Reviews (page 4 of 7)
It’s fine.
The fact that the only song I liked belongs to the extended edition says it all. The OG album isn't bad, just sparkless. The songs are too similar and flat, the vocals feel detached, and the lyrics drown in the noise. Everything sounds good, but nothing sounds great.
An album by a band I've never heard before, which is a first for the list! This was very pleasant. Didn't blow me away but it was cool.
Really nice textures and love the length of each track
2/3. I actually kinda liked it. It does blend together a lot, but there are moments that jump out, and it was well-performed. Even if it's not really my thing, I can see how this would be a great vibe album, maybe on a late-night drive. Worth a listen if you've never heard, but I probably wouldn't revisit much.
Meh. Not giving two stars because I listened to it enough to know that they clearly put a lot of time into making this. I’m acknowledging that with an extra star.
Very britpop, so much so I can see how this became the template that the genre would return to so often. The album flowed together very smoothly. Definitely one to revisit!
Not really my vibe - but not awful. Different.
vapour trail halt schon echt toll Ansonsten nicht so Crazy gecatcht, vielleicht wars aber auch einfach der moment 5/10
I liked it. It's fine. A slightly harder version of Shoegaze
Cool album cover, though you can bet your bottom dollar that I've never heard of this artist or release before. There's nothing this can be other than an early 90s alt-rock album, right? Guess I'll just dive into this one and see. Shoegaze - I should have known. The cover art does have that theming to it. I kind of flip-flopped on this album as I listened to it before eventually losing interest at the very end (I listened to the shorter vinyl release over the CD track listing, for the record). For every song I thought was pretty neat, the following track wouldn't be my speed. The best songs on this album typically lean into the aggressive guitar riffs and dreamy soundscapes, both of which are solid. The weaker showings are usually the more stripped-back songs as well as the ones which place greater emphasis on the vocals, which are pretty weak across the board. They all have that Brit-pop intonation that I find to be stale and alienating. While I'm not a shoegazer, I found this album to be pretty solid in the end and am tempted to give it another go somewhere down the line. Book time. Nothing much in there aside from the music being good, the band members being young when it released and the album being an early player within shoegaze. Wikipedia reveals that this is regarded as one of the best-ever shoegaze albums and was well-received by critics. I mean, sure. I'm favourable to this pick. Being early to anything is always a virtue, right? I cosign this inclusion.
I didn't think I liked shoegaze, but this is actually a pretty decent alum. Has shades of the cure.
*Not a genre I like or listen to that much *This was better than most shoegaze I've heard
Actually some fun ones one the back half, but overall a lot of standard British 90s-00s rock that just drags on.
Nice vibes but pretty forgettable
One of the funniest posts I ever saw said something like, “Pronouncing Shoegaze like how you pronounce Fugazi”. Anyway it’s not exactly my thing, but I can appreciate the impulse to buy a bunch of pedals and go nuts with em, and I can also really appreciate how sick it is to succeed doing something like that. Guitar Guy’s Dream.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is a kind of rock album, classified as shoegaze. It has some nice guitar work and is kind of atmospheric, but for the most part seems to kind of blend into the background a bit. I did not mind listening to it and would not mind listening again, but I'm not in any rush to do so.
It was alright. Pretty calm, pretty empty
Kinda shoegaze-y at times. It took twice as long to listen through as the record's playtime because I was listening to PARALYSED over and over again. Great song. Overall decent album. High 3 but not a 4
Sort of an Oasis-U2-Robert Smith sound. Solid 3.5.
New discovery
Seagull Kaleidoscope Decay
Seagull Dreams Burn Down Decay Vapor Trail Here and Now Today
I quite liked it. A bit too long - had it been 35 minutes it may have got 4 stars!
I’ve listened to this several times through. I like Vapor Trail, I remember Loobis put it in music league sometime back. I enjoy shoegaze but this could’ve been way shorter.
alcune canzoni molto belle e repeat worthy
Decent
- I think the first track, "Seagull", is the basis for the main groove on Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be." - Yet another Early-90's recording that goes on for too long just for the sake of not wasting any space on the CD. - Several parts reminded me that Ride's contemporaries, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, certainly belong somewhere on this list. - A very good, but rarely thrilling album. - A three-and-one-half-star record.
Way too long for shoe gazing, but Vapour Trail is my favorite song from the genre.
It's literally just fine besides vapor trail
Vast, layered soundscapes. A much cleaner tone than the typical noisiness of shoegaze. A clear mood and direction from start to finish.
Favourite Track: Vapour Trail
It was ok
Not sure what is going on during the first two songs, but the album takes on a very different tone starting with the third song and gets significantly better.
we are the monster clash
Another monotonous british rock album, but not quite as bad as the rest. Had no idea what shoegaze was but it’s basically post punk meets noise rock. It’s fine but probably not something I’d revisit Standout Songs: Kaleidoscope In a Different Place Paralyzed
Jeg er ikke spesielt erfaren i shogaze sjangeren, men dette treffer meg ikke helt altså. Det er absolutt endel kule gitarlyder, men de treffer ikke helt på balansegangen mellom støy og melodi. Melodiene er ikke gode nok til at vektskåla skal legge seg den veien. Hvis de hadde gått enda hardere inn i støyen tror jeg at jeg hadde likt det bedre. Men det er absolutt mye fint her. Støypartiene på Dreams Burn Down viser hvor kult dette kunne vært.
tää on sitä tossuihin tuijottelumusaa! Aluks kuuntelin ja aattelin et onpa melkosta paskaa ja taustalla kuunneltuna ei ees tiiä missä kohtaa biisi vaihtuu ku kaikki menee samaan blenderiin. Vähän ku keskitty enempi ni alko sieltä löytymään enempi hyvettiä!
Still more Shoegaze? It's not awful, but after awhile you realize it’s the guitar pedals doing most of the creative work.
Vibes, bruh, vibes.
Another that will grow with more time!
***A good instrumental album, easy listening
Started off slow but really grew on me. But there are definitely a few clunkers here and this could be a lot shorter.
nice enough
This album is fine, I almost feel as though it would have been better as a post-rock album sans vocals
Kerry was caught by a giant spider. I kept trying to stay it with a rod. I eventually did
ok
I don’t really like shoegazy noisy rock
I do like the album cover.
Nothing notable.
didn't have time for this one - clicking on 3 so i can see today's ..
Expected it to be even more ambient, but some good shoe-gazey vibes
This album made me realise that maybe I do like shoegaze, but at the same time, no song stick out to me
I like me some shoegaze from time to time. It takes me somewhere. Nothing wrong with this.
The album was quite interesting. However, the sound was too ethereal for me to really enjoy it. 3/5
Would not buy.
need to listen to more shoegaze to fully appreciate this album, its a genre ive bounced off of in the past.
I'm not a big shoegaze fan, but this album was fine. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5
How I feel about shoegaze is all in this album. It's either fine or kinda annoying but once in a while you'll find a really good song in the genre. This album is fine, it can get kinda annoying with how repetitive it can be sometimes, but Vapour Trail is so goddamn good the ending string arrangement is so beautiful. I'm aware that not all shoegaze albums can't be Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, but I wish it can be, but I can see why people say this is one of the best shoegaze albums.
Drone-y alternative music. Like Oasis but with less variety. It was ok, but not worthy of this list. 3*
De type fade.
Album No. 0046 on my list. I don't really know what to make of this album. To my knowledge, Ride is considered to be one of the greatest bands of the whole Shoegaze genre. Since both My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" and Slowdive's "Souvlaki" are among my favorite albums of all time, I expected something pretty big here as well. However, i did not enjoy "Nowhere" that much. It's not necessarily a bad album, but none of the tracks really stuck with me. The sound of the album is decent and it does fit the Shoegaze appeal, but the tracks were mostly too long and did lack a bit of dynamic. "Vapour Trail", "Taste", and "Polar Bear" were my favorite tracks. In the end, I'll narrowly give this 3 stars, although I also considered just giving 2. Maybe I'll "get" the album more in the future. 3/5 stars.
Yep sounds like shoegaze, not blown away, not mad at it, would listen again, not reaching for it
I mean it’s fine. Some tracks are good. The back end feels like Walmart brand shoegaze; I dunno, I’m hyper critical of anything that isn’t MBV or Slowdive if we’re in this genre. Part of that is because I’m admittedly underexposed.
This one faded into the background for me. Nothing offensive, but nothing that caught my attention.
3-3.5 I always enjoy albums like this, so I feel a little conflicted about the rating. This one kinda dragged on for me, and a lot of the sounds and ideas are just versions of earlier stuff that I like more (Coceteau Twins). My enjoyment of Shoegaze/Dreampop music buys most of these stars, but this is not up to par with others I’ve heard.
Ride is the first name on this list I was unfamiliar with, but it turned out to be a great listen. I really enjoyed hearing some of the influences on contemporary bands I like. Shoegaze is a genre I love deeply but never spend enough time on. Dunno how often I'll return to them, but I'm very interested to hear what else they've created.
This album is a pretty interesting time capsule for the state of play in British music circa 1990. Let’s set the scene. We're a couple years past the post-punk/new wave era but a couple years ahead of the Britpop era and everyone is either really sad, doing a lot of ecstasy, or both. Lovable Scottish coke fiend Alan McGee has stacked Creation Records with a pretty stellar roster of indie acts including, most relevantly to this discussion, the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. Ride, the then-new kid on the Creation block, is clearly pulling from both of those bands but with more of a pop music sensibility. Most shoegaze/no-wave/noise rock groups had an ethos opposed to classic pop rock bands (The Beatles, et al) but Ride clearly has a reverence for that style of music. All of the dream-like soundscapes and heavy distortion but with much more focus on melody. More than fellow shoegazers, the influence that I hear most on this album is actually the Stone Roses which, again, makes sense given that they were the hottest commodity in British music for a very brief and beautiful flash in 1989-90. Turn down the fuzz a bit, mix the drums a bit lower and the vocals a bit higher, then like half these songs could be by the Roses. “This sounds like it could be by the Stone Roses” is about the nicest thing I can say about music. Special mention to the bass line on Seagull, the guitar tone on Paralysed, and every second of Vapour Trail. If I can borrow from the Tipton system, I’m gonna give this 4.5, maybe even 4.75. Like the Missy Elliott album, there’s decent odds I re-rate a perfect score in the future.
The wall of sound and off-kilter vocal harmony on Seagull fucking rules. Vapour Trail is great too. The songs in between sound good, but feel like filler. I think this one would be stronger if it’d been a little more focused and had less tracks.
Unmemorable
This album is like your mate who does everything he can to fit in, but doesn’t really have any unique characteristics that make him interesting. He wears skate shoes, but they are pristine so you know he can’t kickflip. He has a Mr Zogs Sex Wax air freshener in his car, but he never wants to join in on the boys’ surf trip. When he buys a subway sandwich, he gets a six inch ham with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. There’s nothing wrong with him, but he’s never the first person you message when you’re looking for someone to grab a beer with.
Started well and I do enjoy some shoegaze. But it is a bit much after awhile. Vocals almost non existent in the mix.
I don't know much about shoegaze, and I wouldn't have initially classified this as such at first. The album opener, "Seagull", has some moments that sound like Nirvana or mid-90s Green Day and I would have leaned into the Indie/Alternative label. As it progresses, the album does begin to meander in slightly more ethereal sounds and we start the shoegazing. There are whispers of The Cure all over, and lots of vocals that sound like they were recorded in a bedroom at 12pm while trying not to wake the parents. We get sparkly U2 guitars on "Dreams Burn Down", which I enjoy more when decoupled from Bono's vocals. Overall, I think I agree with the Spotify listener public... "Paralysed" and everything after "Taste" aren't very riveting and I understand why they all have sub-1M listens.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. It's not terrible, but I also didn't really enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I think that the guitar and such just became a bit too noisy, but at the same time that also makes this really oppressive atmosphere which is cool in a way Standouts Paralyzed 3/5
I guess I don't really know what Shoegaze is. My guess is that it's heavily distorted rock noise. Because that's what most of this album is. I kind of like it? But it's nothing special for sure. I can't really make out any of the words, but I get the feeling that that's probably okay, and I'm not really missing much. This album does just kind of go on for too long, though. If you cut the length of it down, I probably would have enjoyed it more overall. Especially since none of the songs particularly stood out. Favorite Song(s): Kaleidoscope, Dreams Burn Down
Was enjoyable but nothing groundbreaking here Just background noise really 3 ⭐️
I tend to think of shoegaze as my least favourite genre of all time. But I didnt hate this, it was a bit more interesting than other stuff ive heard.
I liked Vapour Trail, Beneath, and Taste, the rest was whatever. Nothing spectacular
This is my first time hearing anything off this album, let alone hearing of Ride at all. It's a fine album, but I admit it sounds a lot like many other artists that came out in the late 80s to early 90s. I didn't not like it, but nothing truly stood out to me compared to their contemporaries. I'll probably come back to this one in time, but it's still a solid 3 out of 5 for me
Liked this on first listen, needs another couple of listens but would give it 3 stars
Very middle of the road. This wasn’t bad, but I can’t imagine ever listening to it again.
Sounded to me like Moody Blues met grunge. Every song sounded pretty much the same.
Was excited by the Shoegaze tag, but dear reader this is more Stone Roses than My Bloody Valentine.
Pretty nice to listen to - the album art doesn't lie, it does feel like just riding a wave and letting it carry you where it needs to go. Tracks kind of blend together, sadly.
I expect any remaining shoegaze albums to land in about this same spot: It’s fine. Just fine. Works alright in the background.
3 estrelas #chatinho Mas tem sua importância, meio que criou o estilo "shoegazer"
It's fine, solid throughout, but nothing that would grab me and pull me in. Listening to it a couple of times, I'd think oh, this is like 3 songs later. It's all too same-y. Very good for background music, studying or chilling, I guess. The drummer is doing some good work. I've read repeatedly that "Vapour Trail" was a big single, but I am sure I've never heard it. (And I was a pretty big fan of Shoegaze and Madchester and the other Brits at the time.) It's not bad, just not memorable. This deserves a 3 because it's consistent with decent musicianship. Nothing bad here, but does it call to me for repeat listenings? I doubt it.
7/10
Started strong but flattened out near the middle.
I reached a new sense of understanding about this project during the listening of this album. Used to, I would have ranted about this album being undeserving of its slot, it’s a placeholder, that this is not one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die. But- and here’s the new sense of understanding- did I ever really trust the random British guy what compiled this list to truly divine the inarguable, authoritative list of 1001 albums? No, not really. That’s a fools errand. There’s too many genres, too many different tastes to get a single absolute definitive list. So…what was I getting so worked up about? I came to this project to hear new music I wouldn’t have found on my own, and this is exactly that. And it was a decent album. And I don’t feel like my time was wasted. So why the bellyaching? Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about instead of paying attention to this album. 3 stars.
I a shoegaze classic really a classic? Enough for this list? I don't know. It's very, very shoegaze. It is the definition of shoegaze. Hooray for that. I honestly think I would have loved this at a certain point as a young person. I listened to the albums that spawned from this a few years later. I need to acknowledge that. It's. Just. So. Much. Shoegaze.
Neither as good as what came before or what came after. I don’t really get it
There's something really familiar about this band's sound. Specifically the singers voice. Not that it's bad or doing anything in a copycat way. Maybe the lead singer sounds a bit like Nico? But with a shoegazey smiths jangly style? Generally good but I know people consider this essential shoegaze and to be it's a little too clean.
I expected to hate it as I don't like shoegaze, but it was actually good. Love melodies combined with wall of sound. Seagull, Kaleidoscope and Polar Bear wear great, but second side felt kinda forced. Nice vocal harmonies
Dreams Burn Down is goated. Otherwise... I honestly remember this album being better before. It's solid early shoegaze and influential, but not one of my faves anymore.
For as big and swirling as Nowhere feels, that's kind of where it goes. Ride's brand of shoegaze is potent, but the vocals often rob the music of it's momentum. I was hoping to like this more, but it's just fine.
When people described My Bloody Valentine to me before I heard them this is what I thought they would sound like. Y'know, good. Anyway some nice songs here not so lost in the fuzz.
Nice early alt-rock album that doesn't go too hard. 3.2
good
I like a lot about this album - in places it sounded like a Stone Roses demo tape - but unfortunately the vocals are very underwhelming and fail to enhance or elevate the songs.
Not my kind of vocals, very much with the vibe of that era's as "boring" or "monotone" vocals as possible. Some songs more catchy, first songs instrumentals were good. Didn't hate it but wouldn't listen to again.
I don’t like singers voice.
Excellent representation of shoegaze--I would have expected My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, but this is IMO as good. However, and this is a point about the genre as a whole--after a while, it fatigues my ears and just sounds very monotonous (I realize that's kind of the point). It's great when it starts though. I liked the drums on this album in particular.
Seagull 3.4 Kaleidoscope 3.2 In a Different Place 3.5 Polar Bear 3 Dreams Burn Down 3.1 Decay (Mark Gardener) 3 Paralysed 3.4 Vapour Trail 3.3 Score: 3.2375
Solid shoegaze album very influential but hasn’t aged as well as slowdive’s souvlaki or my bloody valentine’s loveless
yeah pretty decent, nothing to special though; shoegaze i think?
Kinda just noise, but that's shoegaze baby.
Even vaporous music can be beautiful.
Couldn't really click with this one
While I liked the general sound of the album and could see myself listening to it again, it was kind of monotonous considering the hour plus length
Frustrating listen. Every now and then the song breaks through the wall of sound. Melodic and bold - voice or a guitar clear as a bell. Those moments are brilliant but to far in between. Listening to two monotone guitars grinding away is not my cup of tea. Three
First listen in four years. Not as boring as I remember.
I had never heard of Ride. At first, the opening track Seagull sounded like John Corbett’s indie-New-World band in the movie Serendipity, which I looked and it does have the same bass line. The next song was passively listened to, and then Different Places hit and I found vibing. The song Polar Bear had me! True, I’m not a huge fan of the Morrisey-esque vocal style but it does fit here, and in songs like Unfamiliar even changes up (great drum work on that song). The title track was great on headphones. I wish I had the lava lamp bubbling. There upstairs like Sennen and passives like Here and Now which sounded like a lot of alt from the mid-90s. Overall, this album was really good. I’m trying to break my recent regrettable trend of over appreciating mid-level albums so i am going to give this a solid three-star today, though future listens could easily boost this higher. I’m listening to this again tonight and maybe tomorrow too!
Random thoughts: * When this was described as shoegaze I expected it to be a little more chill and this was more punk and rock than I was expecting. This is why I should go in totally blind sometime. * Overall, this was an alright listen but it all kind of blended in together. Which I guess is maybe why it is called shoegaze. * I listened to the top track "Vapour Trail" several times and none of it really captivated me. I guess I can see the influence in so many other groups. * "Vapour Trail" really sounds like a 2000s era band and I can't quite place it. This is driving my brain nuts. * Ride must have been way ahead of their time. * I'll probably never pick this one up again.
4/10
This was a decent album, but it was not my thing to listen to.
1-5/10 średnie. zresztą za shoegazem nie przepadam, wokale nieprzyjemne 2-4/10 już zapomniałem jak ta piosenka leciała 3-5.2/10 wokale nie miłe ale lepsza gitara w tym utworze(do powrotu na słuchawkach) 4-4.5/10 strasznie nudne te piosenki 5-5.7/10 meh końcówka nadciąga 6-4.8/10 7-6/10 przyjemna 8-6.5/10 fajne album w całości mocno średni ostatnie piosenki podciągają, nigdy nie przepadałem za shoegazem ale to był przyjemny album. 5.5/10
Competent, but pretty unremarkable. Nothing really grabbed me.
This was just okay. It felt adjacent to noise rock to me, which isn't a genre I care for.
didnt expect to enjoy a band I know nothing about but I did the smiths mixed with radiohead vibes
seagull- 4 kaleidoscope- 3 or 4 in a different place- 3 polar bear- 3 or 4 dreams burn down- 3 decay- 3 or 4 paralyzed- 3 im bored
Some of the songs were ok. I don't care for a lot of the instrumental sound effects of this genre. Overall good enough for a 3.
Showgazing classic. Very redolent of a very particular time.
If 3/5 was an album
Another album that was a wee bit too long. Solid 4 drops down to a high 3 because I eventually became over it".
Not bad but too long. Fine
This was nice album. Easy listen and not too long. I gave it a couple listens, as my first one I didn't feel that I had really digested the music properly. I think that the second listen through was a good idea. I went from thinking this was a bit of a boring album to thinking that it was nice, reverberated rock. Not a type of music I lean toward, but it was pleasant here. I think I may revisit it at another point and see how I feel about it. Good album.
3/5 Favourite Song: Vapour Trail Least Favourite Song: Sennen
I’ve never heard of this band before, but I could clearly hear the influence from the prior bands and the influence that they made on bands.
Decent, but nothing that really grabbed me. may need more listens
I didn't hate everything about this album and that's the first time I've ever said that about a shoegaze album. The genre just isn't for me. They're that awful kind of edgy that's both pretentious and whiny. But this isn't nearly as bad as My Bloody Valentine - so props, I guess.
Favorite Track: Seagull
Pretty cool
I'm learning to appreciate shoegaze!
Decently cool. High 3/5.
3/5 ok sound - but I was never that into shoe gaze #musicsky #albumsky #musicchallenge
Here's another random album from a UK band you've never heard of from the late 1980s or early 1990s. This one isn't bad, but again, it's not great, and it's annoying to get these particular types of records over and over because the author is from the UK and grew up in that timeframe.
Cool concept for an album, I think the Shoegaze genre is pretty neat however it just got a bit samey after a while.
Czemu ten Shoegaze mnie prześladuje! Nie jestem w stanie go wytrzymać i czuję się jakbym miała szumy uszne. Obiektywnie to może być nawet dobra płyta, ale subiektywnie, przez ten przesyt gatunku chciałam umrzeć jak tylko zobaczyłam tytuł. 5/10 i błagam dajcie mi odpocząć.
It was quite enjoyable showgaze and glad to know this was one of the first bands of the genre. The album is too long in my opinion though, but the first half is really good. Great discovery, will be back to their catalogue soon.
Oof, those vocals are really dancing with razor blades on my ear drums. Bold move to do harmonies out of tune. The music around it is better, so it deserves a 3 for that
Went in not knowing much about this band or album and I was pleasantly surprised. Great shoegaze songs fill their longer format with enough interest to make them seem half their runtime. Ride does this flawlessly. Favorites are Seagull, In A Different Place, Dreams Burn Down, and Vapour Trail.
smooth but strangely reminiscent of a lot of other things
Not my kind of thing but sounded good
While revolutionary for its time, I think other bands have done the same things better. Still a fun listen, though. Just not something I can see myself going back to regularly.
Ikke værst
Por lo visto, este álbum es un clásico del shoegaze. Desde luego, cumple con todos los requisitos del estilo: guitarras (de 12 cuerdas) distorsionadas, ruidosas y sostenidas; percusión y bajo sencillos, aunque no simples; y una voz apagada y constante. El resultado es un sonido muy atmosférico y monótono, en el que no destaca ninguna canción ni ningún momento en particular, pero que tampoco llega a aburrir. Típico álbum de tres estrellas.
I get the vision but it kinda falls flat because of the vocals. The music itself was great, but the vocals just werent
Spacey surf rock
What a dull genre.
Ahh shoegaze... I am a bit of a fan even though all the songs are long and at times feel like it's unnecessarily so.
Decent album
Ah, weer een deprimerend album uit de 90s waar de zang niet helemaal toonvast is. Gelukkig ben ik wel fan van dat soort albums. Ride kende ik nog niet, maar ik kan het wel smaken. Het is iets te lang naar mijn goesting en er zijn weinig nummers waar ik echt warm van word. Daarom een 2.8.
Part meh & part I could probably like it if i heard it more.
This album is one of the reasons why I am on this journey of 1001 ATHBYD. Started reading about the band and came across the term "shoegaze", which I was not aware of before. The album and the music is a combination of partly nice rock songs. Partly powerful, some good guitar sound, singing is not great but ok. As a whole a good album worth listening to but not great.
Like the vibes and the energy of the album
Not familiar with this band slow jams and mellow
I'll admit that when I saw that Wikipedia classified Ride and this album as "shoegaze", I had no idea what that might mean or sound like. But from the opening salvo of "Seagull", I was transported back to the (very) early 90s, and realized that "shoegaze" was referring to that often-annoying wall of sound with indecipherable lyrics that seemed to define (mainly British) indie bands for a while (at times it feels to me like some sort of bizarre mashup of Meat Puppets, Cocteau Twins and Smiths/Cure). It appears that Ride was one of the biggest proponents of this style, so I'm glad they got their 15 minutes in the sun in this collection, and I appreciate it that their LP was under 40 minutes, but I'm a bit hard-pressed to identify any favorites from the album, I'll admit. Maybe "Vapour trail", if only because it was their only real hit?
Had a bit of sameness.
Fantastic sounding record - just focus your attention on the drums for a short while and you'll see what I mean. The wall of sound guitars can be a little overwhelming, but there is hidden subtlety here, and Ride have always had a keen melodic sense too. That melodic sense, perhaps, is not the focus on Nowhere and I'll be honest, I always prefered the subsequent two albums, which may upset some shoegaze purists. Nevertheless a well-executed long-player based around a singular vision rather than a collection of hook-laden individual tracks. If that kind of thing floats your boat, then this is highly recommended - personally, as much as I do like this album, the sound was probably better suited to the EP format which served Ride so well prior to this.
I’m surprised at how many bands there are that I’ve never heard of. Who knew that I liked shoegazer music? Really cool album!
Background music for me. Didn't even notice it was on
Wanted to love this because the production is lush but found it just a bit too samey and lacking killer hooks. Vapour Trail is still a banger.
More pub music in my ears. I could play pool and have a Guinness to this any day of the week.
I am going back on this one. It is a group I have never heard of and do really enjoy. There is some complex sound here and it has a 90's alt rock vibe I really like. But there were songs that really faded into the background and I was listening but not entirely. Or the music overtook the lyrics and I wasn't really listening to what was said. Somedays I might give it a 4, but today I would go with a 3. But I am going to add them to my liked list and hope they show up more and I can experience their songs on a day when they hit me stronger.
Nice sound
Maybe im being way too picky about albums, but this wouldve gotten a 3.5 if it was an option. I see the vision but its not quite there
Dense, psychedelic textures are clearly this band's strong suit. Other elements like the actual skill level of the musicians, composition/structure of the songs, and so on are not up to scratch, and it shows. The singing is that horrific Britpop drunken drawl that is justifiably obscured by the loud guitars, drums, bass, and synths. The melodies are pretty bad too, though in the genre of shoegaze it's a little more forgivable. Often, the listener is left expecting some complex, satisfying melodic resolution, but is just left with alternation between the same two bland notes. It makes for a frustrating listen at times. Beginning with the opening track, Seagull, we hear a melody that really can't be sung along with, (in my opinion) defeating the point of having a melody at all. An instrumental shoegaze album in this precise style would kinda slap, no? That being said, there's some intense, indescribable quality here that makes the music feel huge, grand, apocalyptic. Or in the case of the final two tracks, Paralysed / Vapour Trail, refreshing and cheerful. Almost like something from The Division Bell. While not enough to push it to a 4, the wall of sound certainly threatens to do so. As another reviewer wrote: "It has a semi-epic, sweeping melodic quality, which combats neatly its noise-rock leanings. Pretty decent." Not as groundbreaking or memorable as MBV's stuff, and I'm surprised the two bands are compared so often. I guess there's a story of competition for everything. 3/5 Key tracks: Polar Bear, Paralysed, Vapour Trail
A fairly enjoyable bit of noise-pop
Kinda dull until it isn’t.
Ok. Some of those harmonies were UGLY. I liked Vapour Trail.
I like this quite a bit.
Not a huge shoegaze fan. Some of the songs reminded me of old bands like The Church. This was hit or miss for me. I liked some of the songs.
微搖滾，沒有特別喜歡
3 - Ni fu, ni fa
Nice, but overstays its welcome and doesn’t quite compare to other shoegaze faves.
Um bom álbum, mas nada demais, nada que o explique na lista de 1001 discos para se ouvir antes de morrer. Gostei mais das últimas faixas, antes de descobrir que elas pertencem ao relançamento do cd, de resto não gostei tanto.
3/5. Shoegaze is difficult to get into for me and I think part of it is the singing that is hard to understand. However, although the vocals are still an issue, the epic wall of sound and catchy riffs and instrumentation is what brings this album up. It feels optimistic and yet the lyrics tell another story. It's major chords with a dissonant and minor backdrop. And its loud to drown out the world around you, a positive feature of shoegaze usually. It's just not something I would say won me over. Overall, I think the album was good but not a go to for me. Best Song: Vapour Trail, Seagull, Polar Bear
This album sounds like the background music in a cafe scene of a B tier movie.
Хорошо впадать в транс (или просто засыпать). Заунывно и однообразно. 5 из 5.
It was...fine, I guess. I don't feel the need to relisten.
fine - sounded kinda stone roses-y at times but i think that might’ve just be the guy’s voice
A bit too much of the same
I don't know. Needs more listens. Background music.
без изысков
Nice
3.5
Andy Bell from this band joined Oasis in the later years and I enjoyed his oasis time more than this but still some things I liked.
I've never heard of Ride but after listening to 1 track, I immediately recognized the heavy and distorted guitars, drenched in delays which are so iconic for the Shoegaze genre. Personally, I enjoy the atmosphere that a lot of Shoegaze artists evoke but also reckon that there is a limit for me where all songs just coalesce into each other and become indistinguishable. I just disengage after a while but I tremendously enjoy the textures and vibes that this genre has created over the years. Nowhere has some really good tracks which I enjoyed such as Paralysed which had tremendous drums and an intoxicating bassline. In A Different Place was also one of the tracks that I really enjoyed. That said, there are some tracks which are just fine and perhaps overstay their welcome. As a whole I think that this album is decent but I am not entirely sure if I would revisit in the future. There weren't many melodies that stuck with me and it wasn't very memorable. Perhaps on repeated listens, the album will stick a bit more but I'd rather visit other artists in the same genre which have crafted more compelling sounds. It is a fine album.
Kind of like loveless but not quite as good. Has it's moments though.
Okay!
Rode to Nowhere.
dreams burnt down
This is all new to me, very sweet melodic shoe gaze with a few edgy moments, it washed over me like the wave on the album cover.
I guess it's good for Shoegaze, but I'm not a Shoegaze guy.
I liked a lot. But, more as a background music than for an active listening.
Better than I expected but just another not noteworthy album. It just felt like nothing special and honestly, just listen to the Cure or the Smiths instead of this because this is just a mix of the two and isn’t as good as either of those bands.
Now here’s something for Isaac
Indie inglês. Interessante
Dreams Burn Down Vapour Trail
Love the cover art. And, much to my surprise, I don't hate the music. Shoegaze generally irritates me beyond all reason. But this is quite listenable, lots going on to listen to and doesn't hurt my ears or brain.
Not particularly remarkable. Sort of an ethereal indie sound with some rough edges. Decent background music, but not particularly engaging to me.
It’s a 2.5 but I’ll give it a 3 cuz I enjoyed the vibes until they wore me out after the first few songs. If you love 90s guitar effects this is the record for you
A pretty good album, feels a little rough around the edges. The vocals could be better sounding.
Never expected this album to be on this list. I bought it in 1990 when I was at a pretty low point in my life and music was very important to me and a way of getting me through the mess I was in. I wanted to change my life so was striving also to change or educate my musical tastes to go along with the new me. Ride seemed to be a group to fulfil that aim so I bought the album more as a punt rather than knowing much about them. I knew that all the cool kids raved about them so another reason to involve myself with them. But what about the music? Well it didn’t reach my expectations and I always found it a hard listen despite my efforts to the contrary. Listening today revived those dark memories but not in a bad way. I’m such a different person and in a better place now so view this album as an important milestone in my life but it did not define it like I thought it might do. 3/5 30/1/25
Litt fight club, litt Snatch, mye brit, litt emo, mye distortion. Synes dette er fett jeg men virker ikke som artistene helt synes det. Seagull Polar Bear 1t12m er for langt!
Opens with a great drive to it - really feels like a ride. Slows down a bit with some nice emo and shoegazey elements which I don't mind at all. From there, I can't help but feel like it drags on a little bit too much...
Liked this, had never heard of them. Possibly a little bit repetitive (and I would normally have a high tolerance for bands gazing at their shoes) but still interested to listen to some of their other stuff
A pleasant curtain of organised noise wit a clear 90's stamp. I quite like this. A good rhythm section, nice basslines, noisy (but not too noisy) guitars and melodic vocal lines. It is a bit samey though and doesn't move me, but I was happy to discover this.
Surprised this was 1990
loved this chilled listening
All right album.
2,5
Melodic and noisey shoegaze, will want to revisit.
Gave this one two listens. Definetly better on the second listen. It's a good album, with definetly some really cool songs on there. I love the incorporation of harmonica in a shoe gaze song. Worked surprisingly well. But the album does have a couple almost filler tracks, that don't really add anything to the album, and just kinda sit there. Personally as well, I was not a fan of the mix nor the singers voice. Mix was very bright and harsh, voice was very warm and mellow, and the two didn't sit well together in my opinion.
Sort of Cranberries meets Oasis with a nice edge. Pleasantly surprised.
Didn't love this but it's not the worst thing I've ever heard. Guitars were nice.
Had a good time with this. The music can be a bit buzzy and the lyrics can be a bit flat at times, but when a certain track puts everything together it's quite enjoyable.
This is very reminiscent of The Stone Roses, except I like Stone Roses more and this, apparently, came out after them. Every track kinda sounds the same, but they're not that hard on the ear. 3/5
Shoegaze altrokkia. Ihan hyviäkin kappaleita, vokaalit oli upotettu miksaukseen ja olivat hiukan puuduttavan kuuloiset välillä. Parhaat: In a Different Place, Vapour Trail
It felt like a less interesting Oasis. I won't listen again
It wasn't the My Bloody Valentine-style album I was expecting. "Nowhere" was just a bunch of average rock songs. I theoretically could've loved this album. Somehow, I didn't enjoy "Nowhere" too much. The sound was still good though 3 stars for "Nowhere".
This is an album is HAVE TO LISTEN TO BEFORE I DIE?! It’s…fine…
Das Album Nowhere von Ride, das 1990 erschien, wird oft als Meilenstein des Shoegaze-Genres gefeiert. Mit seinen verschwommenen Gitarrenwänden, verträumten Melodien und melancholischen Texten definierte es einen Sound, der bis heute Fans und Musiker inspiriert. Doch aus heutiger Sicht wirkt die Platte mitunter etwas gewöhnlich – insbesondere, wenn man sie mit anderen Größen des Genres wie My Bloody Valentine oder Slowdive vergleicht. Schon der Opener „Seagull“ zeigt das typische Markenzeichen von Ride: treibende Basslinien, hallende Gitarren und mehrstimmiger Gesang. Dennoch fehlt hier das gewisse Etwas, das die Songs über die Genrestandards hinausheben könnte. Tracks wie „Polar Bear“ oder „Dreams Burn Down“ bleiben zwar melodisch im Ohr, wirken jedoch oft zu glatt und vorhersehbar, um langfristig Eindruck zu hinterlassen. Ein Highlight ist zweifelsohne „Vapour Trail“, das mit seinem schlichten Arrangement und den melancholischen Streichern einen emotionalen Höhepunkt des Albums darstellt. Dennoch kann dieser Moment nicht das Gefühl durchbrechen, dass Nowhere als Ganzes etwas eintönig bleibt und an Abwechslung mangelt. Insgesamt ist Nowhere ein solides Album, das seine historische Bedeutung nicht leugnen kann. Doch für Hörer, die nach herausragenden Momenten oder innovativen Ansätzen suchen, könnte es am Ende nur „mäßig“ wirken. Vielleicht ist es mehr ein Album, das man schätzt, wenn man die Entstehungszeit im Blick hat, weniger aber als zeitloser Klassiker.
This album didn't take me anywhere, as the title says, but at least it was music, which not all the albums in this list can pretend to be.
2.6 1x
Surprisingly good early grunge pop 🤘
Chaotic at the beginning, 2. Then notmal, 3. Then it got better towards the end. 4
shoegaze chilling wibing, utta herra sanoo obj 3 star selvä
I didn't think too much of this album on first listen, but it has grown on me a little bit with each subsequent listen. I get the feeling that this is an album that you would grow to love over time. The paradox is there is nothing here that would entice me to revisit it.
I had never heard of this band before. There were some hits and misses on this album, and it felt like it just kept going on and on.
Not sure if it's a must-listen, but it was enjoyable.
Not my kind of music in general and not that I will listen to any of its tracks ever again but the album is really decent. Too many sounds and noises for me but there are some interesting tracks and the whole sounding is good. I'm really far from being a shoegaze fan but if stars align I someday might relisten the whole album.
Meh. Not bad. But didn't feel too strongly one way or the other about it.
Fine but boring
Strong start but gets a little same-y and too long.
Definitely felt like the 90s.
This music is a fun balance of twinkly guitars and distorted overdrive. Enjoyable.
Ok
Was pretty good, might try another listen.
Generally I'm not super stoked when a band from the UK that I've never heard of pops up on this list. Looking in to this band more, I was encouraged to see that some US media sources praised this album as being a seminal shoegaze record. I can dig. I listened to the 72 minute version that came out on CD and while it's solid, I would say it falls a bit short of being seminal like the real heavy hitters in shoegaze. Enjoyable enough for sure, but nothing spectacular.
good
Tough to rate. None of it’s bad but none of it really commands your attention either
This was a bit of a slog.
Wow. Ride are basically the Stone Roses, or the Stone Roses are basically Ride!
3.5/ good
Again, one of those bands that I remember from the nineties, but never really got into. This time round.... hmm. "Full of sound and fury.... but signifying nothing." An hour after listening to the whole album, my only recollections were "guitars, 1960's flashbacks and feedback". I'm guessing it made it onto the 1001 list as they knew the organiser.
Every song sounded like a different indie/britpop/alternative band from the 80's - 90's - and not one made me think, oh yeah, this is Ride. Who?
Een potpourri van een huismerk R.E.M., U2 en een laag shoegaze. Het is geen verkeerde muziek, het is aardig alternatief en een 3 kan ik er wel voor geven natuurlijk, maar ik kan me niet voorstellen dat dit in een dergelijke lijst ook maar enig bestaansrecht heeft. Met 1 uur en 11 minuten een aardig tikkeltje aan de lange kant ook, maar dat zal wel bij het genre horen. Het zeurderige zingen gaat dan op een gegeven moment wel optellen. Maargoed. Gitaren en shit. 3 sterren.
有点味道
If this is on here and no My Bloody Valentine albums are, I’ll be very disappointed. This was good but not great.
Believe me, I am all in on shoegaze, or so this band is attributed as fundamental to the genre, even if the band itself disagrees. Enough about gazing, 'Nowhere' is somewhat psychedelic and fuzzy and noisy, but not that compelling. Any of their other albums would be more appropriate on this list.
It's possible to make a noise that sounds almost good, but it's still a noise!
Compact wall of sound with intriguing but beautiful melodies in what is one of the more significant shoegaze releases. Not sure it’s an album I had to hear before I die, but a worthwhile listen nonetheless. Favorite songs: Seagull, Decay, Dreams Burn Down, Nowhere 3⭐️
Pretty meh. Not a lot of energy and no standout tracks here.
I still don't get what Shoegaze is, but can you please fortheloveofallthingsholy figure it out in less than an hour???? I literally had the Ramones classic yesterday that was 34 minutes that said 10 times as much as this. Seriously, cheer up. 3/5
Not bad for a shoegaze album. Almost 4
esto es oasis antes de oasis. arranca muy bien, despues se va quedando
Está bastante bien, pero medio repetitivo che. Por algo Oasis y Blur son Oasis y Blur.
chill
One of those albums where people say "this is it, this album will *change you*" and you're like "ok, lets give it a listen" and once it ends you find are absolute unmoved in the slightest... Is it me? Is my soul lacking something? No, it's Ride, Ride are the ones who are in the wrong....
Pretty good
It was ok, not something I'd revisit, but it had it's moments I suppose. 3/5
Buenas guitarras, interesantes desarrollos...
shoegaze, it's okay but not gripping
Piola
It was obvious that I had listened to a lot of the same records as Ride in the 80s. So, I always felt like I was supposed to like them as much as the music papers did but they have never fully clicked for me and still don't. I like their sound ok but the songs and the vocals not so much. Dreams Burn Down is good.
Riding on the fumes if Breathless, MBV, and Galaxie 500. An ok album, but nothing special or unique. Off-brand shoegaze doesn’t belong on a list of essential listening.
Long but somewhat interesting.
-One of the first definitive shoegaze albums I think I’ve listened to. Not bad, but maybe not super suited to my taste? I should def listen to it again I think. The guitar effects are all super cool though -Favorites are Kaleidoscope, Decay, and Vapour Trail
Great songs! Not sure if it was the singing or production (both?) but this would rock with a better singer! This singer isn’t bad but it all kind of drones together. Enjoyed this one! 3.5/5
I really liked "Vapour Trail" and I'll return to "Seagull" and "Dreams Burn Down" as well. All the best moments on this album came without the vocals during jams or the frenetic finish of the opening track, which I'd consider a mark against the album, but this is shoegaze after all so I don't know... Regardless, some good tunes and some skips. A solid 3.
A great example of the languishing attitude of some branches of alt rock in the 90s. Great music to put on when putzing around the house.
Fine
A bit too much eighties filler. First time listening, so difficult identifying the hits/
3-4
Yeah, this is solid. Drug Beatles bass with contemporary Britrock.
It's 3-star albums like this I always have the most trouble with, 'cuz, like... I'unno. It's fine. I liked what I heard, but I wasn't amazed by it. I'unno what else to say, really. I guess there's that I liked the psychedelic parts the best, and if there had been more maybe I'd've bumped it up to a 4. But as it stands... Yep. That's a 3-star-ass shoegaze album. It's neat.
It’s a 2.5 and I wish I could leave it there… but I’ll graciously round it up to a 3, even if I really don’t want to. I just wasn’t that captivated by this. There’s nothing technically wrong with any of these tracks, and in terms of execution, I think they nailed exactly what they were going for. This is my first time listening to anything shoegaze, and my assessment of it is that it’s like leaving the reverb in as if it’s a smoke cloud from a fire; it just hangs around, and stays there, and it doesn’t really bother you, but it is kind of weird that it’s there. It’s just… I dunno, for my tastes, not that interesting. There’s not a bad track here, but there’s not really a standout either; it’s a bunch of tracks that just sort of blend together for me in a directionless way. Yeah, the lyricism is fine, but the melodies (both vocally and instrumentally) feel either monotone or buried by the swirling wall of reverb smoke that permeates most of these tracks. It’s cool on the first track, but when you realize that it’s an entire album of just this, it just sort of loses the luster immediately. It just really does not feel like an album I had to listen to before I die, you know? Could’ve gone my whole life without hearing it, and now that I have heard it, it’s just OK. It doesn’t do anything special, and it doesn’t feel like it stands out. In terms of the individual tracks, they sound pretty neat, and I’m not opposed to the concept of shoegaze, but as an album experience, this just sorta dragged me into mediocrity. At least the last track was nice. I’ll acknowledge that this could do a lot more for someone else, but for me, ultimately, it’s a 2.5 that just barely does enough for me to bump it up to a 3. However, it could honestly go down over time. There’s just no room for going any higher than a 3, and that’s that.
The first song basically has a Taxman bass line. At times it felt like the drummer was having trouble keeping up. You can tell these guys listened to a lot of the Cure. Overall it's just OK for me. I thought I liked Shoegaze, but this didn't do it for me. Liked songs added: - Here And Now - Sennen
The first track was great, but it kinda turns to mush after that.
It was alright, but don’t think i’ll be listening again
3/5 - great background music to a B rated heist movie
On encouragement from Noel Gallagher I once chanted along with 70,000 people "who the flip is Andy Bell?". It seems the answer is a much more talented and interesting musician than warrants being the bass player in Oasis. This is a surprisingly enjoyable shoegaze album that is a little lighter, breezier and more accessible than the genre average. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Vapour Trail Date listened: 29/06/24
When I was more of an avid shoegaze head this album was pretty big for me ... it's still a really nice and pleasant album ... but i remember it a bit more fondly... alas
Shoegaze, huh? My first introduction to the genre. Melodic, spacey, hammering the vocal harmonies every chance they get. Not bad, but nothing that gets the blood flowing. I might turn to it when I want something that is chill but... louder?
Mellow music. 3/5
Beautiful collection of pretty noise — I don't mind that at all!
Another one for the "was very much aware of, but hadn't really listened to, and that's why this site is great list". Another band that feels like they were absolutely the right place, right time for me to discover, but not all that surprised I didn't on reflection. Some of the "shoe-gaze" era is tremendously joyful, this is warbling background noise. Tempted to remove a star because Andy Bell went on to form Hurricane #1, one of the worst bands I ever saw live, but that would be overly harsh.
Better than I thought it would be. Shoe gaze generally doesn’t pique my interest the way this album continually did. No stand out tracks or major takeaways, but it definitely wasn’t bad. 3/5
3.5
Shoegaze I think I should love it all as some of my favourite records are in the genre. I just haven’t been able to get deep into rise.
This was sometimes shoegaze, but othertimes very much NOT shoegaze and leaning more toward britpop. That's a weird space to float between, and they somehow pull it off.
drumming great, vocals sounded more like whining to me much of the songs...
Ok
The most interesting part of this album for me was the album cover. It evokes some nostalgia somehow that I can't put my finger on. It also made me think it was going to be some electronic music. Maybe it's because it reminded me of Mindtrap - Norther Rooms. To the music. It kind of flew me by a bit, I think because I was focusing on something else. 'Vapour Trail' is a nice track that I think I've heard before. Overall I think it was pretty decent, but not good enough to pull me out of my focus on whatever else I was doing. Should listen to again at some point.
Was expecting somehthing like "The Blaze" from the album cover but I was fooled, it was shoegaze! Sounded very Smiths-like but a bit more rocky. It was ok but nothing outstanding really.
Interesting, ambient, loud in parts, quiet in others. Sounds like the soundtrack to a not-too-exciting film where the protagonist goes through a few negative events and then 'finds himself' before the camera zooms out and we close with him standing on a beach looking out to sea with the wind blowing through his hair.
Vapour Trail is awesome, rest of album doesn’t do much for me. Not bad.
Indie tranquilo, melódico. Las últimas canciones me gustaron más. No conocía el grupo. Escucharé más de ellos.