Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped

In many ways, Sonic Youth is the greatest band of all time. I'm not saying that they're my absolute favourite, but there is no other band that has survived as long as they have with their integrity and their relevancy still in tact. Even after signing to a major label in the mid-80's, Sonic Youth has never sacrificed one ounce of artistic merit for the sake of commercial success. And their huge fan base has continued to stand behind them through the years.

Their 14th proper release is entitled "Rather Ripped" and it is excellent. For this CD, it seems the band has opted for "less noise, more melody, but still lots of noise!" Nobody has ever managed to capture the SY-patented style of melodic noise rock the way that they have. The Velvet Underground may have created it, Pavement has perhaps grabbed the baton and ran with it, but SY are still the champions of this unusual genre. On a release that boasts 14 tracks, the album moves along at a steady pace and never really lags.

Some of the standouts for me are "Jams Run Free" where Kim Gordon waxes poetic a-la Patty Smith with lines like, "Dragon...Brain...Slow...Refrain..." right before the song ironically leads into a rather spasmodic refrain. I also love the opening track "Reena". There's something very comforting about the way Kim sings "You keep me coming home again." (A subtle message to their legions of fans perhaps?) And Thurston Moore maintains his Lou Reed-like coolness in songs like "Incinerate" and "Helen Lundeberg". Finally, I'd also like to draw attention to the son "Turqoise Boy", a song that is impressively beautiful with just a hint of chaos at the same time. There aren't very many bands that can successfully accomplish that.

Downloads:
Incinerate mp3
Reena mp3
Purchase the CD "Rather Ripped" here.
Visit the Sonic Youth myspace page.