And then there were four. Again. New York noise-punk icons Sonic Youth are back to a quartet after the departure of short-lived utility player Jim O'Rourke. But in typical SY fashion, that change serves neither as an excuse for navel-gazing nostalgia nor as a spur for reinvention. Rather, on Rather Ripped, they continue to do business as usual.

This 15th CD (more or less) picks up (more or less) where 2002's Murray Street and 2004's Sonic Nurse left off, with the band comfortably settled in a mellower, maturely middle-aged groove.

You know what to expect by now: The gently propulsive strumming. The darkly jangly melodies. The near-psychic guitar interplay. The hypnotically sparse beats. The dissonant harmonies. The jammy noisefests.

Likewise, everybody in the band knows their respective roles by now. Thurston supplies the creaky rockers and trippy soundscapes. Kim toggles between breathy ingenue and ice-queen poses. Lee tosses in the occasional artsy piece. Steve holds down the fort unobtrusively. Which is not to suggest that Rather Ripped is predictable. Or disappointing.

The slightly stripped-down sound is arguably improved without O'Rourke's dusty clutter, and the songcraft here is just as strong as ever. Incinerate is surprisingly hooky. Sleepin Around boasts a fiery solo. Lee's Rats is flecked with psychedelia. Pink Steam and Turquoise Boy are mini-epics for the headphone crowd. Or is one of several darkly dreamy numbers.

Sure, it might not be experimental or groundbreaking enough for the old-schoolers and purists. But let's face facts; Sonic Youth have already broken enough ground.

Now, it seems, they just want to relax a bit and enjoy the view. Anyone who can appreciate that won't feel ripped by Rather Ripped.

Track Listing:

1. Reena
2. Incinerate
3. Do You Believe in Rapture?
4. Sleepin' Around
5. What a Waste
6. Jams Run Free
7. Rats
8. Turquoise Boy
9. Lights Out
10. Neutral
11. Pink Steam