OccultHawk

I may not know all the links from My Bloody Valentine to Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride by The Black Ryder but considering their lack of effort to offer anything new I don't think it matters very much how we got here. Forget any comparisons to Mazzy Star (except The Greatest Fall - Which fails to work the corny 50's sound to dreamland like Mazzy Star and The Cowboy Junkies did) or The Jesus and Mary Chain. This is almost entirely a My Bloody Valentine tribute. So the main question is how does it stack up to My Bloody Valentine. Is this music worth listening to when you get that Valentine spirit? My answer is yes. Heck the excellent Spaceman 3 imitation on What's Forsaken alone is worth your time. Just because I have a bottle Percocet does that mean I never pop a Vicodin? Of course not. Will I screw a fun loving fat chick even if I have a hot girlfriend? You betcha! Spice of life. For the most part this record is indicative of a band that knows their limitations and have the good sense to stay in their lane. They're not pioneers and they're not trying to be. I respect that. It makes for an easier ride.

An album in this genre really has to hang its hat on hypnotism. Instead of going into full modal drone mode we hear some more traditional chord changes here. That means the record has a chance to prove itself more with multiple listens. Once I know the ride well will this music become more enjoyably hypnotic? Can't say. This was my first listen. But I do suspect that this is music that would improve with familiarity and that's a great quality. Time will tell. I'll come back to it. My first impression is a very favorable three out of five stars.