Lee Ranaldo

I've got a review of Lee Ranaldo's Last Day On Earth today at Dusted.

Lee Ranaldo was always the “Mr. Inside” of Sonic Youth, as much an architect of the band’s blinding, sheets of feedback guitar sound as Thurston Moore, as much a visual arts synthesiac as Kim Gordon, as offhandedly knowledgeable about pop and experimental music as either of them, but not as quick to the spotlight. Here in his second album with the Dust – that’s fellow SY vet Steve Shelley, Alan Licht and, this time, Tim Lüntzel on bass – Ranaldo makes a quiet claim on that band’s legacy. He is comfortable enough with the sounds and effects we associate with Sonic Youth to replicate them without the intervening distance of reference, but he is also ready to push these sounds into other more conventionally tuneful byways. Who knew that anyone could sound so much like Sonic Youth, and also so much like R.E.M., in the same song? Who would have guessed that it would work as well as it does in “Lecce, Leaving” where a college rock jangle twines around expansive blasts of feedback, where anthemic choruses give way to amp-torturing frenzies?

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I was kind of hoping I could do this one and Angel Olsen on the same day, so I would just piss off Bill Meyer once, but alas...

Motivational issues

I've been treading water in the sea of despond for a couple of days (yeah, the water's pretty warm, try it), no real reason, just that edge of unreality that sometimes creeps into things and makes it hard to focus. Work has slowed down and I might've done a stupid thing last week, asking for more money for something that looked like an awful lot of extra work and possible jeopardizing the small amount of money that I've been getting anyway. It's a fine line. I'm doing okay, but it could all fall through any second. I should be more careful with my family's livelihood.

I've also been listening to a lot of stuff, and was actually really enjoying the new Lee Ranaldo until my friend Bill Meyer shat all over it and gave me my usual complex about liking too much crap. What do you think? Is it boring? I must like boring.



Hey, how about this? Fun, eh? Band name: Giant Dog Single title: Bone. Hah. I need a big glass of wine.


Anyway, nice sunny fall weather, you can see your breath in the morning...trees on fire here and there, but not the way it will be later...

Sonic Youth's latest...a soundtrack

Simon Werner a Disparu is a French-language murder mystery movie, apparently starring attractive high school students of both sexes...I don't know much more about it, except that it was the occasion for Sonic Youth's latest musical endeavor, an all-instrumental soundtrack that is far more austere and atmospheric than anything Sonic Youth has done in a while. I've been liking it a lot, especially the last two tracks, "Au Cafe" and "Theme D'Alice", which have that have a casual, epic heft to them that reminds me of "Diamond Sea." I'm not sure that the whole album can stand on its own, but these two cuts are really, really good.

I’m not going to see Sonic Youth this year…but I’m on the list for Megafaun

Yes, my instinct for the marginal is in full flare this week, but I do have a couple of interesting pieces to share.

First I dive deep into alt.rock history in a Flavorwire piece on bands that have opened for Sonic Youth.


I couldn’t get on SY’s guest list if I tried, but I am sort of psyched about seeing Bowerbirds and Megafaun later this week. My review of Bowerbirds’ Upper Air runs today at Dusted.

“Northern Lights”

Sonic Youth ...very excited about this

Matador's put up the first single from their upcoming album.

It's called "Sacred Trickster."

It's a Kim song. She wishes she could be music on a tree, apparently.

I'm uncoolly hyped about this, can't wait for the whole thing, go ahead, make fun.

The Gist of it, Glenn Mercer is famous again...but what about Roy Harper?

I bought a really interesting reissue over the weekend, mostly because it was on the Cherry Red Label and knowing zero about the band except that they were mostly likely part of that weird underground post-punk early 1980s UK scene that I like so much. Open the packaging to find that The Gist is Stuart Moxham's post-Young Marble Giants band...significantly poppier and way more influenced by soul and disco (I'm guessing Scritti Politti was on his turntable at some point). Super fun stuff.

One of those "not really a videos" of "Love at First Sight"


In other news, PopMatters, which held onto to my Glenn Mercer interview for months and months because it wasn't important enough, today has posted another Glenn Mercer interview...because now that the Feelies have reformed and played with Sonic Youth, the pooh-bahs know he's significant. It's a thankless job being right, y'know?

Anyway, here's the interview:

"Crazy Rhythms" live


And at Dusted, they are all over the Roy Harperreissues today. Wonder how long it'll take PM to run my Roy Harper interview? (Hey, Sonic Youth, could you guys play a show with him, too, so they'll get that he's a genius? Just asking.)