wow DA, judging from your reaction i better dig out my old Embrace CDs and buy some of the newer ones!
they were just one of those bands i never did give much chances although i do remember The Good Will Out was very good.
as for Shed 7, i have one album called Change Giver, with their best known single "Dolphin," i believe... it's in storage somewhere and i'm not about to go dig it out! they were pretty much on the harder rockin' side of Britpop, but i can't see the Killers resemblance. heard they broke up a few years ago although they had a strong cult following.
good stuff on that Mansun Legacy singles comp, DA! they were one of those brilliant bands that faded all too quickly... but darn, their singles rock. "Stripper Vicar," "Legacy," "Wide Open Space," "Six," "Being A Girl," "I Can Only Disappoint U," all good stuff.
hmm... spinoff projects, i can think of Hurricane #1 right now. when Andy Bell officially disbanded RIDE, he formed Hurricane #1 with a local singer/guitarist (Alex Lowe i think if memory servers me right), quickly signed with Creation, and released their debut album which sounds awfully like Oasis, with maybe better lyrics (all written by Bell). if you like Oasis, you'll like Hurricane #1. their best known song is "Step Into My World," which was once used on a Volkswagen New Beetle commercial years ago. heard their second and final album was much better, called Only The Strongest Will Survive, but i didn't buy it as it wasn't released stateside. of course, Hurricane #1 didn't survive but Andy Bell got his ultimate wish and joined Oasis as their bassist.
Mark Gardener and Loz Colbert (both from RIDE), partnered with Oxford record producer Sam Williams (of Supergrass fame), along with other local musicians formed The Animalhouse. they recorded their one and only album Ready to Recieve, which was a odd but fun mix of Britpop rock, electronica, even hints of world music. if one is expecting RIDE #2 it might disappoint though, as it was more of a Sam Williams album than Mark Gardener. i wouldn't say its a great album, but half of it was good and had its moments.
when The Animalhouse broke up, Mark Gardener toured as a solo artist to fund his debut album (along with Oxford band Goldrush) and released These Beautiful Ghosts in 2005. if you like Carnival Of Light era RIDE, you'll like These Beautiful Ghosts. almost half of it is strictly acoustic stuff, when backed by a full band, the songs are really nice (especially the amazing title track). it also helps that Mark's voice is much stronger and clearer than his RIDE days... depending on your point of view, he's a much better singer these days.
