When compared to For the First Time, an Album of the Year contender from just last year, Ants From Up There seems a bit more restrained and willing to approach more conventional structures while maintaining their uniqueness; this was made clear by incredible lead single Chaos Space Marine, a restless and fluid indie rocker that also just happens to present the group in their most accessible light. Concorde follows suit while further illustrating their propensity to stretch out a song for the benefit of its atmosphere. This is further enforced on the sweeping, melancholic Bread Song, which is equal parts beautiful and haunting as it approaches its midpoint before morphing into a percussive, emotional foot-tapper.
The album continues to shift with Good Will Hunting, which incorporates some Pavement-adjacent guitar work alongside synth and brass flourishes that give the song an otherworldly air while Wood's lyrics craft a picture of profound longing even as they reference Billie Eilish style and burning starships. This is followed by Haldern, a heart-tugging love letter that starts out sparse but eventually overflows with fluttering keys, bleating horns and dissonant chords. Separating the album's two halves is the saxophone interlude Mark's Theme, which is made more poignant within the context of its inclusion as tribute to their saxophone player's uncle, who passed away from Covid-19 last year.
The remaining 29 minutes of Ants From Up There is taken up by its stunning, widescreen three closing tracks. The Place Where He Inserted the Blade, the shortest of the three, glides in with lightly tickled piano, mournful sax and gently plucked guitars before suddenly shifting into soaring, Beatles by way of Arcade Fire balladry, tearing it all down and rebuilding it with more intensity; it's all masterfully executed and wholly engaging. Snow Globes follows, taking great care and time to establish its thoughtful, morose mood only to have drummer Charlie Wayne gradually wrestle the listener away with his frantic free-jazz performance that ascends to god mode as it builds toward its gentle dénouement.
Closing track Basketball Shoes, meanwhile, is an entirely different breed of epic. Over the course of its staggering twelve and a half minutes, it goes from richly textured indie rock ballad to fiery post-punk banger before falling silent, regrouping and coming back as a cathartic, sludgy, orchestral movement that comes complete with a choir; there's somehow still time after all of this for a stratosphere-reaching finale that offers unmatched emotional intensity.
To call Ants From Up There a masterpiece almost feels like a cop-out; there is so much to unpack on this hour-long tour de force that the true scope of its brilliance requires more time than any of us have had with it up to the time that I'm writing this. With a step toward accessibility comes the stigma of a dilution of talents, which simply isn't the case here; maintaining everything that makes them special while introducing wider-appealing elements is perhaps the most impressive achievement on Ants From Up There.
Personal well-being is, of course, paramount in importance when compared to critical or commercial success, and I certainly wish Isaac Wood the best in his endeavor to improve himself; having said that, it's truly a shame that we won't get to see these songs performed with the group as it is on record live, as I'm sure they would be even more impactful in that setting. I am heartened, though, by the lofty note he's chosen to go out on; by presenting a more nuanced, expansive and diverse palette, Black Country, New Road have elevated themselves and their music to a level that seems impossible only a year removed from their previous release, and have gifted the world with 2022's first truly incredible album.
February 4, 2022 • Ninja Tune
Highlights Chaos Space Marine • Concorde • Basketball Shoes
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