Lee Ranaldo, live @ Parnassos (Athens, October 27, 2014)

Lee Ranaldo's work with Sonic Youth has played a major role in shaping noise rock as we know it. In the years following Sonic Youth's hiatus, we have come to know a much different side to Ranaldo's song writing talent, as his last two solo records, "Between The Times & The Tides" and "Last Night On Earth" found inspiration from the classic rock and folk of his teenage years.

With his latest release, the album "Acoustic Dust" featuring acoustic recordings captured in an apartment in Barcelona, Ranaldo has stripped his songs down to the bare essentials and for the shows he currently plays in support of this record, he has gone as minimal as it gets: just an acoustic guitar and his voice.

Despite this simple acoustic setting, Ranaldo's performance is still electrifying and his songs retain their weight and resonance, making the transition from their loud, electric incarnations to this evening's quiet folk renditions seem natural. The stories that Ranaldo tells about them as he introduces each song, make the intimate show seem more like a gathering of friends where childhood memories are shared and thoughts are expressed through simple but moving music.

The end of the 90-minute set that included highlights from both his solo records and a cover of Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" left his audience satisfied and happy to have witnessed this very different side to Lee Ranaldo's work: from Loud, he has now gone to Quiet. Does this mean that Loud is going to follow again soon? Let's wait and see...

 Lee Ranaldo - Tomorrow Never Comes (live @ Parnassos Literary Club - video by lemonostiftis)

Found Sound Vol.14

Found Sound brings you the best new music we discover by going through our mail. The series makes its long overdue comeback with fresh sounds from Mechanimal, Children Of Leir, Bongley Dead, Mumblr, Gosh Pith and tohska. There's something for everybody, have a listen:

Mechanimal - We Come Alive

Mechanimal describe their sound as "drone 'n' roll", an inspired mixture of electronic, industrial, post-punk and krautrock music. The Athens, Greece, based group has just released its second album "Secret Science" and "We Come Alive" is the first single.

Children Of Leir - Black Annis

Black Annis, as legend has it, was a hideous blue skinned, hag-like creature that haunted The Dane Hills area of Leicester. This fearsome, human flesh-eating, monster is also the inspiration behind a fine psych rock track which will be released as a double A-side single by Children Of Leir on October 27th on 7'' vinyl. Look for it on their Bandcamp site here.

Bongley Dead - A Better Daybreak

I don't know much to tell you about Bongley Dead except that they are a quartet from Ponte Buggianese, Italy who left us a link to their third demo on the comments of our review of Ty Segall's recent gig. "A Better Daybreak" is the first track on this very promising demo that brings to mind the guitar-heavy sound of the American underground rock of the '80s.

Mumblr - Got It

"Got It" is the catchy opening track of the album "Full of Snakes", the debut of Philadelphia foursome Mumblr. The record tackles the struggles, fears, and confused emotions of transitioning from youth to adulthood, a subject matter that has given us some fine angst rock over the years. You can stream the whole album here.

Gosh Pith - Waves

A wide and varied spectrum of influences, from Detroit hip-hop and techno to The Smiths, Bauhaus, and the Strokes, have inspired the sound of Gosh Pith. The unsigned group recently released its first single "Waves" which is available as a free download on their Soundcloud page.

tohska - Lacuna Bloom 

Some relaxing, ambient drum & bass sounds for the ending of the 14th edition of Found Sound. "Lacuna Bloom" is the most recent single by New York-based artist tohska, a track about exploring the human mind, and a fine soundtrack as we roll the end credits.