Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There

Release Date:  February 4th, 2022

I know I listened to them last year, but it wasn't enough to make me look forward to their follow up. Interestingly, their lead vocalist quit the band a few days before this record came out.

Review: Anyways, I must have gotten this band mixed up with Black Midi because they are both from the UK. After the intro, "Chaos Space Marine" is such a circus. It reminded me a lot of Arcade Fire because you can hear a lot of moving parts and you know he's in the center of it. Then for "Concorde," its a slow song, but I was hooked the entire time. It feels very monumental and grandeur.

I hear a lot of post-punk with his vocals, and during the instrumental parts, a lot of post-rock goodness. The songs in the middle are fine, but I feel like they demand a lot of your attention. The song structures aren't as obvious here. My favorite song is probably "Snow Globes" because it has strings and it take full use of its 9 minute runtime. The ending is so climatic, like you could imagine a scene from a movie playing.

I imagine most reviewers will talk about "Basketball Shoes" because the band said it's the blueprint of this album and it's older than their debut record. For that, I respect it, but it's not my favorite.

Summary:  Is this the end? The lead singer is gone. They remind me of my first listen to Arcade Fire's Funeral because this album's scope is huge, mostly in the chamber pop, post-rock and jazzy realm and the post-punk world. The album demands your attention. There's a lot of moving parts and it's interesting to hear what other people are doing on this album.

Favorite Songs: Chaos Space Marine, Concorde, The Place Where He Inserted the Blade, Snow Globes
Rating: 8/10