Andy Bell – Flicker (Released 11th Feb 2022)

Description

//Sonic Cathedral//

£26.99 – Limited Clear x 2 LP

‘Flicker’ is the second album from Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell. Written almost as a conversation with his teenage self, it follows the triumphant solo debut that was 2020’s ‘The View From Halfway Down’.

This 18-track double album finds Andy moving towards classic songwriting, notably on the reflective lead single ‘Something Like Love’, the strident harmonies of ‘World of Echo’, the joyous refracted loops of ‘Jenny Holzer B. Goode’ and the fuzz-laden late-’60s balladeering of ‘Love Is The Frequency’. Stylistically, the four sides of ‘Flicker’ take in everything from modern psychedelia to fingerpicked folk, whimsical baroque pop, and Byrdsian 12-string beauty. It’s a breathtaking array and makes it even more abundantly clear that Andy has entered a purple patch in his songwriting, hitting a new velocity in contrast to his initial inhibitions about becoming a solo artist. He gradually overcame these after the passing of David Bowie in 2016, with the Thin White Duke’s bountiful 50 years of music providing inspiration from beyond the grave.

Tracklist;

1. the sky without you
2. it gets easier
3. world of echo
4. something like love
5. jenny holzer b. goode
6. way of the world
7. riverside
8. we all fall down
9. no getting out alive
10. the looking glass
11. love is the frequency
12. gyre and gimble
13. lifeline
14. she calls the tune
15. sidewinder
16. when the lights go down
17. this is our year
18. holiday in the sun