ANTS FROM UP THERE

February 4th has turned out to be a great day for music fans with not only the release of Animal Collective's latest which finds them back on top of their game but also the second anticipated release of Black Country, New Road which took the world by storm last year with its debut that blended a unique concoction of prog, klezmer, punk, jazz and indie rock. To make things even more dramatic, vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood left the band just a week before this album's release today. Cited mental health issues as the reason, the band is forced to cancel its American tour. Well that sucks! Fortunately before Wood left he contributed his last creative efforts which deliver an amazing payoff with an instantly loveable album in the form of "Ants From Up There" which finds the band taming things a bit in the direction of post-rock, chamber pop and slowcore with only a few heavier moments for contrast. Sounding a bit like a more modern version of David Bowie's art rock from the glam rock days, this album also finds the band sounding a bit like more modern acts like Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. Also cited as existing in the emo camp, Black Country, New Road's has indeed delivered one of the most consistently brilliant albums of 2022 so far not only in that it instantly crafts memorable melodies but displays a distinct unique sound all its own even setting it apart from last year's debut. So far the best album of 2022 that i've so far experienced and this has been a pretty good year so far!

4.5 but not rounded up