Ants From Up There - Black Country, New Road
I never felt the crumbs until you said
"This place is not for any man
Nor particles of bread"
I'm glad my review is actually after BH85's, because that's always a good reminder that it's getting late and I'd better weigh in on this, and a lot of what is noted is also how I feel about this album, and a few other good points on a couple lead singers.
I remembered "Basketball Shoes" from our May interlude, you know, the song that had nothing to do with sports or much less its title. That 12 minute plus song (which easily exceeded Rob's 9 minute limit mark) was just a preview for what this album would deliver, just even more of the same: quirky, painful, detached, yet spot on. And let me take a moment to also thank Rob for what was my favourite review of the album from a narrative point of view, even if we may not see eye to eye on this one. Had I know
@mrbelfry better than I think I do now, this song would be a dead giveaway, and maybe I should have just listened to this whole album at the time to really have it properly narrowed down and hammered home, because as interesting as the lyrics are here in a strange way, I feel like I get to read honesty in a review weekly here in a similar fashion that I don't always understand, but never leaves me without thought afterwards.
The "Intro" here set us up perfectly for "Chaos Space Marine", which was enjoyable with all the instruments sounding off at a seemingly oddball kind of way, until you realize it's all part of the plan. Once the violins come in at around 1:20 in, I had a strong Arcade Fire feeling that really couldn't be denied. The "Concorde" was mentioned in at least 4 songs, including the one with the song title.
"Bread Song" is a standout, a slow burn that reminds me of something off of Radioheads'
A Moon Shaped Pool period. I'm sure there's better comparisons, but that's all I got tonight, but it is undeniably haunting with the sticks and the slow guitar sounds that drives us through the story of distant love and pain and symbol of the breadcrumbs left in bed behind.
This is definitely an album that needs time, and I'm not sure that a week is going to be enough, because my feeling now isn't the same as it was after the first listen. The weak part of the album to me before it redeems itself with the final 3 songs is probably something I'd appreciate more over time, especially the complexity of "Haldern" musically.
I don't mind Isaac Wood's vocal delivery at all either. I didn't think too much about it until I read some reviews here. I wouldn't want it sounding different because there's a strong emotive presence and delivery that speaks to the feelings of the songs written.
I like the 3 closers after each other - 7, 9 and 12 minute numbers can deliver that well. "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" musically is amazing and conveys real pain in trying to move on from emotional wounds, and there's that mention of the "Concorde" again and the group musical harmonization at the end again reminds me of a strong Arcade Fire song where everything builds up, but this one moves along slower.
"Snow Globes" is right up there as another powerful song, and you then realize there's that final real closer they still have up their sleeve to know this won't be it. I liked the loneliness theme in this with the title metaphor for being trapped in one's own world or circumstances. And sometimes that needs to be shaken to really make things happen. Did this need to be 9 minutes? Maybe not, but I will say that the music variation and strong percussion as the chorus refrain repeats until the end is pretty powerful.
I tried to tie this all together with the final song that mentions the Concorde again in the first line, but I struggled until I read one review that seemed to capture the album and Wood's "sudden" departure as this all makes sense, to the point of - I wonder if he didn't have this planned all along?
The whole album is a metaphor for his toxic relationship with his fans. The more fans he gains, the more expectations he must meet. Through his lyrics, he is leaving his breadcrumbs in our beds: we are the toxic lover. We are the Concorde.
Either way, I found this album very compelling and musically in the same vein of bands I enjoy and a challenging listen. While I'm not feeling what Wood is feeling, the effort and music that is along for the ride of the challenging lyrics is pretty varied and compelling. It's an appreciative
7.5/10 for me for the slow burn and feast of strong closures that each one up the previous track.
