Sonic Youth Gossip - View Single Post - Lee Ranaldo

wills123 · 03.16.2012, 08:21 AM

http://www.normanrecords.com/cd/1322...imes-and-tides

With the current turbulent and possibly terminal times in the SY camp, it seems like a welcome respite in fortunes that their resident axe-mangler Lee Ranaldo already had this solo record in the bag before their majestic liner ran aground. As was the case with the recent Thurston Moore solo offering, Ranaldo has again opted for an accessible song-based approach to this record, ably helped by some of his talented friends including Steve Shelley on drums, Nels Cline on guitar, John Medeski on keys, and Jim O’Rourke makes an appearance too. The lyrical themes are largely based around nostalgia for adolescence and there’s a bit of a west coast ‘60s pop feel in some of the songs that’s nicely tempered by his alternate tuning guitar textures, which are still prominent. A lot of the time you basically feel like you’re listening to a collection of Ranaldo-fronted SY jams, and his voice is comfortingly familiar immediately. First time I listened to it, though, the vocal style did start to grate on me by the end...I’m on about my third go through it now, though, and I think I was on my man period or something because on their own merits every one of these songs is good, and there’s a continuity of churning momentum through the record that’s actually pretty delicious, even through the more downbeat numbers (which have a touch of Led Zeppelin influence to them in places if I’m not mistaken). There’s quite a nostalgic mid-’90s sound there that I like...it’s even reminding me a little of the Smashing Pumpkins in places, weirdly enough. I’m finding this to be a thoroughly enjoyable chunk of slightly psychedelic, slightly country, very Sonic Youthy power-pop with enough detailed and experimental textures running through its indie rock veins to make sure your attention never wavers. It’s precise and accomplished stuff, but with this type of music I can’t help but feel that Ranaldo’s melodic taste and dynamic restraint kind of work against him to some extent and it’d be nice to see a couple more massive choruses or infectious melodic hooks making an appearance. That’s subjective though, especially since he gives us exactly that in the likes of the staggeringly wonderful ‘Lost’, where the ‘60s pop influence jumps right to the front in an infectiously bouncy bit of pop music which then descends into this chorus of Chatham-esque chiming guitars that gradually get overtaken by squealing lead guitar and then we’re dropped right back into that summery chorus...it’s perfection, and a couple more brazenly, indulgently enjoyable jams like this would’ve been totally welcome, but still what Ranaldo has done here is to create a swirling, melodic, accessible collection of tracks, polished to post-grunge perfection by knob twiddler to the stars John Agnello and yet with an experimental streak running throughout them, which are all unmistakeably the work of Lee Ranaldo and couldn’t possibly have been made by anybody else. Isn’t that the essence of what all artists are trying to do?

03.16.2012, 08:21 AM	#177
wills123 little trouble girl Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Wales Posts: 74	http://www.normanrecords.com/cd/1322...imes-and-tides With the current turbulent and possibly terminal times in the SY camp, it seems like a welcome respite in fortunes that their resident axe-mangler Lee Ranaldo already had this solo record in the bag before their majestic liner ran aground. As was the case with the recent Thurston Moore solo offering, Ranaldo has again opted for an accessible song-based approach to this record, ably helped by some of his talented friends including Steve Shelley on drums, Nels Cline on guitar, John Medeski on keys, and Jim O’Rourke makes an appearance too. The lyrical themes are largely based around nostalgia for adolescence and there’s a bit of a west coast ‘60s pop feel in some of the songs that’s nicely tempered by his alternate tuning guitar textures, which are still prominent. A lot of the time you basically feel like you’re listening to a collection of Ranaldo-fronted SY jams, and his voice is comfortingly familiar immediately. First time I listened to it, though, the vocal style did start to grate on me by the end...I’m on about my third go through it now, though, and I think I was on my man period or something because on their own merits every one of these songs is good, and there’s a continuity of churning momentum through the record that’s actually pretty delicious, even through the more downbeat numbers (which have a touch of Led Zeppelin influence to them in places if I’m not mistaken). There’s quite a nostalgic mid-’90s sound there that I like...it’s even reminding me a little of the Smashing Pumpkins in places, weirdly enough. I’m finding this to be a thoroughly enjoyable chunk of slightly psychedelic, slightly country, very Sonic Youthy power-pop with enough detailed and experimental textures running through its indie rock veins to make sure your attention never wavers. It’s precise and accomplished stuff, but with this type of music I can’t help but feel that Ranaldo’s melodic taste and dynamic restraint kind of work against him to some extent and it’d be nice to see a couple more massive choruses or infectious melodic hooks making an appearance. That’s subjective though, especially since he gives us exactly that in the likes of the staggeringly wonderful ‘Lost’, where the ‘60s pop influence jumps right to the front in an infectiously bouncy bit of pop music which then descends into this chorus of Chatham-esque chiming guitars that gradually get overtaken by squealing lead guitar and then we’re dropped right back into that summery chorus...it’s perfection, and a couple more brazenly, indulgently enjoyable jams like this would’ve been totally welcome, but still what Ranaldo has done here is to create a swirling, melodic, accessible collection of tracks, polished to post-grunge perfection by knob twiddler to the stars John Agnello and yet with an experimental streak running throughout them, which are all unmistakeably the work of Lee Ranaldo and couldn’t possibly have been made by anybody else. Isn’t that the essence of what all artists are trying to do?
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