The most accessible pop-art-rock of SY's discography, and it came twenty five years into their career. When RtBE was working with Glide Magazine for our favorite albums of the 2000's it came in 44th on our list.
When Jim O'Rourke joined the band in the early millennium, SY crafted two excellent albums, Murray Street and Sonic Nurse amping up their noise rock game and spreading out with success. O'Rourke left the band to work on different projects and so SY took a left turn releasing what Thurston Moore called, "a far more straight up rock and roll album".
The songs are short, fairly relaxed and easy to enjoy. Far less complex then the previous albums and much more laid back than the bands early days. Moore compared it to Blondie's 1978 commercial breakthrough Parallel Lines, and while SY will never be commercial, the accessibility is certainly there with Rather Ripped.
It opens with "Reena" as Gordon uses her breathy vocals to start the album on a laid back note. The best song on the record arrives next, "Incinerate". The track feels reminiscent of their Daydream Nation days, but all grown up as there is a growing tension as the song builds, sliding around with ease. It is heavy, punk, but never aggressively overbearing, showing restraint, growth and a musical sense of wonder under the surface. SY could never be a greatest hits band, but if they were, "Incinerate" would definitely make the cut. The first half of the record is very strong as "Do You Believe in Rapture?" is gorgeously ringing out via Moore and Ranaldo's guitars and on par with "Incinerate".
In retrospect the lyrics of some of the songs, including Moore's "Sleeping Around" and Gordon's "What A Waste", with it's "hollow stimulation", may have been much more literal than we thought back in 2006, this adds an odd feeling to the tracks, but the screeching guitar tones really sound great.
The shorter songs were an artistic choice, but a warbling effort like "Jams Run Free" sounds like it could go on forever. The two tracks that are extended on the album are different. "Turquoise Boy" is OK and feels like another Rather Ripped, fairly straight ahead track before a tacked on noise outro while "Pink Steam" is much better, starting twinkling before getting ominous and meaty with an extended intro.
The heavy "Rats" is led by the bass groove as Ranaldo adds his lone lead vocal to the track which is abrasive in the best way via crackling guitar tone. Even on two non-standouts, "Lights Out" and "The Neutral", mid tempo rockers that are fine, great guitar tones and drums from Steve Shelley keep them vibrant. The record ends on the odd "Or" but overall Rather Ripped is a solid slice of Sonic Youth and really holds up well on it's twentieth anniversary.
So today, play it loud, here are some songs to get you started:
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