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Sonic Youth songs can usually be categorized in three ways: noisy, lengthy and often difficult. After nearly 25 years of doing things this way, it would seem odd for an established band to change up a winning formula. Yet with its newest release, “Rather Ripped,” Sonic Youth do exactly that and succeed admirably.

“Rather Ripped” is a different beast than any Sonic Youth album: It contains just one song longer than six minutes, only one noise-filled song intro, and even one radio-ready single.

If 1990’s “Goo” and 1992’s “Dirty” were Geffen Records’ attempts to wedge Sonic Youth into the coming grunge explosion, then “Rather Ripped” could be viewed as the band’s entry into the next generation of indie. The album’s first single, “Incinerate,” for instance, combines Thurston Moore’s crooning with a steady, soothing melody. There are no guitar freak-outs and no extended feedback explosions. “I ripped your heart out from your chest / replaced it with a grenade blast,” Moore sings, reassuring listeners that the band can still back a sweet sound with eccentric imagery.

“Rather Ripped” represents bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon’s strongest contribution to a Sonic Youth album in at least a decade. Album opener “Reena” finds Gordon singing a genuinely heartfelt song that simultaneously declares her love for someone (likely husband Moore) and relates an ambiguous experience with a woman she met (or ... something).

“Turquoise Boy” is another strong track, stretching out past the six-minute mark as Gordon sings softly over a sonic sea of dreamy guitar riffs. It’s refreshing to hear Gordon so subdued here and taking a break from what she does best – typically, she sings the band’s more hard-edged songs, but on tracks like this one, she shows more range than she has in some time.

Other standouts include “Sleepin’ Around,” with chunky, distorted guitars that recall the dirge-like qualities of 1985’s “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Do You Believe in Rapture?”, which simultaneously manages to sound minimalist and extravagant.

The only true problem with “Rather Ripped” is the somewhat light presence of guitarist Lee Ranaldo. On past albums, the interplay between Ranaldo and Moore has been the band’s most musically fascinating aspect, with the duo’s well-known knack for unorthodox guitar tunings taking center stage. On this album, Ranaldo contributes only one song, “Rats,” which, while decent, pales in comparison to Moore’s and Gordon’s songs. It’s a testament to how strong Moore and Gordon’s work is, however, as the album doesn’t suffer without a heavy presence from the stalwart Ranaldo.

What is particularly interesting is that this is the kind of album that, had Sonic Youth made it 16 years ago, would likely have propelled them into the mainstream.

Not that any of that matters. “Rather Ripped” is one of the best albums in the Sonic Youth catalog, no matter the era.

– Mark Humphrey

E-mail Humphrey at mhumphrey@media.ucla.edu.

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