Britpop is back, but not poppy, nor chart-orientated, nor with a macho rock ‘n roll
attitude. No, new British bands like Black Midi, The Murder Capital (well, actually,
they’re Irish), and Black Country, New Road explore other directions.
These young gunslingers dive into not-commerce-orientated sonic territories resulting in experimental exploits of their own containing prog and math rock, jazz, post-psych-punk, and other musical challenges. I agree they do not invent a new wheel, but the way these bands turn different genres upside down and create an adventurous sound without resonating arty-farty or complex is pretty terrific.
One of them, London’s collective BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD stunned with their brilliant jazz-infused debut album For The First Time early this year. And they’re ready
for a second time with the follow-up ANTS FROM UP THERE. Out next year, on 22 February. Order info here.
Press statement: “Almost exactly a year to the day from the release of their acclaimed debut “For the first time”, the band have harnessed the momentum from that record and run full pelt into their second, with “Ants From Up There” managing to strike a skillful balance between feeling like a bold stylistic overhaul of what came before, as well as a natural progression.”
Along with this announcement we get the lead single.
CHAOS SPACE MARINE is “the best song we’ve ever written. We threw in every idea anyone had with that song. So the making of it was a really fast, whimsical approach – like throwing
all the shit at the wall and just letting everything stick.” says frontman Isaac Wood.
Turn Up The Volume: From outlandish sonority – think Scott Walker – to Zappa-esque adventurousness, from a ‘normal’ song (Marlene Dietrich) to free jazz weirdness. The sonic mind of this impressively inventive band is both inscrutable and intriguing. Cavalcade confirms the experimental brilliance of their debut LP. Miles Davis experimenting with guitars in the 21st Century.
Turn Up The Volume: Manimal and Samara are a poetallica sensation. Imagine Sylvia
Plath fronting a theatrical and mind-challenging psychedelic noise band. Their debut album is a multi-faceted opus in sound and vision. Compelling poetry embedded in a titanic thunder and lighting symphony going from perplexing metal to chill-out ambient. The final result is at times jaw-dropping, at times confusing, at times dumbfounding but always fascinating. When surreality becomes reality you know something is about to happen.
Turn Up The Volume: Finally, Iceage do what they were expected to do for a long
time. Creating a standout album that makes the hair in the back of your neck stand
up. Melodramatic with ardency, impassioned with vigour, romantic with grimness. Charismatic frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt leads the troops as never before.
Their fifth, their best.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: Gusto, high-spiritedness, and anxiety are the
keywords here. This warm-blooded record is a heart-rending reflection of the
group’s state of 2021 mind. A galvanizing collection of cohesive poignant emo
songs influenced by the disturbing way our troubled world is handling human
issues, once-in-a-lifetime dramas, and the personal turmoil of frontwoman Chavez.
Her soul-stirring and powerful (Aretha Franklin / young Tina Turner) voice, weeping
guitars, and the electrical intensity are at times overwhelming and heartbreaking. Impressive!
turn up the volume: i’m damn sure this incredible punch-powered-punk-passion
turbo was here before, about 40 years ago, inspiring bored kids like black flag, shellac, melvins, jello biafra, and other anarchist snotnoses, to leave home, steal guitars and drums in order to have some wild fun while scaring bad people with their deafening racket. so here they are back again, inspiring young social media junkies to steal guitars and drums instead of watching their phones all day long. home is where it all starts when you have no money to rent a smelly rehearsal room to rock your heads off. so you move into your own basement and scream your poor lungs to pieces. listen up all you lost teenagers out there, play i became birds over and over again ’cause these hungry florida misfits can and will save your lives. home is where this fuck-and-punk-tastic record is made.
key track:sewn together from the membrane of the great sea cucumber
Turn Up The Volume says: Like Pavement going prog rock with the sound- exploring
state of mind of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Jazzy and classical music textures make sure your curious mind is focused all the time. And singer Isaac Wood‘s voice resonates freakishly identical to the chilling voice of American songwriter Conor Oberst from indie band Bright Eyes. It’s not a happy record, but who needs cheesy pop tunes all the time in these science-fiction-like times, anyway. I know it’s their first time, but these hungry noise crusaders will stun us again and again in the future. Believe the hype.
Turn Up The Volume: This black and white pearl is a mix of the romantic crooner and
the haunting crooner. Growing with every spin. Compelling orchestrations, classical arrangements, with Ellis showing his musical skills once more. Can’t remember when Cave made an average album. Did he, actually? Okay, Carnage once again on my headphones.
Turn Up The Volume: The rap and roll venom of Rage Against The Machine, the fuck-you-hypocrites grimness of Black Flag, the punky saxophone of X-Ray-Spex, the sharp poetic spit and sneer anarchy of Mark. E. Smith, the challenging spirit of open-minded-plainspoken-ass-kicking-anti-establishement doom and gloom crusaders. Sounds exactly like 2020/2021, like the end of the world as we know it, but also like an album that’s going to be on my earphones for a long time.”
Turn Up The Volume: A fitting soundtrack for a funeral. The funeral of humankind. The funeral of the planet we, ourselves, destroyed. Somber and apocalyptic. Repetitive doom-and-gloom psychedelia. Repetitive wall-of-guitar-scapes. Goosebumps all the way. But in the end, Godspeed thinks we will start all over again, a new beginning, a new future. Let’s hope so.
Turn Up The Volume: Except for flaming rockers Smile and Play The Greatest Hits
the band takes a different direction with a stream of epic ballads with gospel-like
choirs (The Last Man On earth), emotional symphonies (How Can I Make It OK?) with
multi-layered goosebumps harmonies and orchestrated pop brilliance overall.
Band: BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD Who: Seven young London misfits who made
an immense impression with their wayward
prog-post-punk-and-post-jazz debut album For The First Time, released last February.
Covered song: MAMMA MIA (1975)
by Swedish hit machine ABBA
Here’s the live version as played yesterday at
a (socially distanced) gig in Birkenhead, UK.
Big fun, folks!
To my ears, 2008 single TIME TO PRETEND still is the best thing
American electro pop eccentrics MGMT ever did. A gloriously
catchy fantasy tune about being a rock star.
New British hype BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD launched their
highly praised art rock-jazz-pop debut LP For The First Timetwo
weeks ago. Just before the release, they shared their interpretation
of Time To Pretend. They slowed it down and turned it into a
stunning, melodramatic ballad.
Here’s their pretty WOW version…
I’m feelin’ rough, I’m feelin’ raw
I’m in the prime of my life
Let’s make some music, make some money
Find some models for wives
I’ll move to Paris, shoot some heroin and fuck with the stars
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars
This is our decision to live fast and die young
We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun
Yeah, it’s overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?
