Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo puts out his first proper, song-oriented studio album this March and ‘Off The Wall‘ is the the first mp3 to be taken from Between The Times And The Tides, which you can hear now by heading to the Matablog.

Recorded with long-standing Sonic Youth producer John Agnello (The Hold Steady, The Breeders, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile), the album is a shimmering melodic tapestry of rock sounds and is equal parts smart, confident and loose.  With lyrics plumbing Ranaldo’s childhood and adolescence, it’s a fascinatingly approachable song collection from one of rock’s greatest guitarists.  Ranaldo’s trademark alternate-tuning guitar work is at the forefront, but it is amplified by brilliant lead-work from Wilco’s Nels Cline on every track.  The all-star lineup also includes Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley on drums, Alan Licht on guitar, and John Medeski on keyboards. There are also cameos from original Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert and producer and instrumentalist Jim O’Rourke.