Sonic Youth
Rather Ripped
Geffen
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AUDIO CLIP
"Turquoise Boy"
Even fiery musicians often fade away into irrelevance come middle age. Not Sonic Youth, a band that has mellowed but not faded out. After an inventive but meandering period in the post-grunge era, Sonic Youth has bloomed back to life, making its most immediate music in years. The most enticing part about Rather Ripped is that unlike its immediate predecessors, it appeals to more than just die-hard fans. Sonic Youth has always exuded an undercurrent of creepy carnality, but tracks like "Reena" and "What a Waste" are downright sexy. This is very much the same band that made such masterpieces as Sister and Daydream Nation, and you can certainly hear it on "Rats" and "Incinerate." But the band's trademark snarl, rooted in the angry and wasted late-'60s sleaze of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, has also given way to an undeniable sweetness on "Turquoise Boy," "Do You Believe in Rapture?" and "Jams Run Free." At this point, Sonic Youth itself has become an iconic starting point for so many bands, it makes sense that for the first time the group sounds like it may be looking backward as much as looking ahead. They've got a legacy, and like hundreds of guitar bands, they're not afraid to mine it. And with results like these, who can argue?
-- Joshua Klein
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