Matador Records today debuted the first track off Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo’s forthcoming solo album ‘Between the Times and the Tides.’ The 3-minute ‘Off the Wall’ — a gentle, mid-tempo rocker that mixes acoustic and shimmering electric guitars — can be streamed or downloaded here.

Sonic Youth wrapped up a short South American tour last night with a 70-minute set at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil — something that normally wouldn’t be particularly newsworthy, except that it might have been the legendary noise-rockers’ final performance after 30 years together.

Our round-up of the past week’s highlights on Slicing Up Eyeballs includes posts about Duran Duran, Big Country, Peter Gabriel, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Pet Shop Boys, R.E.M. and Brian Eno, Morrissey, Killing Joke and The Stone Roses — plus our free November mixtape.

The future of Sonic Youth may still be uncertain, but fans can at least take solace in Matador Records’ announcement today that Lee Ranaldo will release a new solo album called ‘Between The Times & The Tides’ next spring — and judging by the recent live debut of the songs, it’s a fairly rock-oriented affair.

After 27 years of marriage and 30 years as bandmates, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon today issued a statement announcing they’ve separated, and while Sonic Youth will honor its South American touring commitments next month, the future of the band is uncertain.

Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo turns 55 today, so we thought we’d honor the band’s least-known voice with one of his best-loved songs: ‘Mote,’ off 1990’s ‘Goo.’