Black Country New Road 'For The First Time' (ALBUM REVIEW)

The contrarian in me normally swerves bands who’ve enjoyed the hype festooned on them like Black Country New Road have over the past few months, despite their dearth of recorded output. 

Take the Cambridgeshire origins, avant garde sound and frenetic dry-ice shrouded live shows and comparisons with Pink Floyd are likely, not forgetting accusations of posh kids slumming it in a certain part of London, in the hope of garnering street cred rubbed off other local scensesters.

Finally, it’s time for their music to do the talking for them as their first album, the 6-track ‘For the first Time’, released on 5th February by freakout specialists Ninja Tune records, and completed just prior to the first lockdown, takes a bow with everyone wondering what level of sartorial adornment the Emperor can actually boast. Frantic middle-eastern influenced opener simply titled ‘Instrumental’ adds to the initial unease, are BCNR struggling for material? Conversely, the seven young scamps could just be messing with our heads, ensuring quality control remains as tight as possible; anything sub-standard simply not making it over the pass until it’s been polished to within an inch of its life.

The band’s two previous singles appear albeit re-recorded but hey, if David Bowie can do it then it’s good enough for anyone, right? The sprawling art-rock voyeurist odyssey ‘Sunglasses’ boasting a nervous breakdown midway through proceedings, frontman Isaac Wood name checking Richard Hell, Scott Walker, Kanye West whilst sounding like Neil Hannon and clearly craving the antidepressants he shuns, Lewis Evans making his disobedient sax sound like a vuvuzela. Wood sounds even wobblier in the reprised version of ‘Athens France’, resembling Zilly from Vulture Squadron about to withdraw his head into his banana souwester and slink away for good. Things get truly unhinged on ‘Science Fair’, reminiscent of ‘A Day In The Life’ transported to Scaramanga’s lair, Wood shrieking ‘It’s Black Country Out There’ in peak Syd Barrett bad trip mode, a short Frenchman scampering past carrying a tray of spiked champagne glasses.

We do get to enjoy rare moments of sunlight and tranquility, particularly on the wistfully nostalgic 'Track X’, sounding like a supergroup merger between Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Pulp, the female vocals in the chorus the one truly disarming moment in ‘For the First Time’s’ dense sonic undergrowth. Pretentious, fascinating, baffling, yet never dull, and all the better for the gratuitous sax and senseless violins.

Words - Mike Price

BCNR official