“We were trying to sound like Kraftwerk…”

From the Uncut vaults! Good times, bad times, new teeth and more

The band tell the strange tale of their biggest hit

Following this morning's momentous news of Ride's return to active service, I thought I'd dig out this piece I wrote for Uncut in 2011.

One bright Sunday morning, MC Taylor is driving through his patch of North Carolina, past New Hope Creek and the Eno River, over the Chatham County Line and the James Taylor Bridge in Chapel Hill, near the Haw River and the valley that he has meditated upon in song these past few years. Through apparently endless forests, Taylor's destination is Saralyn, a kind of hippy settlement just outside of Pittsboro.

“I think I’ll go on ’til I drop!”

Around the turn of the millennium, Jeff Tweedy merrily nurtured a reputation as a contrarian. How best could a man, sanctified as the archetype of what was once called alt-country, confound his fans? With antsy powerpop? Radio static? Fifteen-minute ambient noise jams? The recruitment of a fiendish avant-jazzer to take over on lead guitar? A song for a Spongebob Squarepants movie?

“I’m always experimenting… Sometimes you don’t know what you’re looking for until you find it”

I had the good fortune to speak to Ry Cooder for the issue of Uncut that's just come off sale (quick plug: you can read all about the new issue here).

The band explain how they created their opulent, psychedelic masterpiece, A Kiss In The Dreamhouse