Now that the dust has finally begun to settle following Sonic Youth’s untimely break-up after a 30-year run as a punk/alt-rock mainstay, it still remains to be seen whether or not its founding members have stepped out from its lofty, looming shadow. While Thurston Moore has carried his Stooges-worshipping and teenage rioting nihilism over into his new ensemble, Chelsea Light Moving, Kim Gordon has relapsed to her Confusion Is Next days in Body/Head, which exudes no shortage of fuck-bombed schizophrenia itself. Enter Lee Ranaldo, Moore’s erstwhile guitar-assaulting accomplice, who in the past year has delivered a pair of albums that shun the blear of experimental smudging in favor of a hook-heavy, pop-scuffed rock & roll sound. That’s not to say that Ranaldo has brushed aside his noise-hawking roots on his latest effort, Last Night on Earth (Matador Records). In fact, the nine-track album compliments Moore’s and Gordon’s current respective projects quite well, rousing forth the gunk-oozing grunge squalls of Dirty-era SY to the blasted noise rockings of the group’s coda, The Eternal. For those still in doubt-mode regarding SY’s demise, the spidery psychedelia of “Blackt Out” or spiky guitar pop of “Ambulancer” should soothe a fevered brow in the wake of his former outfit’s curtain call.

Along for the ride on Earth is Ranaldo’s backing band, The Dust, whose members are certainly no strangers to the free rock spectrum. With ex-SY drummer Steve Shelley stationed behind the kit, Ranaldo has a familiar face co-anchoring the rhythm section alongside bassist Tim Luntzel (Bright Eyes, Loudon Wainwright III), while he links up with fellow guitarist and experimental composer Alan Licht to mine noisier depths. Given Licht’s credentials as a solo artist and frequent collaborator under the frayed wings of Loren Mazzacane Connors and Jandek, it’s no wonder that Ranaldo would pair up with a skilled guitarist of Licht’s caliber. In lieu of Moore’s absence, Licht provides equal footing for any of Ranaldo’s scorch-toasting impulses during Earth’s hour-long excursion. Inspired by his time spent holed up in his apartment during and after Hurricane Sandy’s rampage upon New York City last fall, the album’s dark subject matter eludes to a sense of desolation and regret, all the while maintaining a somewhat optimistic drive and softness both musically and spiritually. Such can be heard on Earth’s opening number, “Lecce, Leaving,” which erupts with a fuzzified wah-pedaled guitar solo straight from the J. Mascis guidebook to freaking out, before giving way to a steady pulse of acoustic strumming and rippling notes. “The marble floor is cold and I can smell the sea. I walk these streets of old with you standing right by me,” sings Ranaldo during the first verse, before the group ups the ante with a skull-rattling fuss of feedback and buzz during the song’s bridge. Bringing their amp-blown rumble down to a placid simmer, Ranaldo and The Dust follow up the jam with “Key/Hole,” a calming account of loss and self-reflection. “Let’s make the best of a bad situation, try to define love anyway we can,” laments a seemingly upbeat-sounding Ranaldo, begging the question as to whether or not he’s referencing his current relationship with his ex-bandmates, or perhaps, the publicized collapse of their marriage?

Coupled with his 2012 companion piece, Between the Times and the Tides, Earth further projects Ranaldo’s credibility as a songwriter and storyteller to heights unseen. While the lion’s share of the material from his SY years featured either Moore or Gordon handling microphone duties, Ranaldo always managed to thrust himself into the limelight for a punchy song or two on each album, perhaps to break up some of the creative tension between Moore’s saw-toothed whoppers and Gordon’s grunted incantations. With jam-worthy crushers such as “Mote” and “Wish Fulfillment” amongst his list of accolades from the SY catalog, Ranaldo’s knack for writing the perfect pop-rocker with just the right amount of bite has come full circle with Earth. After years of being firmly stuffed in the back pocket of one of the 20^th century’s greatest punk bands, it’s nice to see this seasoned veteran shift from sidekick to full-fledged leader of the pack, and finally get his due.