Rather Ripped was recorded through the waning hours of 2005 into the dawn sunshine of 2006 at the venerable Sear Sound Studios in NYC's fading theater district. Mixed at Sear Sound and at Hoboken, NJ's Water Music by the golden ear of John Agnello, the album exhibits SY in positive vibration mode. Rather Ripped features twelve songs of forward motion and harmonic/melodic surprise with vocals shared by the frontline of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo with Steve Shelley gluing the rhythms to the floorboards. The band bursts out o' the barn with "Incinerate," contemplates holy war mind games on "Do You Believe in Rapture?" and keeps cruising strong through track after track of risk-laden rock, finally floating away with the curious "Or." This is a straight-up Sonic Youth field on fire, with a compact potency of rock 'n' roll enlightenment. Rather ripped, indeed.

1. Reena
2. Incinerate
3. Do You Believe In Rapture?
4. Sleepin' Around
5. What A Waste
6. Jams Run Free
7. Rats
8. Turqoise Boy
9. Lights Out
10. The Neutral
11. Pink Steam
12. Or