Artist: Lee Ranaldo
Album: Between The Times And The Tides
Bitrate: 257kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Matador
Genre: Rock
Size: 92.27 megs
PlayTime: 0h 47min 33sec total
Rip Date: 2012-03-17
Store Date: 2012-03-16
Track List:
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01. Waiting On A Dream 6:14
02. Off The Wall 3:04
03. Xtina As I Knew Her 7:04
04. Angles 3:17
05. Hammer Blows 4:04
06. Fire Island (Phases) 6:07
07. Lost 3:59
08. Shouts 4:54
09. Stranded 4:20
10. Tomorrow Never Comes 4:30
Release Notes:
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ThereÆs always been that air of expectancy around a new Sonic Youth album which,
for many, at least partly focused on the prospect of Lee Ranaldo grabbing some
rare microphone time from his spotlight-hogging bandmates and delivering another
In the Kingdom #19 or EricÆs Trip. But one track per album was never, ever,
enough. Thurston kept writing songs, though sometimes we wished he didnÆt, but
we wanted Lee to write some too. Well, now he has.
While those earliest examples of RanaldoÆs craft bristle and burn with his
unique marriage of feral guitar squall and post-beat prose, itÆs to later SY
classics such as Murray StreetÆs Karen Revisited that we find the precursors for
much of Between the Times and the Tides. The Byrds, Neil Young and R.E.M. are
the inspirational touchstones here, rather than the abstractions of No Wave and
the dissonant overloads of Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham. The opening Waiting on
a Dream even sprawls out on the riff from The Rolling StonesÆ Paint it Black
before encrypting some epic highway scenes, the asphalt arteries of America
opening up like an overused metaphor for freedom and hope. It sounds like a
doughnut pumped full of cheese, but, somehow, Ranaldo makes it work.
ItÆs a familiar pattern: flaws which initially seem awkward begin to make
perfect sense after a few listens. That Fire Island (Phases) manages neat
transition from a domesticated rewrite of The Dead CÆs Scary Nest to a lap steel
lovinÆ honky tonk without batting an eye is a marvellous case in point. And
while StrandedÆs lyrics are a little clunky ("DonÆt want to throw a wrench in
the works / But this whole town here is full of jerks / If a cloud is in your
eye / IÆll remove it from the sky") it remains a touchingly poignant psychedelic
hymnal in the vein of Damon & Naomi, with guest guitarist Nels Cline artfully
filling in for Michio Kurihara.
Naturally, the influence of Sonic Youth pervades, with AngelsÆ strident,
chopping chords sounding like a prime cut from Goo despite the vamping presence
of John MedeskiÆs keys. RanaldoÆs partner Leah Singer reels out a stream of
consciousness monologue during ShoutÆs tumultuous mid-section that recalls a
peaceable visitation on some of the freak-outs from EVOL.
But despite this mildest of flirtations with discordance, Between the Times and
the Tides cruises pretty straight, especially for those expecting an unbridled
dose of experimentation from a string-slinger well known for his endless
collaborations with free jazzers and noise conceptualists. But once you get over
the initial shock, and some negligible lyrical lumber, youÆre left with one
mighty fine rockÆnÆroll record.