Sonic Youth Join the Mixtape Parade

​Everyone and their mothers are putting out mixtapes this year, even rockers pushing 60. Indie godparents Sonic Youth have released the free content via their website, and they've included some nice goodies for their fan base. The newest material is taken from their soundtrack to the French film Simon Werner a Desparu (U.S. title: Lights Out), which made its debut at Cannes last year and enters U.S. theaters this month. For the longtime SY followers, though, the older tunes might be the most drool-worthy. An acoustic version of "Star Power" that wasnfeatured in an episode of Gossip Girl is pretty sweet, and it reminds one how accessible the group can be when they feel like it. The coolest tracks, however, might be some previously unreleased demos from the Daydream Nation-era, when the group were re-defining what rock music could sound like and before "alternative" was a genre. You can listen to the music here.