I’m glad you reviewed the second best Slint tribute band

The female vocalist on Track X is Georgia Ellery, the violinist. She is one half of another music duo called Jockstrap who focus on more electronic compositions. Her voice is used to much greater effect in their work, especially on the single Acid. Genuinely beautiful, I look forward to hearing that kind of sound more consistently in BCNR.

have you listened to black midi’s Schlagenheim? it’s a very interesting project and they’re a young group from London.

Both the band name and the album cover I think further play into the band's perspective on modern pop culture. The name itself came from a random wiki page generator. The album cover, and much of the band's recent music video's are all stock photos and footage available on a shared online platform. It in a way really contrasts the post-punk/proggy nature of the band which I think is an interesting take, nodding maybe to a new generation of post-punk music. I do think this is intentional and personally haven't seen it before so quite like it, but I can completely understand opposing opinions

"I'm so ignorant now with all that I've leant" One thing that becomes apparent as you get older is the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know. Not quite the Dunning Kruger effect, which I think is more about confidence than knowledge. More a self-realisation, every bit of knowledge comes with a new set of questions and unknowns. Another great review. Yours is the only channel where I pause, rewind & re-listen over and again. Cheers Tim

The Brixton (an area in London) scene is one of the most exciting music scenes in the world currently. At the centre of it is a pub called The Windmill and a record label called Speedy Wunderground. The Windmill will let pretty much anyone play and have hosted some very early performances from some great artists. Speedy wunderground just seem to be ridiculously good at finding new talent. I highly reccommend diving deep into their releases, especially if you liked this album and even if you didnt. The other two artists from this scene that i would reccomend most, especially if you like BC,NR, are Black Midi and Squid. Also the reason they keep on referencing their name in their music is Black Country, New Road is meant to be a metaphor for a good path out of a bad place.

As a British man in his 40s I really enjoyed this review. Not a massive post punk fan. But big fan of the output of the Label Ninja Tune which the band are signed to. There is something about this album that I can't put my finger on. But can't stop listening to it.

Sorry this is late, but Opus is actually a song about the dissolution of the previous band most of the members were in, Nervous Conditions. The lead singer of Nervous Conditions sexually assaulted women while drunk, and after finding this out, the band promptly disbanded and reformed as BC,NR without the previous vocalist. Isaac Wood is essentially mourning the band and friend he had to cut off. "What we built must fall" is referring to the band, and "I guess I'm a little bit late to the party" is about him not finding out about his ex-friends behavior until that point.

The "I guess in some way" line was actually filled in for the aucoustic version of the song. I really like it, it goes "I guess, in some way I've always been the guest." I interpret it as meaning you were never really at home with someone. You never really felt like you belonged, which is pretty relatable.

Hadn’t heard of the band before seeing this review, just gave it a listen. It’s really good stuff! Thanks for the recommendation!

10:10 oh my God😂... The absolute pinnacle of British music observation

Squid is another band that is similar to BCNR but with less hype surrounding them and their debut album is also coming out this year

AVAA - I don't know if you listened to Slint since the time of this review, but if not I think you should. It's really impressive to see the influence a bunch of teenagers in late 80s had in a lot of rock subgenres since then. So much of my favorite music from the last 30 years is direct or inderectly influenced by Spiderland (including BCNR, of course) it kind of blows my mind.

Great review, it's been a pleasure to listen to

Alright so you just became my go to channel about music. I love this idea where talking about art is just much more fun than rating it. Keep it up

Surely one of the great channels for current reviews! Here's such a lot of commitment, imagination and down-to-earth, yet highly sophisticated joy for details, its really fun to watch!

i have been recommending my dad many new albums because of your channel. keep on with the great suggestions :)

Black Country, New Road is a very internet-centric band. They found their name though pressing the “random article” button on Wikipedia. The factor that they say connects them the most is pop music, like Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepson. Isaac said Bart Price “insisted he take control of our Instagram”. Also, the “so ignorant now” lyrics make more sense when you listen to the original version.

Thoroughly enjoyed spending a half hour with you and intend to return. I don’t mind the album but I’ve sat with two of the songs for a couple of years and the re-records don’t have the intensity for me. But, I agree, great to see where they go next.

Thank you for this passionate review!

Nice work! Love the review... I must pick up this album👍

For my music related YT fix, I watch you, Rick Beato, and Jamel aka Jamal...all 3 of you are quite different but anyway...cool that you mentioned Rick.

Awesome video! Would love to see a review on black midi’s schlagenheim, they are friends of bc,nr.

My favorite album of 2021.

23:23 That line makes me curious, since it was one of my main reasons for paying close attention to the Black Country proposal, "I'm so ignorant now with everything I've learned", due to the theme of the album, I always interpreted it. like the feeling of not living up to where we're supposed to be, it's very important because it relates to a lot of things about modern society that is talked about in most of the album, you know, inadequacy and all that, although it has many conveniences and shortcuts to "stand out"

I think the perspective took on Sunglasses is a particularly middle/upper class one, and so the idea of being “ignorant with all I have learnt” could be about being educated at Oxbridge or a private school but to wilfully ignore poverty/ social issues that do not impact your circle. And the second half of the song features this man putting on sunglasses to remove himself from “lesser” people (roadmen has particular class and race connotations)

Thanks for uploading, good work!

quickest review turnover i've ever seen

That moment you mentioned where you suddendly had to buy the album is one of the things i cherish the most in music, how this little bit of sound opens up a "world" in itself

Yes, that's like an anxious zombie type revival of rock, by its core instrumental ensembles, adding up winds, and strings, but the rhythm section is there, always, repetitive, built up as a bed for Isaac to go from there thru here speaking or yelling, all of it is so we'll crafted I just leave thinking how do they build this without loosing the grip, its amazing, Opus is orgasmic

Don't know if anyone has pointed it out yet, but a month or two ago they released a different version of Track X that features just Isaac's vocals and an acoustic guitar. In this version he finishes the "And I guess in some way" line by adding "I've always been the guest". This new line itself is likely a reference to Isaac Wood's solo project, The Guest.

Great review!

putting this in my "good shit" playlist

Great Review.

This album is technically impressive and I would see this guys live but this album felt like a prog album playing dress up as a post punk album with calculated “cool” lyrics. I think you got sunglasses a bit wrong I’m pretty sure he’s singing about becoming the wealthy father of a girl he’s seeing. You should listen to the original version of the song it has more edge sonically and the lyrics are more forward. Also you need to listen to Spiderland by Slint it came out in 91 you shouldn’t have missed it!

You speak too well on this stuff, subscribed dude.

You asked what's the meaning of "I'm so ignorant now with all that I've learned"> Basically, at this stage in the song, he is throwing his hands up in the air with the feeling of inferiority. He's had enough of people who think they know better than he does on how to live his life. The song devolves into chaos, just like his life, until there's a moment of clarity and he feels like he has power again when he puts on sunglasses. It doesn't last long as his facade is realized, his mind starts to tailspin, and the song begins to devolve again where he repeats "I'm so ignorant now with all that I've learned". Despite his education, he feels like a failure, but he starts pushing back and comes to the conclusion: "I'm more than adequate, Leave Kanye out of this, leave your Sertraline in the cabinet, and burn what's left of all the cards you kept" "I'm more than adequate, Leave my daddy's job out of this, leave your Sertraline in the cabinet, and burn what's left of all the cards you kept" In other words, I'm good enough, who cares about celebrities, goodbye antidepressants, and F it all.

Great review! :)

The deal with the Black Country is that for a long time, it has been the worst part of England. Every single person who has lived there in the 60s-70s has described it as pure hell. It was way more than just industrial. I forgot which musical producer told in an interview that when they were kids, they passed through the Black Country by train and they covered their eyes because they thought the devil lived there. It was all factories with gigantic burning ovens, fire, and huge toothless men hammering metal pieces. But it’s also a place that have a decisive role in music history because this is precisely where Metal music was invented. Black Sabbath and Judas Priest’s members are from there, and as well as Robert Plant and John Bonham. This guy who looks like a carpenter but who will revolutionise the whole place of drums in music. It has all started in this tiny part of England.

Could you do a review of flowers for vases by hayley williams, her new album

The windmill in Brixton!!

12:54 Me too

The song sunglasses is from the perspective of a past generation man reflecting on how the world evolves, witnessing a black country( a fast pace, progressive world, riddled with machine and advertisement) "I'm soignorant now with all that all that I've learnt". To quote the Simpson's " I used to be with, then they changed what "it" was. Now "it" is weird and seems scary to me." Its addressing how common knowledge changes with time. New fads, new common core, life in general. The line "I'm invincible in these sunglasses, cars are going beep beep beep" is depicting this depressed "boomer"esque person walking in the middle of dense traffic. He talks how hes modern scott Walker, and that he wants his ti stop dressing like richard hell. He feels his generation is superior and had class. Modern time is ripped Jean's and skating

Review by professor hype

i think when isaac says pinnacle of british engineering he makes the connection between personal and collective, points to a fundamental problem that with all the acess to history we keep ignorantly making the same arrogant mistakes

you should probably review slint - spiderland ASAP

Or is it Bob Dylan My back Pages? Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now

You need to listen to SQUID - Bright Green Field

In addition to the beginning of Instrumental and Good Times Bad Times being the same rhythmically, they're also the same note-wise. What a crazy coincidence!

Led Zeppelin have a song called Black Country Woman. Have the band been asked if theyre influenced by Led Zeppelin?

You better check out slint spiderland

Guy from the future here, their next album blows this one out of the water

YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO SLINT LIKE NOWWWW

I enjoyed hearing your observations, though I'm a little surprised that you were so accepting of the vocalist here. I really like their music, but I find his over the top histrionics difficult to stomach. Maybe they should let the woman sing more.

whats the green flag? cool review

They kind of are prog though! 😆

i hope you will review the new Foo Fighters's new album Medicine at Midnight soon. (out earlier this week)

listen to spiderland

dude u need to listen to slint

Yup they're definitely not Led Zeppelin as they didn't plagiarize a bunch of their first album like Zeppelin did.

If it takes less than a second to identify an artist's influences, is it _really_ experimental?

The weakest song on the album is "Athens, France", imo. Its Slint influence is a bit too derivative. Still, it's a strong 8 to a light 9.