Tag Archives: Andy Bell

On Record – Andy Bell: pinball wanderer (Sonic Cathedral)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Andy Bell is on a creative roll these days. While it’s not clear if the Ride guitarist will become part of the Oasis live tour later in the year, he is pressing ahead as he hits a rich vein of form in his solo career. Whether under his own name or the GLOK alias, where he operates more electronically, Bell has maintained a satisfying blend of recent past and future, bringing together song-based material with experimentation and the joy of repetitive beats.

pinball wanderer looks set to further his enjoyment in these areas, with a busy year ahead!

What’s the music like?

Bell achieves a really satisfying blend of electronic and acoustic here, bringing in some elements of the GLOK alias – especially an enjoyment of Krautrock – to rub shoulders with influences from early 1990s Manchester and, further back, a healthy dash of Byrds.

The result is music that is never short of a hookline, but adds some really interesting and rewarding quirks when the mood takes it. A great example is the groovy Apple Green UFO, a track aware of the groovier side of Stone Roses’ repertoire, but striking out through dropping a beat in the bar, giving it a subtle edge the likes of A Certain Ratio would enjoy.

Panic Attack is equal parts Krautrock and Manchester, promising warmer climes, while a well judged cover of The Passions‘ I’m In Love With A German Film Star features ideal guest turns from Dot Allison and Michael Rother. The title track is a brightly coloured groove, while the dreamy Space Station Mantra allows the mind to wander at the cosmic close.

Does it all work?

It does – and with repeated listens, Bell’s music grows in stature and impact. Be warned, there are many earworms in this album!

Is it recommended?

It is. Andy Bell is clearly relishing his music making at the moment, and this meeting of his different musical minds is thoroughly enjoyable, laden with grooves, riffs and good times.

For fans of… A Certain Ratio, Neu!, Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,470 – Tuesday 11 March 2025

Switched On – GLOK / Timothy Clerkin: Alliance (Bytes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Andy Bell’s GLOK alias has given him a burst of creativity within electronic music – and after his successful Dissident album of 2019 and Pattern Recognition follow up of 2021, he turns to a collaborative approach.

Timothy Clerkin, who runs the Insult To Injury label, met Ride guitarist Bell through the Bytes label, when they suggested Tim be part of the Dissident Remixed album, which was put together in 2019. The two met at the funeral of Andrew Weatherall, and their collaboration was fuelled by Tim finding and playing an old Les Paul guitar. Ideas were traded online between Amsterdam (Tim) and London (Andy), with the instruments equally shared.

What’s the music like?

Empowering. That’s the first feeling that comes through on Empyrean, where subtle adjustments in tuning give the weighty guitar sound an appealing weirdness, and the loping beats add reassuring depth. The same pitch variations work really well on the gritty AmigA, with the bass sound burrowing through the floor, before wordless vocals that instantly transport the listener back to the heady mood of early ‘90s Manchester.

Bell and Clerkin also make groovy music, using slower rhythms that really set themselves firmly on the floor, with rich colours above. Scattered is one of the more obvious pieces of Weatherall homage here – in a good way, while The Witching Hour goes acidic with all sorts of electronic squiggles taking over. Closing out is the brilliant E-Theme, a kind of Hacienda-Detroit meeting place where airy synths complement blissful vocals.

Nothing Ever is the home banker, with vocals from Du Blonde – aka Beth Jeans Houghton, adding a rich tone to the electro-disco footwork underneath.

Does it all work?

It does – and repeat listens reveal several earworms. Once made known, they refuse to leave!

Is it recommended?

It is indeed. This is a fruitful partnership, blessed with freedom and enjoyment – and proves to be a slow burner that increases in temperature with each listen!

For fans of… Death In Vegas, Andrew Weatherall, 808 State, Stereo MCs, Primal Scream

Listen & Buy

You can explore buying options on the Bandcamp link below – and also read Arcana’s extensive interview with Andy from 2019, when he was not long starting out under the GLOK alias.

Published post no.2,361 – Wednesday 13 November 2024

On Record – Ride: Interplay (Wichita / PIAS)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The second coming of Ride is now officially longer than the first. This is a statement that seemed very unlikely when they first split in 1996, but Mark Gardener, Andy Bell, Loz Colbert and Steve Queralt now appear to be together for keeps.

Interplay is the third album of their second incarnation, and the band have been candid about how difficult it was to record – yet such openness now appears to be one of their key strengths.

What’s the music like?

This is a very strong album, and could be the record that see Ride cross over to being a genuine rock band as well as acknowledged shoegaze royalty. Songs like the opening Peace Sign are key to this, being a full-blown anthem with winsome, jangly guitar lines and a great chorus to boot.

Gardener’s voice sounds great, more versatile than before. Monaco finds an edge to the voice reminiscent of The The, while Last Frontier has a softer side that sounds more familiar, tipping towards New Order or Electronic. What fans might not have expected is the barely concealed anger powering the centre of the album. Portland Rocks gives an indication of this, but I Came To See The Wreck goes the whole hog, the standout track of the album. “Rage, body and soul” is the takeaway lyrical couplet of an all-consuming song.

Elsewhere, Midnight Rider is a groovy throwback, while Sunrise Chaser brings brighter colours to the table. The band marry electronics and guitars convincingly, and production is excellent.

Does it all work?

It does. Melodic, meaningful and with songs that stick.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is – with Interplay Ride have made the album of their career so far.

For fans of… Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,141 – Sunday 7 April 2024

On Record – Dot Allison: Consciousology (Sonic Cathedral)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The solo renaissance of Dot Allison continues, the singer – once of the much-loved dance outfit One Dove – releasing her second solo album in two years.

Allison actually began the album back in 2021, as previous opus Heart-Shaped Scars was being released. The song Double Rainbow was the first to be completed, and Consciousology – described by its author as ‘an imagined voice of a conscious universe expressed through music’.

The album has grown to be just that, taking the electrical activity of a plant and translating it into pitch – a ‘botanical session player’, as Allison labels it, to sit alongside the talents of guitarist Andy Bell and the London Contemporary Orchestra, heard in arrangements made by Hannah Peel.

What’s the music like?

Allison’s vocal has a beautiful fragility on the surface, but is supported by an instrument of deceptive strength beneath. Her hushed tones are ideally complemented by string arrangements made once again by Hannah Peel, who shows an instinctive understanding of the balance between the two, so that the words can be clearly heard at all times.

The London Contemporary Orchestra play like a dream, matching Allison’s feathery vocal on the gorgeous Shyness of Crowns, which slides into Unchanged, whose dreamy guitar from Andy Bell gains in strength as it progresses.

Bleached By The Sun features more exquisite word painting, the sighing strings and whispered vocal painting a heat-soaked, drowsy scene, while Moon Flowers is similarly enchanted.

Unchanged has impressive inner strength, while Bleached By The Sun has delicate multitracked vocals, in something of a fever dream, and is complemented by winding string contours. Moon Flowers is an enchanting song, as is Mother Tree – shot through with slightly psychedelic effects on percussion and harp.

Meanwhile inner strength comes to the fore on Double Rainbow, and Weeping Roses forms a pictorial coda in the company of sleepy guitar and piano accompaniment.

Does it all work?

It does, thanks to Allison’s enchanting voice, which harks back to some of the memorable folk-inflected voices of the 1960s and 1970s. The impression remains that she has more power available should she need it, but these songs are beautifully sung as they are.

Is it recommended?

It is. Consciousology will take its listeners to a place far from where they actually are, its dreamy textures and contours providing enchantment and, ultimately, escapism.

Listen

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Switched On – Andy Bell: Strange Loops & Outer Psych (Sonic Cathedral)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Described as a ‘technicolour companion piece’ to last year’s Flicker album, his second release, Strange Loops & Outer Psych is a collection drawn from the EPs he has released in the intervening period.

To quote Bell himself, “Influences, stripped down acoustic reworks and remixes by my friends, comrades and heroes all hopefully help the listener see where my head was when I made Flicker, but also it stands up as a decent listen in its own right.

What’s the music like?

Bell is absolutely right – this is a really effective standalone piece in its own right, thanks to some judicious placing of extra tracks and quality remixes.

Maps in particular turn in an excellent contribution to the second category, James Chapman’s take on It Gets Easier presenting a starry-eyed throwback towards Hacienda days that complements the opener, David Holmes‘ dreamy rework of The Sky Without You. Richard Norris, meanwhile, uses a walking-pace beat to bring good vibes to Something Like Love. Claude Cooper adds a winning break beat to Sidewinder, while bdrmm bring sparkling treble and dubby bass to Way Of The World.

Meanwhile the original tracks find Bell in really strong vocal form, too – as good as at any point in his career. Listen, The Snow Is Falling is an evocative piece, while The Way Love Used To Be is unusually tender and affecting in its outlook. Bell’s voice is unforced in a similarly touching acoustic versions of She Calls The Tune, Love Is The Frequency, Lifeline and Something Like Love.

Countering this is the ‘psych’, a pulsing mix of World Of Echo from A Place To Bury Strangers.

Does it all work?

It does. An ideally named and appropriately dreamy collection.

Is it recommended?

It is. Andy Bell is in a particularly creative phase of his career, even for him – and whether it’s his instrumental GLOK project or this hazy, slightly retrospective workout, he is on fine form at every turn. Strange Loops & Outer Psych is a blissful, uplifting listen.

Listen & Buy