Black Country, New Road - For the First Time
Ninja Tune
For the First Time is the aptly titled debut album from London art rock/post-punk/experimental rock seven piece Black Country, New Road. A band that have kept the music world eagerly on the edge of their seats in anticipation over the last couple of years. Singles such as 2019's 'Sunglasses' and 'Track X' built resounding hype in lead up to the albums eventual arrival and now its here in all its splendor!
Continuing the great start to the year for the Ninja Tune label comes the inevitable next step for the latest re-establishing of post-punk. BC, NR wear their influences on their sleeve but they execute the way all great bands do and put enough of their own spin on it to make it theirs instead of a straight up homage to days gone by. The re-working of Sunglasses shows that the band are willing to start over if they feel like improvements can be made. It adds a flair of confidence, willingness and awareness that every great act needs. The addition of a distorted guitar intro adds a viscerally emotive impact. For a young band to happily make changes to their most popular material is quite the ballsy move. I first heard the original version of Sunglasses on the tail end of the 2019 summer. It struck me as an animal unto its own. The beautiful guitar melody resonates on another level. Nostalgic memories of childhood and missed opportunities reside within the walls of its 9 minute runtime.
Opening instrumental cleverly titled 'Instrumental' is like Radiohead's 'Street Spirit' and Unwound's 'Terminus', off of their 2001 masterpiece 'Leaves Turn Inside You', coming together and culminating in a Slav squat jubilee. If that sounds strange it's because the music ties together a myriad of different sounds, concepts and geographical character that it's hard to pin down a concrete tag. As if the band has assimilated world music while still remaining undeniably British.
Packing witty and sardonic leanings to lead the charge, front-man Isaac Wood comes off in a similar way to James Murphy on LCD Soundsystem's 'Losing My Edge'. It sounds like he's sick and tired of gatekeepers of the art-form in which he's invested everything. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you come around to it it become quite a memorable take on the front-mans role. Like an upper class Mark E. Smith after taking elocution lessons that were gifted as Christmas presents from his parents. The addition of wind instruments changes the atmospheres ever so slightly and turns it into an almost sarcastic affair which in turn backs up and bolsters Isaac Wood's performance.
The bands performances can be a tad bit underwhelming at times. You're expecting tracks to go full in on a downturn and it comes off as if the band aren't as fully invested as much as you'd hoped. Still well executed but not pushed to possible breaking points. While it is a superb effort I think that maybe it hasn’t quite met the hype. It most definitely is a breathe of fresh air to the music scene however. You get the feeling that, like a fine wine, it's only going to get better with time. Add BC, NR to the list of prodigious acts from the burgeoning British scene which includes the likes of King Krule, black midi, Shame and Squid. These acts are the front-runners for most promising and in some ways most important acts in recent times.
Favourite Track: Sunglassess.
