Ride - The Weather Diaries
Ride formed in Oxford in 1988 and, along with the likes of Lush were part of the much – and, with hindsight, unfairly - maligned shoegaze scene of bands with a sweeping, effects-laden sound. Like their contemporaries, Ride hated that inescapable, sometimes pejorative tag. This is Ride’s first album since 1996’s Tarantula. Between then and now, Andy Bell has kept himself busy with Hurricane #1, Oasis and Beady Eye, whilst his co-lead vocalist/guitarist Mark Gardener has worked solo and collaborated with or produced numerous other artists. Reunited with Steve Queralt on bass and drummer Laurence Colbert, this is a surprisingly welcome return. As expected, this is a big, lush sounding record. There’s some gorgeous vocal interplay between Bell and Gardener. The guitar work encompasses choppy chords, squalling wah-wah and ringing cascades of notes. The drumming is economical but rousing and there’s some great bass work. All pretty much as expected with the likes of Lannoy Point, All I Want and the near perfect title track being instant classics. Being hypercritical, some of the songs aren’t that special and the likes of Charm Assault and Impermanence don’t quite hit the mark. For all that, this is a fine album and a good introduction to one of our more underrated bands.
7/10
