Black Country, New Road - For The First Time

 

"For The First Time" is proof that although they were late to the party, "Black Country, New Road" is the best scene to happen in current post punk recently (the most comparable with 2020 might be West Of Eden and although I prefer the super duper highlights of HMLTD, I'm the first to acknowledge that "Black Country, New Road" is much more cohesive/instant classic. Hack, I might prefer "For The First time" in favor of the Idles' magnum opus. This is so but so good - I had to be digging around in the bottom of my barrel of nitpicks to find any flaws in this debut.

Speaking of which, how is this a debut?????? This has left me speechless - the sound of Black Country, New Road" is not only innovative but also superbly detailed. IT IS SO GOOD! The very premise of the band is superb: it brings together the unpredictability of jazz, with the riffs that made post punk so artsy and iconic. This rules! I've been listening to this for about a week now, and I seem to know this band on the same level as Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party or Interpol. 

Needless to say how stupidly solid this LP is in technical terms, right? All the instruments sound as they should, tremendous chemistry between all the members, and very commendable, textured atmospheric constructions. Another constant to highlight is the constant use of drops/climax/accelerate-decelerate which are always top notch moments.

 Tell me a better way to open an album than , "Instrumental" a (very complex) jam involving all band members, gradually adding instruments, namely percussion, guitar, bass, saxophone, violin and keys. They speed up and slow down the melodies with incredible dynamics, and just when you think they have reached the climax and it's about to end, they find a way to do two more climaxes and further refine the track, which would already be a highlight on any album.

In "Anthens, France" the band's instantly charismatic vocalist acts through monologues - in a way, it feels like he's in a play - through monologues that express a lot of emotion.The acting is so convincing that I believe every word that comes out of his eager mouth.   The extremely engaging (and very peculiar) narrative monologues continue in "Science Fair".Even more peculiar are the self aware references to Slint/ micro - inspirations: I feel like I've heard these sounds somewhere before, but they are so well grouped that you can't even practically notice the influences.  Also, the distorted and textured saxophone blowing adds a brutal versatility to the album! Let's hear it for the windy atmosphere and climaxes (there are several!) of Sunglasses, so great! "Track X" has a typical romantic atmosphere/vibe of gothic vocals and very atmospheric female singing. It sticks the landing! "Opus" manifests festive builds and organized chaos (in the best sense), as well as feeling how much it cost "Black Country New Road" to get to this level in every word. 

The moment everyone was waiting for: nitpicks - certain elements can become a little repetitive (Instrumental). Even though it is quite self aware I can't deny the influence of certain artists on the band (The Cure - "track X" for example), and lastly, although they are more than what was asked for the lyrics could be even better.