Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There (2022)

 

6/10 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Ants From Up There is the second record from our British friends in Black Country, New Road. This was a recommendation from a coworker/friend of Mine (thanks Jon). It's a pretty good album! "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" took two listens to grow on me and it does have a line that kind of jolts me out of the song ("breathe in your chicken, broccoli, and everything"). While this is definitely a rock band, think less Guns 'N Roses and more Arcade Fire. It gave me a hefty dose of nostalgia for the Tumblr days of indie rock, and the band themself came out and listed some of those bands as direct influences like Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. 

Highlight: "Chaos Space Marine", what a name huh? This was the song directly recommended to me by my aforementioned friend and I definitely see why. It's the second track on the record following up a really fun jazz and rock-infused intro.