Ride used to be one of the coolest bands on the planet. Although their first EP Smile didn't completely win me over, the thoroughly awesome Nowhere blew me away. Goin' Blank Again was almost equally majestic. Suddenly, Ride decided to give birth to a giant poop log and disguise it as a CD. 1994's Carnival of Light probably ranks as the biggest disappointment from a competent group to ever sour my ears. Now, they're calling it quits, and the swan song is called Tarantula. It's better than Carnival of Light, that's for sure. It's more stomp than swoon as evidenced by the lead-off "Black Nite Crash." Another number, "Castle on the Hill," is good vintage Ride music that made me smile. That's about it, though. A lot of the tunes don't fail to hold my interest, but they also don't give me that huge, superhero glow that songs like "Seagull," "In a Different Place," "Twisterella," and "Leave Them All Behind" did. Oh, well. We'll always have Nowhere.

-Jason Josephes