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

Mancitydoogle said:
GIN BLOSSOMS NEW MISERABLE EXPERIENCE

Ironically I was thinking of nominating an album that had thoroughly miserable lyrics but I’m saving that for next time!
I thought I stick to an easier choice which has plenty of guitars Rob, and I’ve since found out this album may have a few fans on here but this was already on my list.
I don’t have any personal connection to this band or album, I just heard the first single Hey Jealousy’ on Bob Harris where else ! and loved it immensely
so went out and bought the album which I play regularly particularly when driving.The writer of HJ and ‘Found Out About You’ original lead guitarist Doug Hopkins suffered from depression and addiction which sadly led to his suicide before the band became successful.

I like the jangly guitar sound and some of the variety on tracks like ‘Cajun Song ‘and the Country ‘Cheatin’ but most of the tracks have the catchy hooks and harmonies the band would be identified with.
In my opinion it’s a very consistent album and one I particularly like to play in the summer.
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“Found Out About You” is on my list of top 200 songs ever. Definitely a summer record so you just snuck it in!
 
I normally remember how I ended up liking a band, either through recommendation, TV show, seeing them as a support etc, or more often than not through the music press. However I have absolutely no recollection of how I got hold of this album. I then bought Congratulations, I'm Sorry when it was released but I prefer this one.

I look forward to disagreeing with Foggy about the best songs on here ! :-)

Tangentially all 'John Lewis' style covers of songs should be considered crimes against the arts with the exception of Thea Gilmore's cover of Hey Jealousy because....well it's Thea Gilmore.
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
It's A Shame About Ray - The Lemonheads

...

In that same jangle pop genre, I was still enjoying Toad's 1991 fear, which I feel is more my speed than this one. Another from this same year as my guilty pleasure that I did have was Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience. I never was a fan of the overplayed "Hey Jealousy" (typically a skip), but my go to was "Found Out About You", which alone exceeds anything I heard or enjoyed here. And I'll also note that It's A Shame About Doug from that band, but that's a story for another day.
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Looks like "another day" has now come. It's almost like I saw this album on the near horizon!

I'm happy and relieved to have a familiar album to comment on before my trip across the pond this weekend. Thank you, MCD!

I saw both TtWS and GB together last summer in concert. Great memories again too.
 
There's been talk of some sort of Doug Hopkins documentary or biopic for a few years now but I don't think anything has come of it?
 
BimboBob said:
I've heard the band name before but don't remember any of their songs. Which, after a bit of a Google, is because they didn't have any top 20 hits over here. Or albums.

Still, worth a quick listen before I go out for the afternoon...

It's fucking Friends music again. What is wrong with you lot?
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Wait . . . the guy who nominated the fucking War of the Worlds is asking what’s wrong with US . . . ?! :)
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Looks like "another day" has now come. It's almost like I saw this album on the near horizon!

I'm happy and relieved to have a familiar album to comment on before my trip across the pond this weekend. Thank you, MCD!

I saw both TtWS and GB together last summer in concert. Great memories again too.
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Great double gig I’m jealous as I’m a fan of both and not seen either live.
 
BimboBob said:
I've heard the band name before but don't remember any of their songs. Which, after a bit of a Google, is because they didn't have any top 20 hits over here. Or albums.

Still, worth a quick listen before I go out for the afternoon...

It's fucking Friends music again. What is wrong with you lot?
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This is probably pretty close to Freinds music, really.

Or rather technically, Empire Records music maybe, but not too dissimilar in its essence.
 
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I've just got back from (another) holiday so had some time today to put this on whilst sorting the cases out, spot of cooking and generally getting back to normal.

It's a band that, by rights, I should know or have heard of but they passed me by for some reason. It's always nice to come back to a style of music you lived through, providing you like that style of course!

The album starts out nicely enough with Lost Horizon. Hey Jealousy was slightly better and seemed to be the most listened to track on the album. Then Mrs Rita came on... it was very samey and after a few more tracks I kind of lost which track was which as - to be honest - they all sounded the same to me. They aren't bad tracks, but it didn't grip me

I'll be honest, I think agree with @BimboBob who says it's 'Friends' music. I suspect he's being a little 'cheeky' with it but it does sound like the kind of music they'd play in it! :) that's the next problem, I didn't like Friends! :)

It's not really an album I got really, but it was pleasant enough - never wanted to switch it off but I don't think I'll come back to it either.

5/10
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Wait . . . the guy who nominated the fucking War of the Worlds is asking what’s wrong with US . . . ?! :)
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Aaah but that was of its time, a snapshot of my upbringing. Some of it still stands the test of time, most doesn't. But it's different.

This is polite dirge. A rinse and repeat model from the US that plagued the charts when that hateful programme was on. Nothing happens. It just plods on and on. Nice. Very nice. It's like a Volvo. Safe but average. Where's the...kerpow?

For some reason they didn't make it over here. All I can say is thank fuck for that.

I will give it two more listens when I get back at the weekend in the weird hope that it caught me at the wrong time.
 
BimboBob said:
Aaah but that was of its time, a snapshot of my upbringing. Some of it still stands the test of time, most doesn't. But it's different.

This is polite dirge. A rinse and repeat model from the US that plagued the charts when that hateful programme was on. Nothing happens. It just plods on and on. Nice. Very nice. It's like a Volvo. Safe but average. Where's the...kerpow?

For some reason they didn't make it over here. All I can say is thank fuck for that.

I will give it two more listens when I get back at the weekend in the weird hope that it caught me at the wrong time.
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This predated that show by two years, and probably the GBs never made it because the guy who wrote all this was kicked out of the band for being a drunk and committed suicide a year after the record was released. In fact the story of A&M and perhaps his bandmates making a mint after his death is a sad and controversial one.

Whatever you think of the record, if you can’t cotton to a well-written pop song (and this has at least a few) because it’s “Friends” music, then you’re missing out IMO. And I’m an 80s-were-much-better-than-the-90s guy saying this.
 
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BimboBob said:
Aaah but that was of its time, a snapshot of my upbringing. Some of it still stands the test of time, most doesn't. But it's different.

This is polite dirge. A rinse and repeat model from the US that plagued the charts when that hateful programme was on. Nothing happens. It just plods on and on. Nice. Very nice. It's like a Volvo. Safe but average. Where's the...kerpow?

For some reason they didn't make it over here. All I can say is thank fuck for that.

I will give it two more listens when I get back at the weekend in the weird hope that it caught me at the wrong time.
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I know you like to label everything from Mumford and Sons to Megadeth as dinner party/Friends music but you’re definitely wrong in this case. If you can’t hear that bit of buzz and grit in this than your ears might need a good clean.

By the way, my only previous experience of Gin Blossoms was a track on a free CD with Q magazine. Can’t remember which song, probably one off this album, but I like what I’m hearing so far.

Never seen an episode of Friends though. Maybe it’s full of jangly guitars and throaty singers.
 
RobMCFC said:
I know you like to label everything from Mumford and Sons to Megadeth as dinner party/Friends music but you’re definitely wrong in this case. If you can’t hear that bit of buzz and grit in this than your ears might need a good clean.

By the way, my only previous experience of Gin Blossoms was a track on a free CD with Q magazine. Can’t remember which song, probably one off this album, but I like what I’m hearing so far.

Never seen an episode of Friends though. Maybe it’s full of jangly guitars and throaty singers.
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You've never seen an episode of Friend, really? Wow.
 
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