Ride | ||
| Allmusic Biography : With their first records, Ride created a unique Wall of Sound that relied on massive, trembling distortion in the vein of My Bloody Valentine but with a simpler, more direct melodic approach. The shatteringly loud, droning neo-psychedelia the band performed was dubbed shoegazing by the British press because the bandmembers stared at the stage while they performed. Along with their initial influence, My Bloody Valentine, Ride stood apart from the shoegazing pack, primarily because of their keen sense of songcraft and dynamics. For a while, Ride were proclaimed the last great hope of British rock, but they fell from the spotlight nearly as quickly as they entered it. Ride were formed in Oxfordshire, England, in 1988 by guitarist/vocalist Andy Bell, vocalist/guitarist Mark Gardener, bassist Stephan Queralt, and drummer Loz Colbert when the group members were still in their late teens. The band soon earned a dedicated following through its blisteringly loud, intense live shows. Creation Records signed the band in 1989 and the group released its self-titled debut EP later in the year. Not only did British music critics praise the Ride EP, but it climbed into the lower reaches of the U.K. charts. Play, Rides second EP, appeared in the spring of 1990 and it surpassed the success of its predecessor, entering the Top 40 upon its release. Ride continued to gain new fans and quickly became darlings of the U.K. press. Nowhere, the groups first album, was released at the end of the year and became a significant hit in England, peaking at number 14. The bands third EP, Fall, was released in the summer of 1991 and became a Top 20 hit in the U.K. Ride released their second album, Going Blank Again, in the spring of 1992. Going Blank Again was successful -- particularly in the U.K., where first single "Leave Them All Behind" went into the Top Ten -- but it didnt increase their audience dramatically. That lack of a breakthrough success caused tensions within the band, especially between Bell and Gardener. After completing a frustrating American tour, the band decided to take an extended break. It would be two years before Ride re-emerged with their third album, Carnival of Light, which represented a major shift toward conventional psychedelic rock and turned out to be a commercial misstep. Not only did their die-hard following dislike the record, but Ride failed to pick up a new batch of fans with their stylistic makeover. Wounded from a lack of sales and critical respect, the band moved into the studio in the summer of 1995 to record its fourth album, Tarantula. Tensions between Bell and Gardener escalated throughout the recording sessions, and after Tarantula was completed in August 1995, Gardener left the band; Bell followed immediately afterward. Ride announced their disbandment in January of 1996. The album was released two months later. Bell subsequently formed Hurricane #1 and later joined Oasis as the bands bassist. Gardener and Colbert were in the short-lived Animalhouse. More prominently, Colbert played with the Jesus and Mary Chain and Supergrass, while Gardener performed as a solo artist and released an album in 2005, then spent the next decade collaborating with a variety of artists. In 2014, Ride announced that they had reunited and booked a month-long world tour for the following year, including an appearance at the Primavera Sound Festival. The band also returned to the studio. Weather Diaries, their first album in 21 years, was released in 2017 via indie label Wichita Recordings. Produced by electronic DJ Erol Alkan, the LP featured the singles "Charm Assault" and "Home Is a Feeling," and reached number 11 on the U.K. Albums chart. In early 2018, Ride released the EP Tomorrows Shore, a collection of four more tracks recorded during their Weather Diaries sessions. In spring 2019, they issued the single "Future Love" ahead of the August release of their sixth album, This Is Not a Safe Place, which was again produced by Alkan and issued by Wichita. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Ride Released: 1990-01-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Chelsea Girl (02:58) 2 Drive Blind (04:45) 3 All I Can See (03:24) 4 Close My Eyes (05:27) |
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Play Released: 1990-04-02 Tracks: 4 Duration: 14:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Like a Daydream (03:06) 2 Silver (04:10) 3 Furthest Sense (03:24) 4 Perfect Time (03:52) |
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Fall Released: 1990-09-17 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dreams Burn Down (06:07) 2 Taste (03:17) 3 Here and Now (04:27) 4 Nowhere (05:22) |
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Smile Released: 1990-10-05 Tracks: 8 Duration: 31:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Chelsea Girl (02:58) 2 Drive Blind (04:45) 3 All I Can See (03:24) 4 Close My Eyes (05:27) 5 Like a Daydream (03:06) 6 Silver (04:10) 7 Furthest Sense (03:24) 8 Perfect Time (03:52) |
| Smile : Allmusic album Review : A pairing of Rides first two EPs, Smile is a batch of eight muddy, shambling wrecks that run dangerously close to obscuring great pop songs. In fact, much of Smile makes My Bloody Valentines blurry Isnt Anything sound as polished as a Steely Dan record. What makes the tunes remarkable is the spirit of the band, along with a complementary mix. The band probably knew exactly what they were doing, but wanted to sound clueless. Its the sound of four art students losing themselves in their record collections, wanting to sound naïve and fresh but well-studied. Mark Gardener sounds like he couldnt sing to save his life on "Chelsea Girl," but its no matter. The relentless rush of Loz Colberts drums and distorted guitars of Gardener and Andy Bell carry the song, topped off by a nifty wah-wah climax. Though the mid-tempo, chugging "Drive Blind" could be taken literally, it could double as a metaphor for throwing oneself headlong into a relationship -- closing your eyes and not caring if a brick wall or cliff is up a mile ahead. The remainder is filled out with sticky riffs and melodies which avoid sounding like the standard pop fair. It sounds a bit amateurish, and Gardener and Bell hadnt quite found their footing vocally. Nonetheless, Smile brought something new to the table, and the U.K. audience and more adventurous U.S. fans clutched onto the sound for dear life. Rightfully so. [Oddly, Smiles mastering comes from the vinyl versions of the EPs. If you can track down the CD versions of the EPs separately, youll notice a difference in quality. Also, the disc was remastered and reissued by Ignition in the U.K. in 2001; unlike the other releases in the campaign, the new version has no bonuses.] | ||
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Nowhere Released: 1990-10-15 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Seagull (06:08) 2 Kaleidoscope (03:01) 3 In a Different Place (05:28) 4 Polar Bear (04:45) 5 Dreams Burn Down (06:04) 6 Decay (03:35) 7 Paralysed (05:33) 8 Vapour Trail (04:18) 9 Taste (03:17) 10 Here and Now (04:27) 11 Nowhere (05:23) |
| Nowhere : Allmusic album Review : Nowhere seems to hold consensus as the second-best record of the shoegaze era, and with very good reason. All of the common words, phrases, and adjectives commonly used with the short-lived subgenre fit properly here, and theyre all positive, every one of them. Whir, whoosh, haze, swirl, ad nauseum -- this record holds all of these elements at their most exciting and mastered. But in the end, great pop records necessitate quality songs, which Nowhere delivers throughout. Undeniably, its Rides zenith -- dense, tight, hypnotic. "Seagull" serves as a dynamic opener; after a couple seconds of light feedback, bassist Steve Queralt kicks in with a rubbery, elliptical line (reminiscent of a certain Beatles song), which is soon followed by Andy Bell and Mark Gardeners guitar twists and Loz Colberts alternately gentle and punishing drumming. After the upbeat "Kaleidoscope," the record falls into a tempo lull that initially seems impenetrable and meandering. However, patience reveals a five-song suite of sorts, full of lovely instrumental passages that are punctuated with violent jabs of manic guitars. The endlessly escalating "Polar Bear" is a high point, featuring expertly placed tom rolls from Colbert. The tempo picks up for the closing "Vapour Trail," a wistful pop song with chiming background guitars galore and mournful strings to close it out. The U.S. version was bolstered significantly with the remainder of the Fall EP ("Dreams Burn Down" having reappeared earlier in the record). "Taste" is one of their finest pure pop numbers; the moody/driving "Here and Now" rates well, and the five-minute "Nowhere" is a nasty distorto-freakout. [Nowhere was remastered and reissued by Ignition U.K. in 2001. Added to the 11 tracks featured on Sires U.S. edition are the four selections from the equally wondrous Today Forever.] | ||
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: Today Forever Released: 1991-03-04 Tracks: 4 Duration: 19:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Unfamiliar (04:59) 2 Sennen (04:22) 3 Beneath (04:06) 4 Today (06:26) |
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: Going Blank Again Released: 1992-03-09 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:13:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Leave Them All Behind (08:17) 2 Twisterella (03:42) 3 Not Fazed (04:23) 4 Chrome Waves (03:53) 5 Mouse Trap (05:16) 6 Time of Her Time (03:16) 7 Cool Your Boots (06:02) 8 Making Judy Smile (02:37) 9 Time Machine (05:52) 10 OX4 (07:03) 11 Going Blank Again (03:22) 12 Howard Hughes (04:03) 13 Stampede (04:17) 14 Grasshopper (10:56) |
| Going Blank Again : Allmusic album Review : From the sounds of the cloistered, chaotic opener, "Leave Them All Behind," Going Blank Again sounds like it could be headed down the same Nowhere path. Guitars as far as the ear can hear -- not much different from the effect gained after riding a sit-and-spin for eight straight minutes -- are just as dizzying as the prior records opener. But rather than sink into a thick underbelly of melancholy, Going Blank Again offers sunshiney melodies and gleaming, bold production. All the bands elements are more pliable, and overall its pretty cheery. In fact, some of the album could be loosely classified as power pop. Bouncy tunes like "Twisterella," "Not Fazed," "Mouse Trap," and "Time of Her Time" each share more than a thing or two in common with the likes of Teenage Fanclub, but with more layered vocals and less-cutting guitars. Though Rides guitars dont bite as much, there are loads of them everywhere; the band doesnt completely sacrifice their love of reverberating noise, but its more done in the name of pop than to merely cause a blistering racket. Though the lyrics often read as overtly simple or obtuse (a common Ride foible), Mark Gardeners and Andy Bells voices are too pretty to let this shortcoming mar things. They create enough of a mood with their proper instruments, and their sighing and random vocal intonations are undeniably lovely. No longer do they hide shortcomings with sheets of distortion, and theres a lot more focus and confidence on display throughout. Dont let a Ride fan tell you otherwise: Going Blank Again is anything but empty. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Grasshopper Released: 1992-11-10 Tracks: 7 Duration: 38:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Leave Them All Behind (08:18) 2 Chrome Waves (03:54) 3 Grasshopper (10:57) 4 Twisterella (03:43) 5 Going Blank Again (03:21) 6 Howard Hughes (04:03) 7 Stampede (04:17) |
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Carnival of Light Released: 1994-06-20 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Moonlight Medicine (06:49) 2 1000 Miles (04:59) 3 From Time to Time (05:05) 4 Natural Grace (04:40) 5 Only Now (04:25) 6 Birdman (06:39) 7 Crown of Creation (04:41) 8 How Does It Feel to Feel? (03:40) 9 Endless Road (03:30) 10 Magical Spring (04:25) 11 Rolling Thunder (02:08) 12 I Don’t Know Where It Comes From (05:32) |
| Carnival of Light : Allmusic album Review : Credit Ride for using only their own creative radar, completely ignoring all outside expectations for their third LP. Listeners could tell they had a love for the likes of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, but admiring the Black Crowes was practically out of the question for the scene that birthed them. Even Crowes producer George Drakoulias was called in to produce, but John Leckie ended up working on the majority. Fans generally didnt dig the classic vibe, and the lazy-daisy, pastoral record fared poorly. Carnivals first side largely consists of Mark Gardeners songs, while the latter is mainly Andy Bells affair. Gardeners contributions are solid. "1000 Miles" lifts 60s jangle convincingly. "From Time to Time" is a "Vapour Trail" part two of sorts, lyrically, introduced with tasteful Rhodes tones from Andy Bell. Bells songs, however, tend to falter. While he wrote the bulk of the bands prior top material, hes trumped here; in fact, Loz Colberts "Natural Grace" wipes the mat with Bells work. Perhaps Bells ego was too big to recognize the lyrical shortcomings of "Crown of Creation," the poor Al Greenism of "Endless Road," and the outright flimsiness of "I Dont Know Where It Comes From," which features a kiddie choir. Despite the gaps in song quality and that hackneyed Creation cover, Carnival of Light creates a pleasant, freewheeling feeling throughout. The LP might have run better with the extraction of some of the duff, which is all the more frustrating when considering the quality of the B-sides from this period. Album number three, despite its troubles, remains a pleasant listen and was unlike anything released at the time in the U.K. [Ignition U.K. remastered and reissued the record in 2001, adding three of the several B-sides from the singles released in support of the LP.] | ||
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Cosmic Carnival Released: 1994-10-25 Tracks: 9 Duration: 47:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 At the End of the Universe (07:58) 2 I Dont Know Where It Comes From (single version) (03:26) 3 Lets Get Lost (03:54) 4 Dont Let It Die (03:15) 5 Walkabout (05:55) 6 Moonlight Medicine (Ride on the Wire mix) (05:52) 7 Rolling Thunder #2 (01:08) 8 I Dont Know Where It Comes From (Apollo 11 mix) (08:11) 9 Journey to the End of the Universe (version) (07:55) |
| Cosmic Carnival : Allmusic album Review : Released in Japan, Cosmic Carnival selects most of Rides B-sides from the U.K. singles released in support of Carnival of Light. The only stragglers not included are the ones found on part one of I Dont Know Where It Comes From. That disc featured three songs from Rides performance at Creation Records 1994 Undrugged gala. Those who soured on Carnival of Light might be pleased to find that a number of songs gathered here surpass some of the albums weaker moments with spectacular ease. The disc also makes you wonder who was responsible for selecting the songs that wound up on Carnival of Light, and what drugs they took to impair their judgment. Andy Bells "Lets Get Lost" features upbeat pep akin to Juice Newtons "Queen of Hearts" (no, really), accentuated by punching horns; Mark Gardeners melancholy but nonetheless breezy "Dont Let It Die" could have been put to good effect on Carnival of Lights lagging second half. A couple of other surprises come in the form of "Walkabout" and "At the End of the Universe"; bassist Steve Queralt and drummer Loz Colberts "Walkabout" is a lengthy atmospheric dub workout that continues to beg for use as part of a film score, and the eight-minute epic "At the End of the Universe" (featuring Deep Purples Jon Lord on organ) takes its sweet old time to build up, gradually turning into one of Gardeners best vocal moments. A trio of remixes round things out, but you probably wont have the inclination to listen to them more than once. Since copies of Cosmic Carnival arent that easy to come by, it would better suit you to seek out the Birdman and How Does It Feel to Feel? singles, since they have all the essentials. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: Live Light Released: 1995 Tracks: 10 Duration: 56:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Seagull (06:42) 2 Magical Spring (04:41) 3 From Time to Time (04:34) 4 Chelsea Girl (03:05) 5 Birdman (06:16) 6 Only Now (04:39) 7 Leave Them All Behind (08:36) 8 Lets Get Lost (04:05) 9 Close My Eyes (06:22) 10 End of the Universe (07:27) |
| Live Light : Allmusic album Review : The live LP is only for the most ardent fans, as the set relies too heavily on Carnival of Light, and doesnt really sound all that different! Still, Live Light contains fevered moments among the older cuts. The opening "Seagull" blows away 1990s Nowhere version with a smoldering bounce and snap -- hey, this is still a ripoff of the Beatles "Taxman," but who cares now? "Leave Them All Behind" is pulverizing in its trancelike power, the Smile collections "Chelsea Girl" (originally from their 1989 debut import EP) uncharacteristically rages and simmers, and the overlooked Carnival B-side "Lets Get Lost" sizzles. Now I miss them even more. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Tarantula Released: 1996-03-11 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Black Nite Crash (02:32) 2 Sunshine / Nowhere to Run (04:48) 3 Dead Man (03:34) 4 Walk on Water (04:20) 5 Deep Inside My Pocket (05:25) 6 Mary Anne (06:46) 7 Castle on the Hill (03:17) 8 Gonna Be Alright (02:52) 9 The Dawn Patrol (04:05) 10 Ride the Wind (03:46) 11 Burnin’ (05:19) 12 Starlight Motel (03:35) |
| Tarantula : Allmusic album Review : Heres where the plot got lost, an abomination of 70s/Lenny Kravitz clichés, full of third- and fourth-rate tunes and, ultimately, bad blood. Where Carnival of Light was a decent appropriation of late-60s influences, here its mere mimicry, going through the motions. No focus, no spirit, almost no quality songs -- Smaller Faces. Perhaps falling out of favor with the British press, only to be stomped upon by the likes of the Oasis phenomenon, nailed the coffin shut. The band even subbed for Oasis openers the Verve during one of the bands tours, before the recording of Tarantula, signifying a changing of the guard. Not helping the matter was a lack of ideas -- and a producer -- before entering the studio. Festering tension between Mark Gardener and Andy Bell came to a head, with Gardener walking out during the mixing process; just before the record was released in March of 1996, the band announced its breakup. Though "Black Nite Crash" and "Dead Man" are sub-Stones, sub-Faces and, well, sub-Ride, theyre not half bad. Those are the bright spots, albeit relatively speaking. Gardener checks in with one lone song, the mediocre "Deep Inside My Pocket." And as Ride never had great lyricists, the words are just plain awful throughout, not even worth printing. Be warned: Theres even a song detailing the myriad woes of life on the road. Most of the songs sound half-realized, sketches of what could only amount to decent material with the necessary retooling and enthusiasm. U.K. label Creation obviously didnt care for it, as it was deleted a week after its release. Unfortunately, it shouldnt have been released at all. Some might say it shouldnt have been recorded, either. (Ignitions 2001 U.K. edition adds the three OK B-sides off Black Nite Crash.) | ||
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: The Box Set Released: 2001-09-24 Tracks: 42 Duration: 3:15:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Chelsea Girl (02:58) 2 Drive Blind (04:45) 3 Like a Daydream (03:06) 4 Taste (03:17) 5 Dreams Burn Down (06:04) 6 Vapour Trail (04:18) 7 Unfamiliar (05:09) 8 Leave Them All Behind (08:17) 9 Twisterella (03:42) 10 OX4 (05:05) 11 Birdman (06:37) 12 From Time to Time (04:39) 13 How Does It Feel to Feel? (03:39) 14 I Don’t Know Where It Comes From (03:25) 15 Black Nite Crash (02:32) 1 Somethings Burning (03:13) 2 Chelsea Girl (4 Track Demo) (02:31) 3 Blue (04:47) 4 Dreams Burn Down Dub (08:17) 5 Shes So Fine (05:01) 6 New Age (06:09) 7 Tongue Tied (05:35) 8 Everybody Knows (02:05) 9 Im Fine Thanks (04:03) 10 Xmas Song (01:53) 11 King Bullshit (03:08) 12 Smile (4 Track Demo) (03:09) 13 Welcome to Paradise (05:22) 14 In a Different Place (Differently) (06:49) 15 Barneys (02:56) 1 Leave Them All Behind (09:38) 2 Taste (03:19) 3 Not Fazed (03:28) 4 Sennen (03:58) 5 Like a Daydream (02:40) 6 Twisterella (03:41) 7 Time of Her Time (02:59) 8 Nowhere (11:21) 9 Vapour Trail (03:38) 10 Seagull (07:49) 11 Close My Eyes (05:33) 12 Mouse Trap (05:16) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: OX4_ The Best of Ride Released: 2001-09-24 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:07:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Chelsea Girl (02:58) 2 Drive Blind (04:45) 3 Like a Daydream (03:06) 4 Taste (03:17) 5 Dreams Burn Down (06:04) 6 Vapour Trail (04:18) 7 Unfamiliar (05:09) 8 Leave Them All Behind (08:17) 9 Twisterella (03:42) 10 OX4 (05:05) 11 Birdman (06:37) 12 From Time to Time (04:39) 13 How Does It Feel to Feel? (03:39) 14 I Don’t Know Where It Comes From (03:25) 15 Black Nite Crash (02:32) |
| OX4_ The Best of Ride : Allmusic album Review : It wasnt exactly fashionable to be a Ride fan in the early 90s. In certain nooks of the universe, wearing a Ride T-shirt meant you had to walk with your fists clenched, ready to defend your decrepit taste in music and do the pouncing before you got pounced upon. Often, you had to endure the taunts of your peers and the remainder of those who agreed with or were influenced by the majority of the British press who decided -- shortly after praising the band for their genius -- that they were ultimately a crap band. When it came to shoegaze, they werent My Bloody Valentine, were they? As their tastes and influences changed and they began playing more "proper" rock & roll, they failed to write anything as anthemic as "Live Forever," right? Well to hell with all of that. In the nooks of the universe where it is okay to wear a Ride shirt, Nowhere is on par with Loveless for its own peculiar rush of swirling psychedelics and more prominent vocal hooks; Going Blank Again trumps Teenage Fanclubs Bandwagonesque because it exudes more power and focus; and 1994s Carnival of Light, with its roots in the Byrds and their ilk, is viewed more as prophecy than heresy. A copy of OX4: The Best of Ride is all you need for your defense now. Boasting a solid representation of each of Rides albums, the band-selected compilation proves once and for all that Ride was one of the finest of the early 90s, they were capable of crafting brilliant melodies just as easily as their influences and competitors, and they never repeated themselves. So wear your Mark Gardener fringe with pride, blare "Unfamiliar" as loudly as possible, and keep Tarantula forever blocked from your memory. The U.S. version, released by First Time Records, added a second disc consisting of four of the previously unreleased tracks found on Ignitions import box set. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Waves Released: 2003-08-04 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:15:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Like a Daydream (02:53) 2 Dreams Burn Down (06:25) 3 Perfect Time (03:37) 4 Sight of You (05:44) 5 All I Can See (03:14) 6 Decay (04:18) 7 Severance (03:30) 8 Time of Her Time (03:32) 9 Not Fazed (03:40) 10 Mouse Trap (05:16) 11 Birdman (05:37) 12 Walk on Water (04:16) 13 Since Then (04:14) 14 Crown of Creation (04:38) 15 Let’s Get Lost (03:49) 16 1000 Miles (04:56) 17 I Don’t Know Where It Comes From (05:50) |
| Waves : Allmusic album Review : The only drawback of Waves, a compilation of Rides sessions for BBC Radio 1, is that it begins in a tidal wave and ends in a puddle. Though its sequenced like all BBC-session and singles-oriented discs should be sequenced -- chronologically, from earliest to latest -- its arc mirrors that of the bands albums, as well as OX4: The Best of Ride, starting off as spirited and adventurous and slowing to "mature" and safe. This disc is the best support for the argument that Rides vitality and individuality decreased as they became more proficient at mimicking their inspirations. The loose nature of the first two sessions, both recorded in 1990, certainly bears this out, with a handful of the selections -- usually the faster, more energetic ones, where the forward momentum is nearly avalanche-like -- topping the original studio versions. Fans will rejoice in finally owning the cover versions of Pale Saints "Sight of You" and Dead Can Dances "Severance"; some muscle is injected into the former, turning an emaciated, lovelorn ballad into something that couldve been recorded by a young, eager Jesus and Mary Chain. The third session, recorded while Going Blank Again was hitting its commercial peak, features raw versions of "Time of Her Time," "Not Fazed," and "Mouse Trap" that will be preferred by those who were put off by the glossy production sheen cast over the album. The last two sessions are based around Carnival of Light material, the earlier of the two put to tape before the album sessions. Here, "Birdman" isnt quite the ethereal epic that it would become, and "Crown of Creation" isnt nearly as precious. On the final session, recorded just after the albums release, the songs are fully formed; unfortunately, the reedy sound of the live recording, along with songs that were thin to begin with, closes the disc off on a dull note. But make no mistake -- it all makes for something that no Ride fan will want to be without. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: Weather Diaries Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lannoy Point (05:57) 2 Charm Assault (04:12) 3 All I Want (03:57) 4 Home Is a Feeling (03:19) 5 Weather Diaries (06:59) 6 Rocket Silver Symphony (05:25) 7 Lateral Alice (02:55) 8 Cali (06:29) 9 Integration Tape (02:26) 10 Impermanence (04:23) 11 White Sands (06:08) |
| Weather Diaries : Allmusic album Review : During a 27-month period in which they released four EPs and two albums, Ride grew from a charmingly scruffy composite of inspirations into a source of gleaming nuggets that mixed power pop and dream pop with confident emphasis on the former. At the end of this phase, Ride recorded a song about entering a time machine. When the band reappeared two years later, they sounded and looked as if they had taken one through the late 60s. A couple years after that, album four arrived with the band no longer intact, their farewell single a backslide across Primal Screams retracing of Stones/Faces steps. After nearly 20 years spent mostly apart -- they met up in 2001 to record an improvisation for a Sonic Youth documentary -- Ride re-formed for gigs, then recorded their fifth album with production from Erol Alkan and mixing from old partner Alan Moulder. Considering Rides fast and prolific early development, the museum phase that followed, and two decades of near silence, Weather Diaries isnt easy to separate from the history that led to it. Not wanting to pick up where they left off, Ride hoped to generate the positive energy they felt as they made second album Going Blank Again. Weather Diaries in turn sounds like the work of a version of Ride that perhaps vanished immediately after that set, with neither Carnival of Light nor Tarantula in their past. Much of Weather Diaries lyrically is unmistakably a 2017 work. In the first three songs, there are allusions to Brexit, a reference to an "acid sweating hunchback apparition" who "sets fire to your world," and the feeling of an "ill wind blowing." Later, theres some existentialism, suspicion in another setting that whats "too perfect" is a mirage, and a bit of reflection about the bands break and existence. There are also states of contentment and bliss to fill out an emotionally rounded group of songs that looks outward more often than any previous Ride release. Whether downcast or upbeat, drifting or driving, the songs levitate with those familiar sighing/soaring harmonies and cascading guitar lines, and a slight haze that coats almost everything, thickening only for a brief ambient instrumental. There are other flashes of the past, good and bad, from the spring-loaded rhythms to reminders of the sometimes vast qualitative disparity between their melodies and lyrics. Ultimately, compared to their 1996 sendoff, this is more like it. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: Tomorrows Shore Released: 2018-02-16 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Pulsar (04:22) 2 Keep It Surreal (03:14) 3 Cold Water People (04:31) 4 Catch You Dreaming (06:08) |
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: Waking Up In Another Town: Weather Diaries Remixed Released: 2018-04-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:25:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Lannoy Point (Bartosz Kruczynski Mix) (05:20) 2 Charm Assault (Mogwai Remix) (05:14) 3 All I Want (Glok Remix) (09:28) 4 Home Is a Feeling (A Creamy Crambled Suite For A Ride) (25:43) 5 All I Want (Oren Ambarchi Remix) (06:14) 6 Weather Diaries (Jefre Cantu-Ledesma Remix) (07:56) 7 Rocket Silver Symphony (Barker & Baumecker Mix) (07:30) 8 Lateral Alice (Cavern of Anti-Matter Remix) (07:39) 9 Cali (Luke Abbott Remix) (06:07) 10 White Sands (Lamplighter Mix) (04:48) |