Rolling Stone (p.67) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A]n excellent record, one of the strongest to emerge from Sonic Youth's amazing late period. Thurston Moore dominates....The guitars ring out with a sense of emotional urgency..." Rolling Stone (p.102) - Ranked #3 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[A] light, simple, terse, almost-pop album." Spin (p.59) - Ranked #22 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[T]heir 20th release extends the most comfortable hot streak in rock history, locating a few more nooks in a self-invented sound that no one else inhabits." Q (p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]heir most mature album to date, with songs taking centre stage and guitar squall used more selectively." Alternative Press (p.218) - "RATHER RIPPED is the sound of a band no longer setting their distortion pedals on stun, and, as a result, the best songs are as low-key as a small town on Sunday morning." Magnet (p.111) - "RATHER RIPPED turns out to be filled with delicate, pretty songs devoid of squall and doused in mellow melody." The Wire (p.63) - "While it seems improbably that Sonic Youth have fully mellowed, RATHER RIPPED finds them at home with some old fashioned rock verities." Kerrang (Magazine) (p.64) - "[A] clean collection of smart guitar songs that are low on the trademark-feedback tsunamis of old but high on skewed pop melodies of a Fugazi bent..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "RATHER RIPPED is a concise collection of melodious, and pretty straightforward songs: light of touch, compact in construction, sweet on the ear."

Rovi