Strange Loops & Outer Psyche (2023)

Ride's Andy Bell was in peak form on Flicker, his 2022 album and sophomore solo effort. The songs on Flicker drew from various corners of his rich songwriting profile, and offered expressions of his guitar-centric style that ranged from droning and heavy space dirges to jangly shoegazing pop on par with the best of his early-'90s output with Ride. Flicker was an artistic triumph, and it proved to be a gift that kept on giving, as in the months following its release Bell produced three EPs with remixes, acoustic versions, ... Read More

Ride's Andy Bell was in peak form on Flicker, his 2022 album and sophomore solo effort. The songs on Flicker drew from various corners of his rich songwriting profile, and offered expressions of his guitar-centric style that ranged from droning and heavy space dirges to jangly shoegazing pop on par with the best of his early-'90s output with Ride. Flicker was an artistic triumph, and it proved to be a gift that kept on giving, as in the months following its release Bell produced three EPs with remixes, acoustic versions, and other Flicker-related asides. Strange Loops & Outer Psyche collects these EPs, offering a comprehensive look at the bonus material connected to his larger statement. The three EPs gathered here are I Am a Strange Loop, a collection of Bell songs remixed by Claude Cooper, Maps, bdrmm, and others; Untitled Film Stills, which included four acoustic cover songs; and The Grounding Process, another acoustic release but with stripped-down versions of Bell's own tunes from Flicker. Instead of the original running order, Strange Loops & Outer Psyche intersperses remixes and acoustic songs in a new track listing, creating an album-like flow. The set drifts from David Holmes' airy, downtempo remix of "The Sky Without You" into light and ambient covers of Arthur Russell and the Kinks, mixing up the colorful electronic interpretations with more plainspoken acoustic arrangements. This running order highlights the contrasts that can happen within different versions of the same song. In particular, A Place to Bury Strangers' overblown assault on their remix/reconstruction of "World of Echo" sounds like a completely different song compared to Bell's acoustic rendering. Richard Norris' dizzying remix of Flicker standout track "Something Like Love" (appearing here as both an instrumental and in a version with the vocals processed into infinity) is a little closer to Bell's solo version, but the counterpoint illuminates how strong the songwriting is and how many different ways a single idea can be developed. A sweetly smiling cover of Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" ranks with Galaxie 500's near-perfect take on the same song, and moments like bdrmm's dreamy remix of "Way of the World" break up some of the sleepiness of multiple mellow songs in succession. Anyone moved by Flicker will appreciate the bounty of additional material offered by Strange Loops & Outer Psyche, which acts as the sonic equivalent of director's commentary and deleted scenes for some of Bell's best work. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi Read Less

• All

• All Copies (0)
• Choose Release (1)

Currently there are no copies available. However, our inventory changes frequently. Please check back soon or try Book Fetch.

2023, UPC: 5060853702594 CD See All