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Lee Ranaldo

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For Your Calendar: Sonic Youth Detox With Lee Ranaldo Band

By Jason Diamond on

It wasn’t exactly the day the music died, but for people who grew up thinking Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore’s marriage was an indestructible artifact from the glory days of the alternative 1980s and ’90s, Gordon’s revelation to Elle of what caused their marriage to crumble was pretty devastating: … Read More

Music

The 15 Most Underrated Albums of 2012

By Tom Hawking on

It’s December, which means the music industry’s listomania is now in full swing. But wait, if on the off chance you haven’t written your own personal end-of-year list, then have a quick look at this one before you start anointing one of the usual suspects — Grimes, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Swans, Fiona Apple, etc. — as the best of 2012. We love all those records, but there are a heap of great albums released in 2012 that we think haven’t gotten anywhere near the amount of end-of-year love they deserve. We profiled some of them in June — read on to find out our selections from the second half of the year, and let us know if you reckon we’ve missed any. … Read More

Music

Sonic Youth Officially on “Longterm Hold,” Readying Endless Reissues

By Judy Berman on

This is the way the most beloved indie rock band of the past 30 years ends: not with a banging farewell album but with a Lee Ranaldo interview and a load of reissues and live releases. As Pitchfork reports, Ranaldo confirmed in a conversation with BBC 5 Radio that Sonic Youth… Read More

Music

10 Underrated Band Members Who Deserve Your Attention

By Tom Hawking on

We’ve written several times over the last couple of months about how much we’ve been looking forward to Lee Ranaldo’s solo album Between the Times and the Tides, and how much we’ve been enjoying it now we’ve heard it in full. It’s a welcome step into the spotlight for Ranaldo, a man long-appreciated for his startlingly innovative approach to the guitar, but perhaps less so for his songwriting talents and vocals. The arrival this week of Between the Times and the Tides has gotten us thinking about other musicians who’ve perhaps been overlooked in comparison to more prominent band mates. Click through for a selection of our favorites, and let us know who you think deserves a place in the sun. … Read More

Music

5 Albums You Need to Stream for Free This Week: VCMG, Lee Ranaldo

By Tom Hawking on

Mondays are difficult enough without being robbed of an hour of sleep along the way, eh? If you’re anything like us, this morning’s a bit of a struggle, but nevertheless, we’ve found our regular selection of five excellent and/or noteworthy records streaming for free across the vast echoing expanses of the internet. This week, we’re particularly excited about Lee Ranaldo’s new record, along with Vince Clarke and Martin Gore’s first collaboration in 30 years. There’s also new records from the Decemberists, Lucero, and, um, the Ting Tings. Click through and get listening. … Read More

Music

10 Albums You Need to Hear in March

By Tom Hawking on

Extra day or not, February seems to have flown by, and it was a fine month for music lovers, with a slew of decent record releases to fill your shelves and/or your iTunes library. Today we’re looking ahead to March, which seems to start with a rush — there’s a heap of good releases on March 6 — and then just tails off somewhat. But never fear, we’ve still found ten albums that should most definitely be on music lovers’ shopping lists this month. Click through to see our selections, and let us know what you’re looking forward to. Yes, Madonna fans, even you. … Read More

Activism

Check Out Lee Ranaldo’s Photos from Occupy Wall Street

By Tom Hawking on

Amongst the attendees at Occupy Wall Street over the last week or so, there’s been at least one… well, we don’t like to use the word “celebrity”, but if you follow Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo on Twitter, you’ll know he’s been an enthusiastic supporter and documenter of the ongoing protests in Zuccotti Square in New York City. He was there again yesterday as the protest moved to Washington Square, and spent most of the day uploading candid shots of protesters to Instagram. Ranaldo’s a man we admire for many reasons — apart from his enduringly innovative guitar work, he’s a poet, visual artist, and genuinely lovely guy. It turns out he’s also a dab hand with the camera on his smartphone — check out some of his photos from yesterday after the jump. … Read More