Ants From Up There
Black Country, New Road (BC, NR) is a band from England that started in 2018. It consists of seven members, each one more British than the next. "Ants From Up There," released in 2022, is one of my favorite albums of all time. Here’s my review.
There are a lot of people in this band, and they are all essential. The trumpets, violin, and keys are so well played throughout the album. Isaac Wood, the main vocalist, is probably the best thing about the band, in my opinion. So much emotion and rawness come through his vocals that it’s sometimes chilling. Witty, intelligent, and heartbreaking lyrics are delivered in such poetic ways in every song.
The first track is an absolute banger of an instrumental, featuring violins, bass, guitars, trumpets, and keys—basically, every instrument you can think of. It flows seamlessly into the next track, “Chaos Space Marine,” which is also perfect. An electrifying song with parts that sound like a western soundtrack (at least to my mind), it ends beautifully with backing vocals from other band members and all the instruments coming together. This album is folksy, artsy, and almost a bit rock but very alternative.
“Concorde” is a heartbreaking song with beautiful guitar and drum work. The track ends with so much energy it gives me chills. It’s overwhelming but in a beautiful way. “Bread Song” starts off very calm, with Isaac reminiscing about his past lover and his regrets. When the drums come in, a whole different song presents itself. This one is very theatrical and grandiose, with a lot of violins. Isaac is very good at painting a vivid picture in your head with his words. His word choices, pace, and voice are perfect. I have nothing but praise for his performances; they are all outstanding. “Good Will Hunting” is a happy song about how he sees his future with a girl. Once again, it is beautifully written and produced to perfection. The drums on this track are amazing, punchy, and electrifying.
I’m going to skip a few tracks on the tracklist to speak about my favorite track of 2022, “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” (keep in mind that the songs I don’t mention in this review are also perfect to me). This is a slow burner of a song. The first two minutes build slowly to the hook, and then you hear, “Good morning, show me the place where he inserted the blade.” He’s talking about his frustration at being unable to help the one he loves. His vocals here are very special. This song alone made me rethink my list of the best vocalists of all time. The last two minutes are just an absolute eargasm. Isaac gives his all, the whole band starts singing “la la” in unison, and all the instruments come together to create a wall of sound that gives me absolute chills. It’s a seven-minute song that uses every single second perfectly. This is an amazing song, a perfect song that deserves its place in the hall of fame.
There are two songs remaining on the record, and I don’t even want to talk about them because I don’t want to spoil them for anyone who hasn’t listened to the album yet (you should). Let me just say that they are also perfect.
This is a review of total praise; I have nothing bad to say about this record. Everything is to my complete satisfaction. Believe me, I tried my hardest to find flaws that could make my review a bit more critical, but I couldn’t. This is a perfect album, and you should go listen to it. right now.
BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROAD - ANTS FROM UP THERE
RATING - 10/10
FAVORITE TRACKS - Concorde, Good Will Hunting, Haldern
GENRE - Alternative Rock, Folk, British Rock