Although Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo met while working with downtown noise artists like Glenn Branca, they never entirely rejected the primal power of classic rock 'n' roll. With Kim Gordon on bass (and a succession of drummers until Steve Shelley joined in 1985), Sonic Youth slowly evolved from assaultive extremists into the thrilling, edgy rock band of Sister and Daydream Nation. Signing to DGC Records, they kept their dissonant, experimental tendencies while flirting with the alt-rock mainstream. Sonic Youth split in 2011 as Moore and Gordon's marriage ended.