Sunday, May 6, 2012

Lee Ranaldo Lives Between The Times & The Tides


Lee Ranaldo is a bit of a legend. Having been part of Sonic Youth since it's inception, Ranaldo has pretty much seen, done, and invented it all and it's no wonder then that Rolling Stone has ranked him as one of the 35 greatest guitarists ever. The guy can play, can write, and believe it or not, can even sing. On his latest solo project, Between The Times and The Tides Ranaldo shows no signs of letting up.

Residing somewhere between classic indie rock, a sonic cathedral, twangy alt-pop, and a bit of the blues Between The Times and The Tides is appropriately named. Fusing it all together and doing so with a bit of a Sonic Youth slant Ranaldo keeps things a bit familiar while venturing into non-Sonic Youth territory. It's a diverse and good record that sees Lee Ranaldo continuing to learn as a player and unafraid to try new things while doing it. A bit dreary and slightly downtrodden at times, Between The Times and The Tides isn't exactly the happiest record on the planet, but those emotions fuel Lee's creative fire and allow him venture into cool places throughout which ultimately makes the thing very good.

Between The Times and The Tides is a mature record played by one of the greatest indie rock guitarists ever. Lee Ranaldo might have been doing this forever, but he still has the chops and apparently has tons of tunes rummaging around in his head. Between The Times and The Tides is a fascinating and focused look into Ranaldo's solo efforts and paints a rather cool and colorful picture of him. With an endless reservoir of guitar licks and songs Between The Times and The Tides is just another fantastic notch in the career of Mr. Ranaldo.

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