A reawakening for the Swedish visionaries, “Sincere” solidifies their impressive trajectory in a fuzzed out haze of dark and arresting shoegaze pop. An expansive trip through noisier, bittersweet pop realms that recalls My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Deerhunter.
Underpinning everything there’s a continuing sense of drama throughout; richly textured crescendos, chiming guitars and delicate melodies are guided by Caroline Landahl’s tender yet sharpened vocals. “Sincere” is joyously effervescent, but with a dark underbelly where fury manifests in a swirl of entrancing and propulsive percussion.
A gorgeous and dazzling piece of aching romanticism, destined to feature on a thousand mixtapes.
Recorded last year in Malmö, Hater welcomed two new band members and those early day sparks saw them quickly turning demos into fully-formed new songs that appear on the record. “Sincere” was produced by long-time collaborator Joakim Lindberg and was mixed and mastered by John Cornfield, whose credits include Ride, The Stone Roses .
Hater release new single ‘Far From A Mind’ . The track is from their forthcoming new album ‘Sincere’ out 6th May. Suppressing overpowering emotions on the disconcerting ‘Far From A Mind’, it’s joyously effervescent with a dark underbelly where fury manifests in a swirl of entrancing and propulsive percussion.
It’s a good day for lots of Ride news. Please read on for more on the imminent Nowhere30tour, the reissues, new merch and a live film.
Firstly, we were really looking forward to getting out and touring the 30th anniversary of “Nowhere” back in 2020. Then the pandemic hit and delayed our plans, but here we are in 2022 and we are still buzzing about getting out on the road, if anything, more so than before.
The 30th-anniversary reissue of Ride‘s seminal 1990 debut, “Nowhere”, should have come out in 2020, but, of course, stuff got in the way. Here it is in 2022, though, on vinyl, with a gatefold sleeve and embossed artwork, and on CD. So time again to marvel at a defining work of British shoegaze. Time again to dance moodily to jangly guitars and mopey harmonies, interjected by moments of sheer psychedelic distortion, and pedal-enhanced guitar solos.
The confidence the Oxford four-piece, barely out of their teens, had in merging elements of the Byrds and My Bloody Valentine is astounding. That they had truly hit on something special is also evident from the fact that post-Britpop, post-Radiohead, and post-Coldplay these songs sound fresher than ever. The opener, “Seagull”, is still both thunderous and trippy, “Polar Bear” is still surging and ferocious, and “Vapour Trail” is still simply immense and spell-bounding. All hail an album as important to the development of British rock as (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
We feel that “Nowhere” is a debut album worth celebrating, and as well as the tour, we’ve decided to start pressing new editions of the vinyl from the original Ride era. The first batch not only includes “Nowhere“, but also Going Blank Again, and an album we’ve created out of the first “4 EPs”. This new album has given us a chance to create some new (but old school) Ride artwork which we are pretty pleased with.
“Nowhere” was originally released on 15th October 1990, featuring classic tracks including “Vapour Trail”, “Polar Bear” and “Dreams Burn Down”. Widely considered one of the greatest albums not only of the ‘shoegaze’ genre, but of the 90s, “Nowhere” was Creation Records’ first Top 75 album, peaking in the UK album charts at number 11.
One of the seminal records of the shoegazer movement, Ride’s “Nowhere” typifies all of the best qualities of the movement’s sound. Shimmering, psychedelic atmospheres, squalling guitars shot through with distortion, and hypnotic drones balanced by genuine pop songcraft are all on ample display here, and are executed with a precision and mastery that represent the pinnacle of their technique. ‘Seagull’ the album’s opener, pushed by the swirling twin guitar attack of Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, is simultaneously thunderous and radiant. Surging cuts like ‘Polar Bear’ testify to Ride’s skill at building dynamic tension and ringing sonic drama. But Ride were more than mere noise-merchants; their debt to psychedelic ’60s pop also results in some fine song writing, as the chiming, arepeggiated pop confection ‘Taste’ reveals. Nowhere is Ride’s finest moment, and as a definitive document of shoegazer bliss, it ranks right alongside My Bloody Valentine’s classic Loveless.
Back in the early 90s, before indie bands made the tabloids, Ride were one of our great white hopes. Fusing the sonic headrush of My Bloody Valentine with the Byrds’ jingle-jangle immediacy, they seemed destined to shine. Debut album “Nowhere” captured them at their adolescent peak and “Vapour Trail” is effectively their signature tune; FX pedal-enhanced guitar assaults and nascent teenage vocals tempered by a love of all things pop.
Still to come are reissues of Ride’s final two original era albums: 1994’s “Carnival of Light” and 1996’s “Tarantula”.
Ride have announced details of their upcoming reissues of their early catalogue. On November 4th, Wichita Records will release vinyl and CD reissues of 1990’s “Nowhere” and 1992’s “Going Blank Again“. Also out that day, and perhaps most exciting of all, is compilation “4 EPs”, that for the first time collects Ride’s first four EPs — “Ride, Play, Fall“, and “Today Forever” — onto one set.
All these reissues feature remastered audio, and Ride’s Andy Bell told us, “These are my favourite pressings ever of these albums. Creation was an amazing record label but they didn’t press on the greatest vinyl. I’d rather have one of these new ones than an original any day.”
The follow-up to “Nowhere”, “Going Blank Again” saw the Oxford quartet embrace their prog side. Lead single “Leave Them All Behind” was an eight minute FX-pedal onslaught that somehow managed to crack the top twenty and get them on TOTP. On the other hand, “Twisterella” and “Mouse Trap” proved they could strip away the noise in favour of concise three minute pop melodies. A career best.
Ride set themselves a tough task by having to follow up their excellent full-length debut, “Nowhere“, an album that still stands as one of the finest examples of Britain’s shoegazer movement. Fortunately, the band rose to the task. While not quite as immediately striking or hypnotic as “Nowhere”, “Going Blank Again” is a charmingly different kettle of fish. Of course, there is plenty of the band’s trademark epic sonic play, including oceans of layered guitars shot through with distortion and effects, shimmering psychedelic textures, and thumping bass and drums. But “Going Blank Again” is much brighter and more pop-oriented than its predecessor, with songs like ‘Twisterella’ and ‘Not Fazed’ making ample use of chiming guitar lines and catchy melodic hooks. While the dark-and-gloomy, drone-fixated shoe-gazer fans may disparage the record, Ride’s sophomore release shows the band building on their sound while polishing their popcraft.
Still to come are reissues of Ride’s final two original era albums: 1994’s “Carnival of Light” and 1996’s “Tarantula“.
It’s a good day for lots of Ride news. Please read on for more on the imminent Nowhere30 tour, the reissues, new merch and a live film.
Firstly, we were really looking forward to getting out and touring the 30th anniversary of “Nowhere” back in 2020. Then the pandemic hit and delayed our plans, but here we are in 2022 and we are still buzzing about getting out on the road, if anything, more so than before.
Ride have announced details of their upcoming reissues of their early catalogue. On November 4th, Wichita Records will release vinyl and CD reissues of 1990’s “Nowhere” and 1992’s “Going Blank Again”. Also out that day, and perhaps most exciting of all, is compilation “4 EPs“, that for the first time collects Ride’s first four EPs — “Ride, Play, Fall”, and “Today Forever” — onto one set.
All these reissues feature remastered audio, and Ride’s Andy Bell told us, “These are my favourite pressings ever of these albums. Creation was an amazing record label but they didn’t press on the greatest vinyl. I’d rather have one of these new ones than an original any day.”
We’ve decided to start pressing new editions of the vinyl from the original Ride era. The first batch not only includes “Nowhere”, but also “Going Blank Again”, and an album we’ve created out of the first “4 EPs“. This new album has given us a chance to create some new (but old school) Ride artwork which we are pretty pleased with.
Entitled “4 EPs”, this album compiles the first four Ride EPs onto one record for the first time ever. It features the tracks from Ride, “Play, Fall”and “Vapour Trail”. Ahead of their ‘Nowhere’ 30th anniversary UK tour starting 20th April, shoegaze legends Ride have announced the details of the reissues of their early classic albums via Wichita Recordings.
The full details of our reissues all lovingly released 4th November on Wichita Recordings. The audio from the original recordings has been reworked and finessed, and will be reissued on vinyl, cd and digital: The first 4 EPs are compiled onto one record for the first time ever. It’s a beautiful gatefold album on double white vinyl, plus there’s a 16 page booklet featuring archive photos and an essay by Nathaniel Cramp from Sonic Cathedral. “4 EPs” will be available as a double LP set on white vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with “new (but old school) Ride artwork” and a 14-page booklet featuring rare archive photos.
2LP – Packaged as a beautiful gatefold album on double white vinyl. This is accompanied by a 16 page booklet featuring archive photos and an essay by Sonic Cathedral’s Nathaniel Cramp.
Still to come are reissues of Ride’s final two original era albums: 1994’s “Carnival of Light” and 1996’s “Tarantula”. Stay tuned for details on those.
Ron Wood’s rhythm track on the Faces’ classic “Stay with Me” is one of the raunchiest guitar tones of all time. The rhythm track on the Faces’ classic track “Stay with Me” is a great example of how a relatively simple rig can be so much more than the sum of its parts. In essence, Wood used just a guitar and an amp, but his signature tone has eluded imitators and befuddled tone geeks for decades.
The guitar Wood used on the song is no mystery: a Zemaitis “disc-front” solid-body that Tony Zemaitis custom built for him in the early Seventies and that Wood calls the “Stay with Me” guitar for obvious reasons. Equipped with three Gibson PAF humbuckers, each with its own volume and tone controls and individual push switches that enabled any conceivable combination of the three pickups, the Zemaitis also features a distinctive circular aluminum “scratch plate” that enhances the guitar’s natural resonance.
But perhaps the most important feature of the disc-front Zemaitis when it comes to decoding this song’s guitar tone is its built-in battery-powered booster, which is engaged by pulling up the master volume control on the upper bout. The circuit is a mystery, but considering its timeframe it’s likely based on a germanium transistor treble booster — the distinctive midrange growl it produces certainly suggests that.
The bigger mystery is the amp that Wood used. Fortunately, Wood revealed that exact detail in the November/December 2015 issue of Guitar Aficionadowhere he emphatically stated it was a Hiwatt. Although tone snobs argue that an early Hiwatt’s tone is too clean, these amps can get quite nasty when pushed hard (check out the Who’s Live at the Isle of Wight Festivalor Led Zeppelin at the Royal Albert Hall) and the Zemaitis’ booster adds delicious rasp and grit that has fooled many into thinking Wood used a tweed amp. Having the guitar tuned to open E is the cherry on top, providing a generous amount of unison-note clang that makes the tone even more resonant.
Peter Gabriel has today made available a previously unreleased version of his song ‘Shock The Monkey’. It was the first single from his fourth self-titled album (aka “Security“). It was more successful in America than it was in the UK .
The new version of ‘Shock The Monkey’ is only available digitally via Bandcamp and is called ‘Shock The Monkey (EarthPercent x Earth Day Mix)’. I should stress this is not some sort of modern remix, it’s a completely unheard alternate version from 1982 and it is really good!
Money from the sale of this track will to got EarthPercent and contribute to the charity’s Grantmaking Fund, which supports organisations doing vital work to help tackle the climate emergency
This version of the song is being made available for a limited time in support of EarthPercent x Earth Day, where over 100 artists have contributed a combination of new, unheard, exclusive and archival tracks.
Peter Gabriel is best known as a musician. He started his solo work in 1975 after leaving his old school group: Genesis. He has released eleven solo albums and written soundtracks for three films. Peter is now writing and recording, and working on a plan to create a streaming service for digital medicine and an Interspecies Internet.
S.G. Goodman looks right at home sitting in one of the bright red booths at Rudy’s on the Square as awaitress sets breakfast before her. She’s wearing two layers beneath her black Carhartt overalls, and a camouflage Hickman Hardware cap from her hometown overtops her trademark wire-rimmed glasses. The tables around her are filled with construction workers and farmers who are talking quietly as they devour meat-and-threes and receive coffee refills from waitresses who call them “honey and “darlin’”.
Rudy’s is the oldest restaurant in the small city of Murray, Kentucky, where Goodman has lived since she was 18, except for a six-month stint in Nashville. The café sits across the town square from the tall white Confederate memorial that was recently challenged; a unanimous vote kept the statue there.
Murray State University is what first brought Goodman here from Hickman, an hour west, about as far west as one can go in Kentucky.
“I’ve set up my own roots,” Goodman says, scooping up a spoonful of grits. “When I first came here, it was like I was coming to the big city compared to where I’m from. It allows me to be an hour closer to Nashville. I’ve got a lot of chosen family here.”
Goodman is a keenly intelligent person who can talk at length about musical forms, theology, the history of the Mississippi River, and everything in between. She laughs often and easily, somehow mischievous and sweet at the same time.
“Not seen you in here lately, honey,” the waitress says when Goodman pays the bill. “Where you been?”
“Yeah, I’ve been gone a little bit,” Goodman replies, not mentioning that she has just returned from doing a photo shoot in New York City for her much-anticipated second album. It’s unclear if the waitress realizes she’s talking to one of the most exciting acts in Americana music, an artist who has built a rabid following despite releasing her debut album at the height of the pandemic. “Old Time Feeling” was acclaimed by the likes of NPR, The New Yorker, PBS, The Guardian, and many others. It led to her touring with acts such as Jason Isbell and John Moreland, charming crowds with her precise lyrics, gritty sound, unforgettable vocals, and impish humour.
Formed in 1976 by Matt Dangerfield of London and Norwegian-born keyboardist Casino Steel (formerly in glam act Hollywood Brats), the Boys were the power-pop pioneers of the London punk scene. After two albums for NEMS that spawned followings in Europe, the quintet signed to Safari for To Hell WithThe Boys, considered their finest LP.
Mixing glam-pop and power-punk, there’s an adaptation of ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ as ‘Terminal Love,’ motorcycle thriller, ‘Kamikaze,’ and punky country track ‘Lonely Cowboy.’ All killer, no filler – a must have for all Boys fans and lovers of early London punk and power pop!
In late January and early February of 1982 the Clash played eight shows in Japan. The band was embarking on a month-long tour of the Far East that, as fate would have it, would be the last tour with their classic line-up. When it was over, drummer Topper Headon was kicked out , and the band would never be the same.
In this LP we go back in time to listen to The Clash in the twilight of their period of highest splendour.
The Clash had refused to play in Japan prior to this tour because of the Japanese custom forbidding audience members to stand up. They agreed to play after a compromise was struck: the fans could stand, but only at their seats
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Released for Record Store Day 2022 on Radiation Records
Undoubtedly one of the pioneering members of the of rock ‘n’ roll, the late and great Lou Reed’s contribution to music is undeniable and immovable all at the same time. The singer-songwriter carved out an influential niche as one of the founding members of the Velvet Underground but arguably his work as a solo entity is the finest demonstration of his star power and immearsurable talent. His debut solo album release included “Berlin”, by Lou Reed, released in April 1972 compiled largely of songs leftover from his days with the Velvet Underground.
As such, the songs are well-crafted and compelling, noting the street life Reed was still wholly immersed in. It also means that this LP is missing the cut-throat wit of Reed’s later work.. The album features no less then three great guitar players: Caleb Quaye, Steve Howe (then with Yes) and Paul Keogh. On release the album did not fare that well, neither in stores nor with critics. But it did include another wonderful guest appearance by Rick Wakeman on piano. The grumpy old man remembers: “Everyone who was taking part waited down in the bar not a difficult thing for me at the time. So you waited until you were called by Lou – a bit like a doctor’s surgery. Eventually someone came over and told me: ‘Rick, Lou is ready for you now.’ So I went up, and the studio was pitch-black apart from a lamp on the piano. I put the cans on, and I hear Lou’s voice in my ear: ‘I’m gonna play you this track, and I want you to play piano real quick over it. Just make sure you play real quick.’ I played over a few song snippets, then he went: ‘Thank you. That was great.’ I got up, the lights came on, and he came down, thanked me, and I walked out the door. It was an incredibly bizarre session.”
The Cover art by Tom Adams, illustrator known for his book cover art for the paperback editions of Agatha Christie.
The band:
Lou Reed – vocals; guitar Caleb Quaye – electric and acoustic guitars; piano Steve Howe – electric guitar Paul Keogh – electric and acoustic guitars Rick Wakeman – piano Les Hurdle – bass guitar Brian Odgers – bass guitar Clem Cattini – percussion Kay Garner – harmony vocals Helene Francois – harmony vocals
