North London Expressionist Paintings Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth | Review

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Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth

Below the review are YouTube videos of all Rather Ripped songs (performed live apart from two songs) by Sonic Youth at various concerts.
No Jim O'Rourke on this album for the first time since A Thousand Leaves. First seeing that most of the tracks were around 4 mins or under, seemed there might be a change on this album from the way things had been going since A Thousand Leaves. One of the longer songs, Turquoise Boy and the similar in some ways, Natural are more like Sonic Youth's recent albums. But the albums songs overall sound more radio-friendly, in a good way, to any album since Dirty.
Even bands that release album after album for decades, seem to have a finite number of catchy songs they can write before everything settles down, or often, dries up. But listening to the first half of Rather Ripped, you wonder if Sonic Youth will ever run out. Reena has the kind of catchyness that allows bands build a career around one song, but Sonic Youth seem to breeze through writing and recording songs like this. Wonderful spacey lead guitar that come in to the later parts of songs like Incinerate and Natural put this album up with my favourites, and are what I think gives Rather Ripped its own identity amongst Sonic Youth's other albums. Do You Believe in Rapture? shows Sonic Youth drastically but naturally crash songs up and down in a second, to flying in to a beautiful Velvet Underground like pop break, to scraping guitar harmonics like those that made Bull in the Heather from Experimental Jet set, Trash and No Star.
Sleepin Around doesn't go as far as the early albums, but is more a step in to Sonic Youths past for the more uncomfortable side of their music I thought may be consigned to the past after listening to Sonic Nurse. But also Sleepin Around hits the kind of straight rock, especially from the start of the guitar solo, that I didn't think would work for Sonic Youth but does. I should mention here, two bonus tracks Helen Lundeberg and Eyeliner are excellent, and both like Sonic Youth of old. Helen Lundeberg crashes in to chorus, and drums out the chorus not dissimilar to Sonic Youth's first albums. Eyeliner becomes uglier and uglier as it goes, forcing lyrics to run over irregular stuttering riffs, the cornyness of the lyrics only adding to the effect, it gets more and more ridiculous. The song sounds like it's falling apart from the start, till Thurstons left just singing Eyeliner repeatedly as a climax. Thurston's singing also more like the older songs where he strains his voice more. Both amazing songs, and even though only bonus tracks, it's old Sonic Youth still here. The slightly different version of Do You Believe in Rapture? is worth having, but not as good as the psychedelic from having less effects, album version.
Songs build to a euphoria a lot on Rather Ripped, the best examples Neutral and Jams Run Free. Rather Ripped is more pop-energetic than the other post-Washing Machine albums. Lee sounds like he's been time-traveling to the 60's in Rats. Doomy Gothic features towards the end of the album in Light's Out, Pink Stream and Or. It's just so good to hear a band being so inventive and consistent. Enjoy the Rather Ripped YouTubes below.

Reena:


Incinerate:


Do You Believe in Rapture?:


Sleepin Around:


What a Waste:


Jams Run Free:


Rats:


Turquoise Boy:


Lights Out:


The Neutral:


Pink Steam:


Or:
Can't find on YouTube.

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Uploaded by Edgeworth Johnstone - Contemporary Expressionist Artist from Muswell Hill, North London. Visit artists blog.