Going Blank Again

iTunes Review

Ride's debut album, 1990's Nowhere, was a shimmering wall of sound that emphasized drummer Laurence Colbert's Keith Moon–style attack alongside guitars that rung deep into the psychedelic night. For the follow-up, 1992's Going Blank Again, the band cranks up the sound but adds an emphasis on tighter songs and sunnier dispositions. Colbert, meanwhile, pulls back on his kit. "Leave Them All Behind" stretches out over eight minutes to further the band's shoegaze standing, but "Twisterella," "Mouse Trap," "Making Judy Smile," and "Not Fazed" stake out new, poppier territory. A thrilling organ finds itself at the center of the mix in strategic spots, and Alan Moulder's production ensures that the sonic details are second to none. The group's allegiance to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound philosophy is given a gorgeous and cavernous grandiosity on the exquisite "Chrome Waves." There's a 10-track version of the album and a 14-track edition that adds four excellent b-sides—including the album's title track(!)—to the original album.