Sonic Youth new album "Rather Ripped"

-- San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side), June 22nd, 2006.

Nice reasoned response. I listened to this album, as I've listened to every SY album, with the hope that it will grab me like it did oh so many years ago. I haven't given up on the band at all - like I said, I still see them live when I can. Just because I think they are repeating themselves with minor variations doesn't mean I don't like them.

What a sad state of affairs when you can't comment without following some party line - I'll give it a try: "Rather Ripped rather rocks! NY Times & Klusterfuck and Hornsby sux. XGAU XGAU XGAU!!!!"

Can I play now?

note the WHINE tags i put in there for comic effect.

i was actually making fun of the discourse of the old-timers vs. new-timers at the expense of the new timers this time, even if i'm sorta in both camps, and i have no idea why you threw in XGAU XGAU XGAU, but whatevs.

The XGAU bit was just aimed at the tired old canards that seem to be the primary stock and trade of this message board. My own weak attempt at humor.

I'm an old-timer who wants to be rejuvanated - I SO want to be blown away by each and every SY album, and instead come away accepting that what they're doing, though very well done, has none of that ol' pizazz. My loss, most likely.

alb is ok, too

But "Super Horny 19 Year-olds" is a great album title.

and now everyone knows why i work at a university. you know, for the "benefits".

[chillax dudes, im totally joking.]

I still stand up for Heathen.

Anyway - I love NYCGF and 1000 Leaves too. Oh fuck, I love them all. But let's just focus on the 150-ish minutes of music that is Murray-Nurse-Ripped: Tell me again that this is boring, uninspired, nowhere near the brilliance of Daydream Sister Moon, etc etc etc, and I think I will puke forthwith. 150min of Great Fucking Tuneage it definitely is!

Ripped - what is your favourite track (or least yawny bit, whatever the case may be)? I fucking think Turquoise Boy ranks with fucking ANYTHING they ever did.

Oh yeah - Some Girls - that was the one.

Fuck I love this CD.

I understand the comments regarding long songs. Rapture especially seems like it wants to burst forth into instramental jam heaven, but is henceforth restrained. However, I think the restraints are a charm on this cd, rather than a frustration.

question for anyone that saw the Rather Ripped tour -- when they did played "Or" live, did they have an acoustic guitar onstage? I was gonna write that "Massage The History" on the Eternal tour was the first time they regularly featured an acoustic guitar on tour but then i realized i never saw a Rather Ripped show so i don't know how they did "Or."

Saw 'em in Seattle as mumbled upthread and...I don't remember? Excellent show but I can't recall them busting out an acoustic guitar for that.

good record, not as good as SN, bring back jim o'rourke

thurston played acoustic on one track when i saw them last year, but it wasn't "Or" i think it was something from The Eternal.
re: markers' comment, i think people overestimate o'rourke's influence on those SY records. not that he didn't have an effect on the sound (probably mainly from the mixing side of things) but to assume that o'rourke came in to a band that'd been together 20+ years and took over strikes me as off-base. i think murray st./sonic nurse would've been strong records even if he wasn't in the band at the time.

agreed but they were better than either album that preceeded or succeeded them

yeah, i'd agree with that, but just assuming that o'rourke wsa the main catalyst for that seems like ... an assumption.

I'm interviewing Thurston in a few hours. Please think of an absolutely killer question for me to ask him. Thanks.

i don't know if he's been asked a million times now, but i'd be interested in hearing about how his move away from NYC (where he founded one of the quintessential NYC bands) to the "country" has informed his songwriting/musical outlook.

Kudos for the good idea of including free mp3 download when you bought the vinyl.

thurston played acoustic on one track when i saw them last year, but it wasn't "Or" i think it was something from The Eternal.
re: markers' comment, i think people overestimate o'rourke's influence on those SY records. not that he didn't have an effect on the sound (probably mainly from the mixing side of things) but to assume that o'rourke came in to a band that'd been together 20+ years and took over strikes me as off-base. i think murray st./sonic nurse would've been strong records even if he wasn't in the band at the time.

― tylerw, Tuesday, May 31, 2011 10:53 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

yeah "Massage The History" from The Eternal, as i alluded in my post, is the one he played acoustic on when they toured that record. i was just wondering if he did the same when they played "Or" live regularly in 2006/2007

Northampton isn't the country at all, btw. Just sorta New England suburbia with a slight 'aging hippie' sort of bent.

I saw them on that tour about ten times and don't remember an acoustic guitar on "Or"

well, yeah, but certainly more of a pastoral setting than NYC.

I usually try and ask something about landscape and how it affects song writing because when people don't look at you like you're a wanker they often say something interesting. So cheers.

Ask him when he's gonna collaborate with aTelecine!!

A fair question...

ask him if jim o'rourke was the catalyst for Murray St and Sonic Nurse. We need to get this settled.

Ha ha. Ok.

ask him why you can hear sister play in its entirety if you turn it up really loud underneath experimental jet set

? That can't be true surely... Are you sure that's not just yr old cassette?

SY recorded once again at Sear Sound (on 16-track), where they'd recorded Sister six years prior (though it had since relocated) and had done some overdubs for Dirty the previous year. The band supposedly joked that they'd recorded over the masters for "Sister" to save tape costs -- which sounds silly at first, until you really, really crank "Jet Set" up... you can actually hear "Sister" played in its entirety underneath the album! Listen closely between songs if you have any doubts...

http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp10.html

who knows tho

Well I never!