Sonic Youth new album "Rather Ripped"

i've always felt they avoid their recent material too much live.

Wait, you mean the most recent oldies, right? Because they always play most of/all of whatever is the newest record in any given show since Evol. I figure they cut the most recent material because they play it to death every show for a year or two, and they might just need space from it before coming back to it again. In the case of NYC Ghosts, that album wasn't popular, so I think that played a role in why those songs (except for a few rare performances of "Nevermind") were not played on the Murray Street or Sonic Nurse tours. However, all of the Murray Street songs except for "Sympathy For The Strawberry" and "Radical Adults..." were played on the Sonic Nurse tour - "Empty Page" and "Rain On Tin" quite often.

i guess it's 'washing machine' and 'thousand leaves' that i miss the most. might have something to do with their gear being stolen (sadly).

Matthew, since you're the expert on this, what are my chances of actually witnessing "Teenage Riot" or "Titanium Expose" on this tour?

"Teenage Riot" is one of the most common oldies, and I figure your chances are fairly good. However, it was pretty common on the Sonic Nurse tour, and so it might be less common this time around. I figure they might switch back to "Silver Rocket" or "Candle" for a Daydream-era Thurston tune. "Eric's Trip" is extremely common, if you're into that one.

Commonly (and less commonly) played oldies in the past few years include: "Bull in the Heather," "Skip Tracer," "100%," "Sugar Kane," "Drunken Butterfly," "Kool Thing," "Mote," "Teenage Riot," "Candle," "Silver Rocket," "Eric's Trip," "Kissability," "Schizophrenia," "Catholic Block," "Pacific Coast Highway," "White Cross," "Cotton Crown," "Expressway To Yr Skull," "Tom Violence," "Shadow of a Doubt," "Brother James," "Making The Nature Scene," "Inhuman," "The Burning Spear," and "She Is Not Alone."

also, i do hope they play neutral on the tour. it's definitely my favoirte cut on the new disc. there's something "fresh" sounding, whatever that means, about it. it's really uncluttered and kim doesn't seem to be trying too hard. that sex-kitten thing is very unbecoming for someone her age and she doesn't really do that on the new one at all. and that's just one reason why they still matter. they never became parodies of their early-90s years.

has there been any indication of which song, if any, has been picked to be the single from RR?

how weird that bull in the heather was the single from ejstans? there are far more hookier songs on it.

"Jagged Brain"?

Sigh....7 more weeks then.

still, i'd say it's more radio-friendly than bull, even if it has more sonic youth elements in it. isn't the point of a single to try and lure more people to buy the record? to me, starfield and, point taken, self-obsessed are more accessible: guitars still conforming to sy's noise aesthetic but scrubbed clean a little bit. even that delay or phased guitar loop on starfield is a riff. then again, those distorted harmonics on bull are riff-y. opinions..like assholes..yadda yadda.

ir·rev·er·ent (?-r?v'?r-?nt)

adj.

1. Lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence; disrespectful.
2. Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical: irreverent humor.

I didn't know that! Thanks!

If you scan down, they put up lyrics to two forthcoming b-sides, both of which seem pretty fascinating to me.

wow, new b-sides, when's the last time they released b-sides that were non-album songs and not instrumentals or covers? the last I can remember is the Washing Machine-era "My Arena".

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12679452/

haha

Does this jibe with the sound on the rest of the new album?

-- Alex in Baltimore (shipley.a...), May 9th, 2006.

I have a version of "Starpower" w/ Thurston doing vocals. Kim on vocals obv more interesting.

Took a listen to RR; tho it sounds warmer + pleasing, more focused than any recent SY thing I've heard, I'm not too sure if it will stick to the ribs. That's all, please resume spamming of thread...

warmer + pleasing, more focused

this is my take as well, i am really into the rapture song although this:

"do you believe in rapture?" is good, but it'd be better if it ended with like kim getting rapturized and thurston being all like, "whaaaat? you promised!" and kim shouting tearful wailing "i'm sorry, i tried to save youuuuu...." as she and coco are borne aloft on pillowy wings.

is one of the funniest things I have read around here in months.

It's not a super-dynamic album.. it definitely has a consistent tempo and volume... which is perhaps the point. Granted, I came into the store halfway through the album, so I maybe I missed a raucous first half...