Lee Ranaldo – Between the Times and the Tides

With any new Lee Ranaldo album, the first question to ask is: which Ranaldo? In Sonic Youth, his work veers from straight-up rock to obtuse noise; in his downtime, there’s improvised collaborations with jazz acts and wilfully avant-garde installation pieces to stretch his muse.  

Between the Times and the Tides occupies the straightforward end of the scale, but its relative conservatism is rewarding; the general clarity of the guitar tones only accentuates Ranaldo’s immense skill (check out the dual-part introduction to Fire Island (Phases)), while the laid-back MOR gaits of tracks like Lost (Plane T Nice) or Stranded bear well the touch of Wilco’s Nils Cline, lending additional guitar throughout the album.

Other collaborators include Sonic Youth affiliates past (percussion from Bob Bert; bass from Jim O’Rourke) and present (Steve Shelley handles drums; John Agnello behind the desk), but above all, this is Ranaldo’s show: a confirmation of his solo talents just as his day job’s future seems rocky.