THE BLACK RYDER @ Death By Audio

Anatomy Of A Dream…

Freshly imported from Sydney, Australia, The Black Ryder are now settled in Uncle Sam’s land a year after the release of their staggering debut album Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride.

I was lucky enough to get a snapshot of their scenic route, my most expected show of 2010, while they made a stop to the Big Apple on a day off from their current tour with The Cult.

Seminal duo Aimeé Nash and Scott Von Ryper have three partners in gaze on keys, drums and bass/guitar.

Following in the footsteps of My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, this is exquisite revival with a peculiar enhanced value : an enrapturing bubble of lascivious voluptuousness bursting with longing and fullness at the same time, a sexual tension that is naturally triggered by the chemistry between Aimeé and Scott and feels as spiritual as it is sensual.

The Ryders have complementary velvet voices that sweep you right away into a fantasy land, letting you fly high in picturesque landscapes, somewhere amidst rainbows and unicorns or land on a desert road in the middle of nowhere. However, these shoegazers also know how to kick it hard with lush layers of fuzz that will give you goosebumps, thus making you skillfully drift between melancholy and enthrallment.

Their songs are endowed with a cinematic feel as their atmospheres convey refreshing freedom. “Sweet Come Down” for instance is so unique and well crafted that it sounds like an instant classic.

With eye-catching stage presence individually and jointly, the Bonnie & Clyde of shoegaze are the loveliest shade of black in space and bring a new realm of energy to the current music scene, a rare and precious item in this reductive industry of cool.

A Must See.