Sonic Youth, admittedly is one of my favorite contemporary bands.  Their album Sonic Nurse is one of my favorite albums of the oughts so far.  I’d heard through the grapevine that their follow-up, Rather Ripped, was quite a change, almost pop-centric.  Upon listening, however, the indelible post-punk chaos of the Sonic Youth sound remains, though it’s gaining more and more melody over time.  The songs are tighter, too, rarely clocking in at more than five minutes, and Rather Ripped is arguably the most accessible album the band has ever produced.

Bassist Kim Gordon’s haunting and throaty vocals kick off in seconds on the fast-paced opener, “Reena,” and are featured on many songs, including the seductively beautiful “Turquoise Boy.”  Thurston Moore’s and Lee Ranaldo’s guitar playing covers the spectrum, cooing in tandem one minute, then biting like fighting pit bulls the next.  Other album standouts include “Jams Run Free,” “Pink Steam” and the fadeout closer, “Or.”

Favorite Track: Track 8, “Turquoise Boy”