SONIC YOUTH: RATHER RIPPED
Released on Geffen 5th June 2006

Thurston Moore - guitar, vocals
Kim Gordon - bass, guitar, vocals
Lee Ranaldo - guitar, vocals
Steve Shelley – drums

Sonic Youth were birthed in 1981 downtown New York City. Their debut release, an eponymously titled mini-LP, followed in 1982 by Confusion is Sex, burned holes in every record store bin crazy enough to carry it. For the next 25 years they released beyond-category documents of sonic death rock and toured the universe. Some of these monsterpieces were Bad Moon Rising, Evol, Sister, Daydream Nation, Goo, Dirty, Experimental Jet Set Trash and No Star, Washing Machine, 1000 Leaves, NYC Ghosts & Flowers, Murray Street, and Sonic Nurse. All supremo killers in any discerning freak lovers record collection.

Rather Ripped was recorded in the waning hours of 2005 into the dawn sunshine of 2006, at the venerable Sear Sound studios in NYC’s fading theatre district. Partially mixed there and at Hoboken, NJ’s Water Music by the golden juice ear of John Agnello, it exhibits Sonic Youth in positive vibration mode. 12 songs of forward motion and harmonic/melodic surprise. Vocals shared by the frontline of Thurston, Kim and Lee with Steve groove-glueing the rhythms into rock ‘n’ roll infection. They bust out o’ the sonic barn with Incinerate and Reena then contemplate holy war mind games with Do You Believe in Rapture? and keep cruising strong with track after track of risk-laden rock jammers, until floating out with the curious Or.

This is a straight-up Sonic Youth field on fire, with a compact potency of rock ‘n’ roll enlightenment.

Rather ripped, indeed.

www.sonicyouth.com