Rather Ripped
| Rather Ripped | ||||
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| Studio album by Sonic Youth | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | December 2005 – February 2006, Sear Sound, NYC | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, noise pop | |||
| Length | 51:53 | |||
| Label | Geffen / Interscope | |||
| Producer | Sonic Youth, John Agnello | |||
| Sonic Youth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rather Ripped | ||||
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Rather Ripped is the 14th studio album by Sonic Youth, which was released on June 13, 2006. It was their first album without guitarist Jim O'Rourke since 2000's NYC Ghosts & Flowers. The album was described by Thurston Moore as "a super song record" containing "rockers and ballads".[citation needed] The name "Rather Ripped" comes from a Berkley, CA record store that his since moved to Pittsburgh, PA.[1][2] Rather Ripped contained three singles, "Rather Ripped Album Sampler", "Helen Lundeberg/Eyeliner", and "Incinerate". The album's working titles were "Sonic Life" and "Do You Believe in Rapture?" [citation needed]
On the UK release of the album, two bonus tracks were included ("Helen Lundeberg" and "Eyeliner"), which were taken from an untitled single that was released shortly before the record. "Helen Lundeberg" is also available in the USA as a bonus track on the iTunes Music Store digital download edition of the album.
On the Japanese release of the album, three bonus tracks were included. In addition to the two UK bonus tracks ("Helen Lundeberg" and "Eyeliner"), the track "Do You Believe in Rapture? (psychedelic mix)" was also included.
Rather Ripped charted at number 64 on the UK Album Chart and at number 71 on the US Billboard Top 200. The album came 43rd in Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2006[3] and ranked third in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2006.[4]
Rather Ripped was Sonic Youth's last studio album on Geffen. They left the label in 2008,[5] and are currently recording on Matador Records.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (82/100) [6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [7] |
| Blender | [8] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| Los Angeles Times | [11] |
| Mark Prindle | [12] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.5/10) [1] |
| PopMatters | (7/10) [13] |
| Robert Christgau | A [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| Slant |  [16] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [17] |
The album so far has a score of 82 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "universal acclaim";[6] the score is tied with the 2002 album Murray Street.[18] Stylus Magazine gave the album an A- and called it the band's " radio-rock record, and it's not a tribute, it's as close to the real thing as they've come since they actually had a chance at radio play back in the '90s."[19] The A.V. Club also gave it an A- and said it was " unmistakably a Sonic Youth album, right down to the snatches of amp-on-fire distortion, the tuneless speak-singing of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, and an emphasis on guitar texture that includes amplifying each strummed string."[20] Prefix Magazine gave the album a very favorable review and stated, "To call the album the band's most accessible to date is no slur. There's nothing wrong with accessible indie rock when it's this pristine and polished."[21] The New York Times also gave it a very favorable review and called it "a fully legitimate, clear and strong rock 'n' roll record in the band's own style. And it may really be the best one."[22] The Phoenix gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "[Sonic Youth's] most openly 'mature' disc, possibly their best since ’95’s Washing Machine, maybe even the almighty Daydream Nation."[23]
Neumu.net gave the album a score of eight stars out of ten and said it was "what you'd expect from a Sonic Youth that's getting back to the cool rock 'n' roll sound they trademarked years ago, completed by a tagline of frenzied feedback and chiming guitars."[24] Yahoo! Music UK also gave it eight stars and called it "a terrific, life-affirming and, at times, deeply romantic album - one that proves the potentials in both rock'n'roll and the electric guitar."[25] Playlouder gave it four stars out of five and called it "the most accomplished and mature album Sonic Youth have done in years."[26] Mojo also gave it four stars out of five and stated, "There's surely never been a Sonic Youth album so un-self-conscious."[6] Uncut likewise gave the album four stars out of five and said that "Several tracks are up with [the band's] best."[6] Alternative Press likewise gave it four stars and called it "the sound of a band no longer setting their distortion pedals on stun, and, as a result, the best songs are as low-key as a small town on Sunday morning."[6] Paste gave it a score of eight out of ten and called it "About as accessible and smooth as this band is going to get."[27] Now also gave the album four stars out of five and said that Sonic Youth "continue their slow but remarkable progression that currently finds them, for the most part, dropping old SY standbys such as long experimental noise passages in exchange for a significantly more sedated route."[28] Billboard likewise gave it a favorable review and called it "a concise serving of what the band does best."[29]
NME gave the album a score of seven out of ten and called it "a really good record--but not a patch on... Daydream Nation."[6] Under the Radar gave the album seven stars out of ten and stated, "Rarely have [Sonic Youth] laid down so many tunes that are this downright pretty, hummable, even."[6] Dusted Magazine gave the album a positive review and called it "a fitting overview of everything that’s always worked for Sonic Youth in the past."[30] E! Online gave it a B- and said that the album "feels more overly familiar and Velvet Underground-y than usual, which isn't a good thing for a band with such forward-thinking ideals."[6]
Other reviews were average or mixed: Q gave the album three stars out of five and called it the "most mature album to date."[31] Blender also gave it three stars out of five and called it "[the band's] songiest record in more than a decade."[6] Spin gave the album a score of four out of ten and called it "three- or four-minute songcraft--never the highlight of [the band's] resume."[6]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Sonic Youth.| No. | Title | Vocals | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reena" | Gordon | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "Incinerate" | Moore | 4:55 | |
| 3. | "Do You Believe in Rapture?" | Moore | 3:11 | |
| 4. | "Sleepin Around" | Moore | 3:42 | |
| 5. | "What a Waste" | Gordon/Moore | 3:33 | |
| 6. | "Jams Run Free" | lyrics Moore/vocals Gordon | 3:52 | |
| 7. | "Rats" | Ranaldo | 4:24 | |
| 8. | "Turquoise Boy" | lyrics Moore/vocals Gordon | 6:14 | |
| 9. | "Lights Out" | Moore/Gordon | 3:32 | |
| 10. | "The Neutral" | Gordon | 4:09 | |
| 11. | "Pink Steam" | Moore | 6:57 | |
| 12. | "Or" | Moore | 3:31 |
Bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Vocals | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Helen Lundeberg" (iTunes and European bonus track) | Moore | 4:39 | |
| 14. | "Eyeliner" | Moore | 5:44 | |
| 15. | "Do You Believe in Rapture? (Psychedelic Mix)" (Japan bonus track) | Moore | 3:14 |
Album charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Canadian College Charts | 1 |
| 2006 | Tastemakers | 3 |
| 2006 | Official Norwegian Albums Chart | 13 |
| 2006 | Official Belgium Albums Chart | 20 |
| 2006 | Official French Albums Chart | 25 |
| 2006 | Official Australian Albums Chart | 40 |
| 2006 | Official Finland Albums Chart | 40 |
| 2006 | Official Sweden Albums Chart | 46 |
| 2006 | Official Swiss Albums Chart | 59 |
| 2006 | Official UK Albums Chart | 64 |
| 2006 | Billboard Top 200 | 71 |
| 2006 | Official Irish Albums Chart | 72 |
| 2006 | Official German Albums Chart | 79 |
Personnel
- Sonic Youth, John Agnello – production
- T.J. Doherty – recording
- Chris Allen, Lee Ranaldo – additional recording
- John Agnello – additional recording
- Don Fleming – additional vocal production
- John Agnello – mixing
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Christopher Wool – art
- JP Robinson – front cover design
- Thurston Moore, Brandy Flower – design
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Rather Ripped Records Gets A New Life In Lawrenceville "On Saturday, Lawrenceville welcomes Rather Ripped, a new store that comes with an old story."
- ↑ Top 50 albums of 2006 of Pitchfork Media. December 19, 2006. "On Murray Street and Sonic Nurse, Jim O'Rourke pulled Sonic Youth out of a late-90s rut, spurring noise-rock jams that looked backward, forward, and somewhere in between. But even the biggest fan of those albums probably wouldn't deny craving a sequel to pop records like Goo and Dirty, and on their first post-O'Rourke effort, Sonic Youth offer exactly that: Twelve shiny, beefed-up rockers that funnel noise into melody at a level not seen since The Year Punk Broke. The surprise isn't so much that the quartet made this move, but that they pulled it off so sharply. There's hardly a wrong turn here, just reams of revved-up rock with all the classic pieces-- Kim Gordon's voice, Thurston Moore's writing, Lee Ranaldo's poetry, Steve Shelley's energy-- locked together as tightly as a jigsaw puzzle." --Marc Masters
- ↑ Top 50 albums of 2006 of Rolling Stone. December 29, 2006. "Their mean age now up to forty-eight with thirtysomething troublemaker Jim O'Rourke gone, indie's gray eminences made a light, simple, terse, almost-pop album. Granted, the guitar hook on, for instance, 'Do You Believe in Rapture?' wouldn't sound so lovely if they and all their progeny hadn't long since adjusted our harmonic expectations. But who better to play to our expanded capacity for tuneful beauty? The vocal star of Rather Ripped is Kim Gordon, breathlessly girlish at fifty-three as she and her husband evoke visions of dalliance, displacement, recrimination and salvation that never become unequivocally literal."
- ↑ Sonic Youth leave major label after nearly 20 years. "The New York noiseniks are indie once again after completing their contractual obligations with Geffen. And you can expect a 'new band-zone-vibe' for their next album."
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Critic reviews at Metacritic
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Blender review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
- ↑ The Guardian review
- ↑ Los Angeles Times review
- ↑ Mark Prindle review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- ↑ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ Slant Magazine review
- ↑ Tiny Mix Tapes review
- ↑ Metacritic score for Murray Street
- ↑ Stylus Magazine review
- ↑ The A.V. Club review
- ↑ Prefix Magazine review
- ↑ The New York Times review
- ↑ The Phoenix review
- ↑ Neumu.net review
- ↑ Yahoo! Music UK review
- ↑ Playlouder review
- ↑ Paste review
- ↑ Now review
- ↑ Billboard review
- ↑ Dusted Magazine review
- ↑ "Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped". Q: 118. July 2006.
External links
- Pitchfork Media report
- Pitchfork Media reports release date
- Los Angeles City Beat report
- CMJ interview, February 2006
- Static And Feedback review
- Rather Ripped at Metacritic
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