YOU KNOW him so well, of course, as one of the creative forces behind shoegazing legends Ride; and when Andy Bell stepped out from the boys from OX4 last autumn for The View From Halfway Down, you knew it would be a cracker. And your instincts were right. We reviewed it here and said, for the record, “[It’s] an eclectic and heady mix of psych, folk, tronica, baggy looseness and more – and nary puts a foot wrong.”
Now Andy has released “Skywalker”, one of the highlights of the album, as a single; go glory in the trippy, solarised video colourburst video, which comes courtesy Jean De Oliviera, down below.
It’s pop as it should be, so rarely is these days; exploratory, melodic as hell, bleeding off with a little experimental edge.
We said when we reviewed the album: “You awake from a luscious dusk dream to the pert beats of “Skywalker”, a meandering riff tugging at your chest with that correct dose of melodic yearn. The guitars downstroke for that mod pulse.
“It breaks down to a droning six-string ring around which Moogs swirl, and you can see the declared Spacemen 3 influence, wholly in a genius way. If this had come out as a single from Going Blank Again and/or, at a stretch, Recurring, you could well believe it.
“British guitar pop brilliance with leftfield edges to fire your cerebellum; hasn’t that always been Andy’s great strength?”
The single includes a stripped down acoustic version and a euphoric remix by Pye Corner Audio.
“It is dedicated to my daughter, Leia, who was named after the Star Wars princess,” says Andy.
“It’s about being a parent, watching your children grow up, reach adulthood and live their lives and feeling unbelievably proud of them. It’s for all my kids, but inspired by my eldest.
“Musically, I was channelling Michael Rother and Neu! and the Roland synth reminds me of World Of Twist.”
During the Tim’s Twitter Listening Party for Andy’s album, just after its October release, none other than Luke Skywalker himself, actor Mark Hamill, got involved. And that’s just perfect.
“Skywalker” is out now digitally; tune in on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
Andy Bell’s The View From Halfway Down is out now on Sonic Cathedral on digital, CD and vinyl formats. To order your copy, visit the Sonic Cathedral shop or Andy’s Bandcamp page.
