Riding To The Places We Have Grown (Rides - Reef)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Rides - Reef
Date:	16/10/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A mellower sound that really highlights the vocals of Stringer

Disadvantages: Totally forgotten and dismissed to the baragin bins too quickly

Over the years there have been a number of bands that have been by and large overlooked by the British music buying public. After their success with "Place your Hands" it seems that Reef slide away into this category to almost be totally forgotten about. It would probably be a surprise to many that since releasing the track they'll always be remembered for they have subsequently released another three albums. This is their third Studio album and comes two years after the success of "Place Your Hands" and seems to highlight the start of the decline that seen Reef become the forgotten band.

Recorded just two years after the bands second album Glow, Rides is perhaps an album that should have been a lot bigger than it actually was. The Somerset 4 piece had been steadily growing in stature with their first two albums but the third album seemed to be released without any fan fare and allowed to slip away into the night. It's unclear as to why the band just seemed to fade away as it's not like this album isn't as good as those first two albums, it just takes a more mellow approach.

In fact in total there were only three singles released from Rides before it was confined to the bargain bins and HMV sale, which in my opinion was a real shame. Whilst the album didn't follow exactly in the footsteps of Glow it gave the band a slightly different repertoire of tracks and added something a bit mellower to their catalogue. It's an album that passes you by without too much kicking and screaming and allows you to relax and unwind and I think that was perhaps its downfall.

It's not like this is actually a bad album. It has a very chilled out vibe to it that really seems to suit lead singer Gary Stringer's vocals. There is a bit of a meaning in the lyrics and with the more gentle approach to the vocals on tracks like "Metro" it works very well and the combination of his vocals and the musical accompaniment work particularly well. The words have a sense of meaning and depth to them that whilst being relaxing seem to real touch home and I'd almost go so far as to say make this my favourite Reef album from a vocal perspective.

Of course it's not just the vocals that make this album and the slower tempo of the tracks seems to really show reef for the talented musicians they are. It becomes evident on numerous tracks on this album that they aren't just a fast and furious rock band and can do tracks to suit a more chilled out mood. The guitars in particular are used a little less sparingly and with the introduction of acoustic guitars on a number of tracks really compliment Stringer's vocals perfectly.

While the albums that went before it really made their name I think this album actually highlights what the band were best at. With some truly beautiful tracks that really work well it highlights the bands ability to take their trademark rockier sound and turn it into something far mellower. It should have been the perfect next step for this band and why the album didn't turn them into a huge household name still escapes me. There are some incredible tracks on this album like "Hiding", "New Bird" and "Metro" that had me hooked from the first time I listened to the album.

Now of course 10 years on from the album's release it still sounds as fresh as on its original release and that is quite an achievement. It has some similarities to quite a few recent albums and the best comparison I can think of is to that of the newer Snow Patrol albums. Of course the album was soon forgotten about as Reef released the follow up album just a year later but even with that return to their Rockier routes didn't seem to stop them slipping away. This though is a forgotten classic and is available on amazon for as little as 1p, which with an album of this quality is more than worth it.

Summary: The third studio album from Somerset Rock band Reef