Another View

As a founding member of shoegaze legends Ride, Andy Bell helped direct the course of alternative rock, and in the decades following Rides initial 1996 breakup, he explored different musical styles and ideas vigorously. His first proper solo LP, The View from Halfway Down, arrived in 2020 as an assemblage of euphoric shoegaze, droning dream pop, and hints of the stylistic experimentation Bell had been dabbling in with other projects. Another View focuses on the more boundary-pushing experimental side of his sonic personality. The album-length project collects three EPs released just prior to the collection: one centered around remixes of tracks from The View from Halfway Down by fringe electronic producer Pye Corner Audio, one with two dreamy unreleased studio tracks and accompanying remixes, and one that finds Bell playing pared-down acoustic songs, including some minimal versions of tracks from his album. Of all the material, the acoustic songs feel the most like a companion piece to The View from Halfway Down, with softer renditions of tunes like Skywalker, and Love Comes in Waves clearing away some of the distortion to reveal the core of the songs. Non-album track Perfume and Pye Corner Audios acid-trance reworking of Indica feel like genuine B-sides, offering new perspectives of Bells more rock-leaning album. The piecemeal presentation and genre-fluid flow of Another View generally recalls the mid-90s era when cult bands spread out exclusive supplemental material over multiple CD singles to the delight of die-hard fans searching for new angles from which to appreciate their favorite artists. The multiple electronic remixes might be lost on casual listeners, but for those left wanting more after spinning The View from Halfway Down on repeat, Another View offers just that. ~ Fred Thomas