The Album Review Club - Week #194 (page 1303) - Ants From Up There - Black Country, New Road

threespires said:
Haha. My next pick might not be to your liking but we'll see.

Anyway looking forward to Gorniks go tomorrow. Might guess early without the clues! I'm going with Sasquatch.
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I'll guess early with Euphoria Morning.
 
Hear The Rivers - Greenleaf

I previously liked two of Greenleaf's songs from our Playlist thread. “Ocean Deep” from 2014 Trails & Passes and “The Sirens Sound” from last year's The Head & The Habit. I liked those songs on their own as standout tracks on a diverse artist playlist, so I was curious how I'd take a full album.

Turns out, quite well. I do agree with @Coatigan that this is easily an album you can have on in the background and work to, and there is a sameness consistency to this goes down well. I thought I heard the start of or some variation of Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" with the closer "The Rivers Lullaby" with its 8 minute frenetic closing. "Got to have that good closer!" and this does.

Most have touched on the vocals, strong heavy guitars, and some well executed drums to keep things going. From the get go, the drums and then guitars that come in make it clear what's to come. While I'm not going to draw a direct comparison, I also heard the Dan Auerbach similarity early on, and at times just a hint of Chris Cornell, especially in the final track as already noted.

It's hard to separate out the tracks into a favourite, but to me, If I had a top 5, it would be:
  1. "The Rumble and the Weight" (ohoh)
  2. "A Point of a Secret"
  3. "In the Caverns Below"
  4. "The Rivers Lullaby"
  5. "Let It out!"
But then I was upset with myself for leaving off "High Fever" and "We Are the Pawns"...

This album makes no pretenses on what it is or isn't, it is coming right at you with those mentioned instruments and vocals and let there be no mistake in what is driving this train. I found it unsurprising that Spotify could find no similar artists I recognized with this band, and that both was a good indication of more out there to both enjoy and that I'm not in on, and that this is not my typical "go to". But perhaps parts of this is or should be, at least moreso? This is an easy 8/10 for me to pile onto the overall enjoyment here that is Blue, Carbon, er, I mean, Greenleaf.
 
I managed to get another 2 whole listens in on the way home today (I really hate having to drive through Belfast traffic and outside lane sitters all the way home)
For a second week running it has been really enjoyable to listen to the offering and again one I may return to having never heard of Greenleaf or the genre.
As @GornikDaze has said, great drums and bass back everything give a really great foundation for everything else.
It is also interesting to note that as per last week I think there is a spread of which people think to be their favourite track. It clearly shows it was a good pick as it is catching the attention of so many of us.
For me the favourite was "Sweet is the Sound", followed by "Let it Out" and then the driving "Good Ol' Goat".
Something very good from the Scandies and a well deserved 8 from the Derry jury
 
Greenleaf - Hear The Rivers

Well this got the juices going! Love the loud wall of sound, the riffs, the vocals.
All tracks consistently good but maybe lacks a really great track and stand out single.
Definitely some comparisons with QOTSA, Hives, Strokes (vocally), Arctics and more.
First couple of tracks 'Let It Out' and 'Sweet Is The Sound' set the tempo for a very good album. Good pick!

8/10
 
LGWIO said:
For me the favourite was "Sweet is the Sound", followed by "Let it Out" and then the driving "Good Ol' Goat".
Something very good from the Scandies and a well deserved 8 from the Derry jury
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I think what I like about this the most is that one listener will gravitate towards different songs than another. "Something for everyone" works pretty well.

Another key note that the "sum is greater than the parts" and there really isn't just a single tune or two and some filler. Not here.
 
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BlueHammer85 said:
Interested in the average score for this one, looking to push a European spot I think.
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Not kept track, but seems to have been a mix of 8s and 5s, but not much else that stuck out. So probably average out to a 6.5 or so.

I think with Benny having given this an 8, I might have now across the nominaons so far collected an 8 from evey regular poster. Which is a nice wee full house hand to have. I think.

RobMCFC said:
Any more votes for Greenleaf before the changeover?
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Was maybe secretly curious in what Ob1 would have had to say, more because of his relative musical leanings. Score or not, more in his thoughts.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Interested in the average score for this one, looking to push a European spot I think.
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Given that European places are down to about 8th in the Premier League, an equivalent position in our table of 170 albums is the top 68.

I would say a good marker is all those albums with an average of 7+, which is 36 albums at the moment.
 
Coatigan said:
Not kept track, but seems to have been a mix of 8s and 5s, but not much else that stuck out. So probably average out to a 6.5 or so.

I think with Benny having given this an 8, I might have now across the nominaons so far collected an 8 from evey regular poster. Which is a nice wee full house hand to have. I think.


Was maybe secretly curious in what Ob1 would have had to say, more because of his relative musical leanings. Score or not, more in his thoughts.
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How many years and nominations have you waited on me scoring an 8.
 
bennyboy said:
How many years and nominations have you waited on me scoring an 8.
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Since the dawn of time!

Na, not consciously been looking for it as such, just a general feeling and that the 8 prompted me to consider. But I also haven't looked back so could be wrong, may have already happened or may have missed someone else. It wasn't all that serious a remark.
 
Has Hear the Rivers by Greenleaf made it into the European places? You betchya :)

Pulling in a disappointingly low 10 votes, but on the upside 6 of us gave it an 8, including the usually frugal BimboBob (average score 4.90) and bennyboy (5.08). The final average is 7.30, which is good enough for 17th place in the overall table.

This week it's the turn of Grandad @GornikDaze, so called because he's busy being a grandad, so I'll post these clues before I disappear into a meeting.
 
Album title

AlbumClue.jpg

Band name

What Noel and Liam's dad might have called them for a while, but maybe not now they are doing a series of concerts together.
 
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