LAST NIGHT ON EARTH

Description

After a first solo album, "Between The Times And The Tides," released last year on the Matador label, Lee Ranaldo, this time accompanied by his new band The Dust, returns with "Last Night On Earth," a true masterpiece of US indie rock! Lee, a founding member of the legendary band Sonic Youth, had already delivered one of the best rock albums of 2012, earning him comparisons to Neil Young and R.E.M. and international critical acclaim. His touring musicians gradually evolved into a full-fledged band, rebranded as The Dust (comprising Steve Shelley, Alan Licht, and Tim Lüntzel), and Lee considers this opus to be the band's first. Far from being a reclusive artist, Lee remains very active on the artistic and associative scenes. He is very close to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which he visited numerous times in several cities around the globe; some tracks from the previous album even referenced it. "Last Night On Earth" was born from an event that affected Lee and millions of Americans. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern United States, leaving Lee without electricity or running water for a week. As a result, he spent a significant amount of time writing, playing, and composing with his acoustic guitar. Once power was restored, he developed these ideas with The Dust to compose the nine tracks on this album. Lee's inimitable guitar playing is, of course, at the heart of the album, but The Dust brings an even greater cohesion and rhythmic dynamism than before. One can feel all the freedom and pleasure the band takes in playing together on this record, from more direct tracks like "Last Night On Earth" with its magnificent acoustic riff, to the epic "Blackt Out," which beautifully closes the album with its incredible 12 minutes. Lee Ranaldo has made the most of Sonic Youth's recent hiatus by composing, in just a few months, two great indie rock albums that are free, varied, intelligent, and deeply personal. We eagerly await the next one.