Somehow close to the "vibe of Tokyo": Black Country, New Road / Ants From Up There (2022, UK)

Black Country, New Road emerged from the group of bands known as the UK indie rock South London scene. Following their debut last year, they have released their second album. This work has a more focused content, adopting the UK rock tradition—specifically, the Beatles, or rather, the Kinks-esque method of "layering various sounds"—but for some reason, it also feels like J-POP or Japanese indie sound production. It evokes soundscapes and melodic developments that resonate with the Japanese indie rock scene, reminiscent of older bands like boat, Cero, Sunny Day Service, or Quruli. It is music that somehow seems to fit the atmosphere of a Japanese city. There is a vibe suitable for background music while walking through the city at night.

After a tasteful intro, the album opens with the "three-minute drama" of "Chaos Space Marine." This 3-minute-36-second track unfolds dizzyingly, embodying an "experimental yet pop" sound, much like the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations."

Just when you think it will continue in a pop direction, the third track "Concorde" is 6 minutes long, and the following "Bread Song" is also in the 6-minute range, with somewhat longer tracks lined up. It gradually becomes an introspective world, and the fourth track has a sinking, introspective worldview. A soundscape spreads out that feels like being lost in thought or exploring the depths of one's own inner self. There was also an announcement four days before the album's release that frontman (guitar/vocalist) Isaac Wood was leaving due to mental health issues, and such conflicts may be contained within it. However, since it is ultimately a band (and a seven-piece one at that), it does not have the pitch-black heaviness of a work created by a single singer-songwriter (while they were suffering). It just gives a sense of profound shadow.

They are a band that can be seen as part of a movement along with other bands that emerged from South London, such as Dry Cleaning, Black Midi, and Squid, but as of last year, their reputation was not yet settled; their "interesting member composition and youthful ensemble-like presence" were praised, but it felt like their recorded music alone didn't quite break through. It feels like they have transformed significantly with this second album. The downer parts are thoroughly downer, with a depth that feels like diving, but there are also well-prepared parts that evoke a sense of exhilaration as you rise back up, making various emotions well up while listening. As a whole, it is an urban soundscape, but it also uses chamber instruments (instruments used in classical music, non-electric instruments), giving it a pastoral feel as well. It is interesting that this does not feel rustic (country), but rather like a nostalgic sensation within the city.

The band name "Black Country" refers to the major industrial area in the UK centered around Birmingham, which was historically a coal mining region. That is why it is the "black country." It is blackened with soot. Although this band is currently categorized as South London, they are from Cambridge, not London, and are not from the so-called "Black Country." However, the title contains the word "major industrial area" and the "new road" there. In Japanese, it would be like "a new road in the Keihin Industrial Region." That's the Wangan Line, isn't it? Well, "new road" probably doesn't mean that. Still, even from this sense, I think it's a good band name that is slightly nostalgic while also exploring hope for the future. This work has found a soundscape worthy of that band name, feeling the past of UK music (though, to be honest, the UK wasn't that active in music; there are almost no famous classical composers, and the UK only became a music powerhouse in the 20th century) and the present, and a faintly visible future. The way they use the orchestra and the sense of effectively incorporating a UK jazz-like soundscape into their own format is similar to last year's Little Simz, even though the genre is different. It is not as sophisticated as that, and there is a more DIY-like clumsiness, but they successfully incorporate non-electric instrument sounds—what is commonly called chamber rock—into that "indie band-like soundscape." After the heavier 3rd and 4th tracks, there is a short interlude, then the 8th track "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" is 7 minutes, the 9th track is 9 minutes, and the final track "Basketball Shoes" is 12 minutes, with the dramas gradually becoming longer. The only track that is easy to understand at first listen is the second one, and after that, soundscapes continue as if the ups and downs of emotions are being written out, like reading a story. It doesn't seem that meticulously crafted (I think they just layered sounds simply), but it is strange that the tension and concentration are maintained with an exquisite balance, allowing you to listen to it the whole way through. It might be a soundscape that packages jazz-like "improvisation" as it is.

In my previous article, I wrote that "the pioneer of the self-produced singer-songwriter is the Beatles," but strictly speaking, there is jazz. Jazz was popular from the 40s to the 50s, and they performed improvisations by deciding on motifs and themes rather than self-production. That is why albums were released one after another, and the pace was fast. It was common to release several albums in one year because they were "live albums." They recorded improvisations as they were and made them into albums. In the first place, in the old days (until the early 60s), there wasn't much multi-track recording technology, so it was a one-take recording, and you could say they didn't refine things that much in the studio. Therefore, rather than "deciding firmly as one song," it had the nature of "changing every time it is performed (though the basic beat and the main motif melody are decided)," and that contingency was recorded as is. This album also has that kind of "live feel." Perhaps the era has come full circle and is returning to that. A good record that makes you feel like you participated in a live performance, making you "feel close to the band." Even on the harsh RYM, as of now, 2022 tentative number one. With over 13,000 review votes in less than a month since its release, it seems to be quite a talked-about album in the RYM community. It must be an "album that makes you want to talk about it."

You can listen to the entire album on Bandcamp. I hope you will play it in your room or on your headphones.

Manual recommendation for those who liked it