THESE BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS

"Mark Gardener's former band Ride is known for a droning, druggy guitar wash, of the kind practiced by My Bloody Valentine and their noise pop contemporaries in the early '90s. The title notwithstanding, These Beautiful Ghosts, Gardener's first solo record since Ride's messy break-up in 1996, does indeed sound more than a little haunted. At the very least, there's a certain nostalgia in the wistful, autumnal tone of the record. But this is definitely not an attempt to raise the spirits of his past with fuzzboxes and feedback. Collaborating here with alt-country band (and fellow Oxford lads) Goldrush, it's only occasionally one hears a hint of his old band's hypnotic racket."