that someone thought it necessary to re-master one of the greatest albums of all time in order to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. But as anyone who has sat down and listened to the re-issues of Goo and Dirty will confirm, Sonic Youth always put a great deal of care and attention into the process.

The dust has been shaken from the original tapes, resulting in a record that sounds louder and more punchy, although some of the endearing muddiness of the original has been sacrificed and the percussion has been given a little too much room to breathe. There's not much left to be said about the songs themselves: 14 inspirational explosions of discontent that defined an era. Despite the band's slacker aesthetic, listening back to this album reveals the songs to be permeated with raw feeling and high drama – all wrapped up in the most kaleidoscopic textures that a guitar/bass/drums combo could ever hope to produce.

The live cd, featuring thrilling renditions of every song on the album, only confirms this evaluation: here the band sound almost possessed, dangerous even – as if by kicking music's ass they would also be teaching the world at large a lesson it would never forget. It's a testament to the band's genius that the noise they made all those years ago still sounds revolutionary – and that word is not used lightly. As the band gear up to release a compilation for sale in Starbucks outlets, their mantle as 'the band that never sold out' seems to be in question. Treasure this record – we will not see its like again. [Jay Shukla]