The Beat-damaged guitarist who channels the poetic bent through his tunings and solos, Lee Ranaldo occupied his own space in the Sonic Youth quartet — not as accessible as Thurston Moore (nor would he try to be), not as devoted to the howl and the scald as Kim Gordon. Listening to a song like “Hoarfrost” before becoming a Sonic Youth fan works because the artist’s talents haven’t congealed into mannerisms yet. This pretty, twangy murmur of a track from A Thousand Leaves is meant to evoke winter nights or long winter afternoons in New England — the aural equivalent of a Donald Hall or Robert Frost poem. “We’ll know where when we get there,” Ranaldo sings, sounding like a sociology professor doing a mantra.
Most of his other material is self-consciously written; he sounds most happy jamming, with a soft spot for their boho past. Yet he remained an essential member until Sonic Youth’s dissolution. I ranked these songs in preferential order.
1. “Hoarfrost” (A Thousand Leaves)
2. “Hey Joni” (Daydream Nation)
3. “Pipeline/Kill Time” (Sister)
4. “Skip Tracer” (Washing Machine)
5. “Wish Fulfillment” (Dirty)
6. “Eric’s Trip” (Daydream Nation)
7. “In the Kingdom #19” (EVOL)
8. “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” (NYC Ghosts & Flowers)
9. “Paper Cup Exit” (Sonic Nurse)
10. “Mote” (Goo)
11. “Rats” (Rather Ripped)
12. “What We Know” (The Eternal)
Humanizing The Vacuum 