Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is the eighth studio album by Sonic Youth, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and recorded at Sear Sound studio in New York City, the same studio where the band’s 1987 album Sister was recorded.
Unlike its predecessor Dirty, Experimental Jet Set features a more low-key approach and references the band’s earlier work on the independent record label SST Records. The album contains quieter and more relaxed songs that deal with personal and political topics.
Upon release, Experimental Jet Set reached No. 34 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It was the band’s highest peak on the US charts until their 2009 album The Eternal reached No. 18. The song “Bull in the Heather” was released as a single and as a music video featuring Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill.
The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who highlighted the band’s ability to create both noise and melody. However, some felt that the album’s anti-commercial style was difficult to appreciate.
Tracklist:
- Winner’s Blues
- Bull in the Heather
- Starfield Road
- Skink
- Screaming Skull (additional lyrics by Dave Markey)
- Self-Obsessed and Sexxee
- Bone
- Androgynous Mind
- Quest for the Cup
- Waist
- Doctor’s Orders
- Tokyo Eye
- In the Mind of the Bourgeois Reader
- Sweet Shine (contains hidden track of “bonus noise” )
Sonic Youth
Thurston Moore: vocals, guitar
Kim Gordon: vocals, bass
Lee Ranaldo: guitar
Steve Shelley: drums, percussion
Design
Kevin Reagan: sleeve design
Catherine Lewis: sleeve photography
Stefano Giovannini: sleeve photography
Technical
Butch Vig: recording, mixing, production
John Siket: engineering
Howie Weinberg: mastering
Bil Emmons: technician
Devin Emke: technician
Ed Raso: technician
Fred Kevorkian: technician
Ollie Cotton: technician
Walter Sear: technician
