It’s amazing what can happen during a band’s down-time. Ranaldo’s latest album with The Dust was recorded in Barcelona during some free dates in the middle of a European tour. But rather than sounding hurried or half-baked, it’s fully formed and carries a certain sense of immediacy that the stripped-down acoustic arrangements accentuate.
If ‘Hammer Blows’ has all the trappings of dusty Americana, some wickedly played and haunting slide guitar elevates it to another plane altogether. ‘Angles’ is a heartachingly plaintive reflection, the style not dissimilar from J Mascis’ solo acoustic work. He ‘Late Descent #2’ is a lugubrious lament that finds Ranaldo channelling Michael Stipe before dancing off on a psychedelic spin.
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Ranaldo’s compositions sit comfortably with covers of Neil Young’s ‘Revolution Blues’, Sandy Denny’s ‘Bushes and Bars’ and ‘You Just May Be The One’ by The Monkees. Herein lies the album’s great strength: not only does it contrast with its predecessor in reflecting the gentler side of Ranaldo’s work with the Dust, but it’s a brilliantly poised collection that balances the sunny with the sad and captures a range of moods in between.
Lee Ranaldo Online
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