I heard that lyric on the radio (with the subsequent line "with frail hands, she grips the nutribullet") when I was driving, and laughed so hard I pulled a muscle in my ribs and nearly crashed
"Sunglasses" is about Isaac on the house of his rich girlfriend' family. He is uncomfortable there and with the thought that he might become them one day. It is brilliant! Then he puts the sunglasses on to feel better.
It's my favorite track, but I liked the single release version better. "Fuck me like you mean it this time, Isaac!" But this version is also great and the old one still exists, so it's all gravy.
@@FeNIIXX96 A friend of mine was saying the same thing yesterday! Because I didn’t hear this version first, it’s tough for me to be bummed about the differing versions, but I’ll admit the single version is way more raw and goes a little harder
@@ashspike5232 yeah I had tickets to see them right when the first lockdown came in and it's just been delayed indefinitely sadly. Did get to see them back in 2019 though and they were great.
Yeah I think that's a good point, like he said the beginning I think they are still trying to figure out who they are as well so I feel like their best is yet to come
It's not inventive whatsoever. I viscerally dislike this. Whenever there's a great instrumental moment, like the roaring guitars on "Opus", the vocalist comes in and drolly says some monotone, self-impressed shit about dating or pop culture, and the energy is immediately drained. People compare this to Slint, and that's downright embarrassing. The instrumentals lack the atmosphere and masterful pacing that Slint offered. Spiderland's entire appeal is how in control the band is about their dynamics, every loud crescendo feels genuinely earned after an entire song of tense build-up. This lacks a lot of originality. It's like these guys listened to Spiderland once, and decided to make a Zerwee-type album thinking they were actually doing something interesting. "Athens, France" is a perfect example of this. Also not afraid to hide the influence from fellow form-obsessed neo-yuppie outlet Black Midi, the vocalist sounds like the guy in creative writing class that thinks he's smarter than everyone else because he uses pop cultural references in his oldtimey postmodern poems that never really say anything. If this music was made in the 70's it would still be obsolete in its avant-garde pretensions. The lyrics are utterly uninspired, but it's like a bunch of artsy misdirection to trick people that it's saying more than it really is. Give a vague metaphor here, stream-of-consciousness lyric there, and it's a song... I guess? Here, especially in the middle of the record, crescendos and dynamic changes aren't earned, the lad just reads from his journal, sounding like he's about to bust a nut, and suddenly there's some Klezmer horns from out of nowhere! Whoa, how neat! It truly is like being stuck with some random dude talking about boring shit at a Black Midi concert. It's so corny it manages to suck out everything that could be actually fun about this. I like some Black Midi for sure, but a great deal of these modern post-punk outfits are either unoriginal and repetitive or just vastly middle-of-the-road. This one is an exception though, it's the first one where I truly felt like I just wanted to throw up. This band is like a middle-class art student shouting at you all the time: "Look at me, check out how different I am!!" But they are actually really boring. If you take your boring song ideas and stretch them to over 6 minutes and add some random horn instruments and boring/cringe lyrics, it doesn't make them any better and doesn't magically transform them into good music. Play 6 minutes of a 7/8 guitar riff and say shit like “I remember when we fucked against my Sonic Youth poster. Your father stood in line at Tesco for a toaster” and then start blaring every horn instrument you can find around the 4 minute mark and people will lap it up like it's Shakespeare and Beethoven. This whole album is a fundamental misunderstanding of generic tropes. They're the type of losers who look at a piece of music and say "oh, this song is just based a single augmented chord repeated with syncopated rhythms and spoken word vocals that build to a climax... so if I do that I have a good song." The wry, ironic post-punkisms they're trying to hit on just don't work over tortured Slint rip-off guitar riffs. Some of the instrumentation is cool but the way the album is structured lacks cohesion, flow and meanders into self-indulgence. The build ups and loud/quiet dynamic happen for no reason seemingly, as they diffuse before exploding into anything interesting. Many of the lyrics on this album would be near the top of my Least Favorite Lyrics list if I ever made one, but the one that takes the cake is "Leave my daddy's job out of this." Are they speaking from the first person? As in they want people to not talk about how they have rich parents or something? Which is how they are able to have such a following even though they suck? Or are they speaking as a character of someone who has a rich dad and got where they got in life through their parent's influence? Which is totally not how we, Black Country, New Road, got to where we are in life. Also, if we're talking about the rambling, pretentious lyrics, there's one in particular that I want to bring up: "I am the modern Scott Walker". I know that it's supposed to be partially tongue-in-cheek, but the singer's vocal style is clearly influenced by Walker, so since they brought up the name, I have to say: step the fuck off it, man. Scott Walker is the modern Scott Walker. Bisch Bosch isn't even a decade old, he released material less than half a decade ago, and he died less than a couple years ago. To think that we need a new Scott Walker, a one-of-a-kind visionary, merely two years after he's passed, and that it will come in the form of something as derivative as this is laughable at best and outright offensive at worst. Black Country, New Road are the Greta Van Fleet of 'experimental' post-rock.
@@th3giv3r Black Midi may be the best Soft Machine tribute act. I'm still trying to wrap my head (and ears) around 'Cavalcade'. BTW, i did get a chuckle from that line in 'Science Fair' as well. Where the heck did they pull that one from? Slint only had two albums.
Finally listened to this. Very, very good. I was engaged from beginning to end. The Slint influence is obvious, but this feels like a natural progression from where they left off and has plenty of twists and turns throughout. I never knew quite what would happen next. Amazing for a debut. I look forward to hearing more from them for sure.
Fans complaining about the score is the most bitch shit of all time, he thinks the album is great. An album can still have very little to no flaws and not be perfect, it just means it's consistently really good but not 10/10 amazing
Bruh. You nailed it. I thought I was reminded of the more explosive moments of Paul Dano's performance in Love and Mercy, but it's definitely more There Will Be Blood-esque.
Just listened to this after the news of Issacs departure. Absolute Stunning, wild and riveting, and the finish is so beautiful my goodness, looking forward to the new album which I guess may be the grand finale.
I'm such a Slint snob that before I heard this album I was offended by everyone making the comparison and wanted to hate this. I'm both proud and ashamed to report that this album is excellent.
@@CerdurTV 😫 Well it's just the front man that's left, the band isn't entirely officially broken up yet. I could see them having a King Crimson type career where they put out a lot of interesting stuff which is always overshadowed by their debut but still ok.
@@jayr.3720 or a Pink Floyd move where the lead singer left due to mental illness, while the band members looking for new sounds and eventually outshined their og sound
Always read the drama at the heart of Sunglasses to be class anxiety, of feeling out of place with his girlfriend's more snobbish family (especially with the original "big pharma" line). I suppose the feeling of not being smart enough, or interesting enough, plays into this, but at the heart of it was not feeling like he belonged due to the particular affectations of the family as laid out in the first verse. The titular sunglasses then referring to the ways he hides that anxiety, which of course eventually break down
@@brench2236 do u need something pRoFoUnD & eXpErImEnTaL for an anwser so i can be truly validated or can i get away with that i listen to lady sovereign and kreayshawn??
Black Country New Road is a great band, so refreshing to hear modern music that’s actually really good and pretty original. This album is very good it’s a solid listen. The jazz instruments mixed with the post punk and the vocal delivery is incredibly well done. The instrumental parts alone are totally emotional. I think Opus might be the best song on the album
I think Sunglasses makes a bit more sense if you're British because it makes so much more sense if you understand the sub-set of British culture he is referencing. I think the lyrics are meant as the experience of an alienated observer and at some points inhabiter of the culture of the upper-middle class - particularly their pretensions ('6-part Danish Crime Drama...') and vacuousness; the sunglasses section I believe is him speaking from the perspective of the "father", and his anxieties and coping mechanisms. Lyrically it's an example of cultural critique as well as a chance for Isaac to play a linguistic and narrative game and inhabit other voices - he states that he feels as if he is "becoming her father" and then literally does in the next lyrical section - which makes the critique all the more biting. It's pretty great.
I discovered this band because of this review. It’s a phenomenal album! I’d give it a 9 In part because this album does what great albums do, keep you wanting more
Thank you. Like he gave some criticism but people look past it because he prasied it so much. Like the dude can say any number and people would be pressed
Sometimes I feel crazy for being lukewarm on bands like BCNR that get universal praise and hype. They’re great, but the heights they were lifted to confused me. Again, I really like it, but I don’t see what differentiates them from any other great current band to the degree that they’ve been deified. There are just so many great bands putting out new music or debuting every other month… I don’t know how some people keep up with it all, while also listening to a new release enough to form an attachment or strong opinions about it. I have a close friend who is constantly on top of new releases, while also having deep knowledge and experience with post-rock, slowcore, post-hardcore, emo, etc. It seems like he must only listen to a new album he likes for a few weeks before moving on to other things to be able to keep up with it all. But he somehow manages to always have impeccable taste. Some bands you immediately know are up your alley, but others take some time to reveal themselves to you. I find myself sitting with a new album I like for months, and sometimes I’m just into the same handful of new albums I’m discovering, often because they were recommended to me. It surprises me how some people have an ear for immediately recognizing an emerging band as exceptional among other up-and-coming bands or artists in the same genre. I’m 3am schizo posting, but this is something I’ve been confused and vaguely frustrated about that’s hard to put into words.
Wow, dude You successfully put into words what I have been feeling about this cycle of new music discovery for a long time. I also have a friend with an immaculate taste and a good grasp at what is up in any individual genre, releases and such. I've never been able to keep up with him, my listening habits are much more fit to vibe with the same music for like a season and than have that period of my life be captured on that music for quick access to the memories of future me. And now I just stopped bothering. Listening to music is not a competition, you don't owe anyone to listen to whatever Antony ranks a 10 or what RYM defines as a genre defining classic. Life is not enough to listen to all the good music in all its variety, there's that much great music. And that's good, that means that whenever you need some new music you can just stretch your hand and grab some. This summer I stretched my hand and it returned with BCNR, and I listened to it for two months, I've seen sunset over the mountains with the final part of Basketball shoes on, I've walked through a night city over the first track off this record here on repeat. I came to terms with my approach to listening to music and don't really want anything else. Well maybe a bit more willingness to take risks when picking new music, but it's our brain's feature to find familiar stuff comforting and generally preferable. I only hope it doesn't get too bad in old age It's more like 4am for me, but I get the vibe
@Death Hand Studios Yeah I'm a big fan of cicierega and mostly agreed with that score. I just think Fantano overrates a lot of pop type albums and gives too much extra credit for political themes he agrees with; however I suppose that's only natural
@Death Hand Studios Yeah, I just don't have another decent outlet for video reviews on experimental music (besides deep cuts) right now so I stick with Fantano, even if most the stuff he reviews nowadays doesn't appeal to me.
@Death Hand Studios Fair enough. I've been browsing soundcloud lately personally as it's pretty good for finding music that's unique but doesn't fit under the usual umbrellas. It seems like artists that do get big enough to be reviewed by Fantano and others tend to be more homogenized.
THE ABSOLUTE PINNACLE OF BRITISH ENGINEERING Love this album. It's an artistic emotional breakdown with chaotic instrumentals that sound just as disturbed and distressed as the vocals, along with lots of jazzy mixes that remind me of In the Court of the Crimson King
HOLY SHIT... months ago, i was browsing the back catalogs on UA-cam of smaller twitter musicians, and it autoplayed into Black Country, New Road's Science Fair. It blew my mind but i totally forgot about it after that night. .. wow isn't sooo cool i knew a thing sort of before i heard it from fantano?? also love the video for SunGlasses
Though I actually really enjoyed this review, and feel like Anthony really likes the album and gets it, this review will not age well. There is a lot of instances where what he's actually doing is laughing at a person who is having a public airing of the baggage associated with his mental episode. It kind of serves as a very great reminder that there's probably no good time to be referring to somebody as insane and laughing about it. Still love you anthony.
The old versions of Athen's, France and Sunglasses are better tho... Not only are the original, more personal and crude lyrics better, so is Isaac's performance really, he kinda lost it in the new Sunglasses
They cite changing it due to altered feelings Issac has towards “the girl”, as they don’t feel comfortable being that crude or nonchalant about the person they’re referring to. The new version also has a more caged tension, with Isaac sounding like he’s about to pull himself out of a pile of chains that he’s attached to.
Maybe the album didn't have big flaws, but wasn't good enough to be a 10 or I don't know, that's the explanation I tell myself every time he fucking does this.
Think of it like a grilled cheese it can be really good and have nothing wrong with it but at the end of the day that shit is a grilled cheese not a lobster
Putting track x in least favourite is so pretentious. Like “oh, this song is pretty and not experimental and cerebral so it sucks” whatever its the best song on the album
Was just about to search if you'd done anything on their EP or anything. Sunglasses has been one of my favourite songs over the past couple of years, and the sound that they create live is phenomenal.
FLORAL SHOPPE REDUX REVIEW (please and thank you, i really wanna know your thoughts on how vaporwave has really blossomed and withered since your review)
@@ankitchauhancr7 Because it turned out that he is not well. Personal and mental health issues forced him to leave the band just before the release of the second album. But Anthony's question about his state of mind sounds ironic to me, which is why I think, the comment has not aged well.
The sequencing and pacing of the album is pretty good. Track X didn't do much for me when I listened to it alone as a single, but it makes a lot of sense in the context of the full record. It makes for a nice little soft track in the middle of Sunglasses and Opus
I don't like pitchfork, but u gotta admit, some of the lyrics arrreee quite cringe - the lyrics feel a bit "it's not my fault I'm a bad person, I'm just too clever." That said, I love it!
So sweet of Anthony to put his daughter's graduation photo on the shelf instead of a vinyl this time.
So proud of her 👏👏👏
What album is that?
@@luccasescobar9249 it’s by Kero Kero Bonito, it’s called Graduation if I remember correctly
@@BobV97 it’s bonito generation
@@mrLabear yes, coincidental. 🤣
Anthony gave this album an 8 because of the lyric, "Mother is juicing watermelons on the breakfast island"
i dont know why, but i audibly laughed really fucking hard at this.
I heard that lyric on the radio (with the subsequent line "with frail hands, she grips the nutribullet") when I was driving, and laughed so hard I pulled a muscle in my ribs and nearly crashed
it reminds him of a future he's no longer part of
the absolute pinnacle of british engineering
AND WITH FRAIL HANDS SHE GRIPS THE NUTRIBULLET..
*praises every track for like 2 minutes each with no real critisism*
*gives it an 8*
higher than it deserves!
@@t.c.bramblett617 how come?
@@t.c.bramblett617 this record was phenomenal, how come?
@@t.c.bramblett617 tf u talking about g
@@VoicelessAuthority i would give it a 7.8
This album is the peak of British engineering
The absolute pinnacle, if you will
Sounds like you've never heard horns in rock music before
@@mammothpool it's a reference to a lyric
@@mammothpool Sounds like you've never heard Sunglasses
I understood that reference!
TL;DR review: the album is more than adequate
dude, leave Kanye out of this
Leave my daddy’s job out of this
why don't you leave your sertraline in the cabinet
And burn what's left of all the cards you kept
And f*ck me like you mean it this time Isaac
That’s the most praise I’ve ever seen loaded onto an album that is not a 10 wow
Really deserved one tbh
it reminded me of the black midi review ngl
he said nothing negative and then gave it a decent 8
Yeah, i would give it a strong 9 personally
I think the massive hype ultimately is going to keep most critics from giving it a ten (though it probably deserves it imo)
British post-punk bands are the only thing holding my patriotism together at this point
Shame and BC,NR holding the homefront down. 😞✊
Not based
"Sunglasses" is about Isaac on the house of his rich girlfriend' family. He is uncomfortable there and with the thought that he might become them one day. It is brilliant! Then he puts the sunglasses on to feel better.
It's my favorite track, but I liked the single release version better. "Fuck me like you mean it this time, Isaac!" But this version is also great and the old one still exists, so it's all gravy.
yeah how did he miss this? it's really obvious he's in someone else's house.
@@KyleGooner4 Anthony is so ignorant with all that he's learned.
Yeah and the sunglasses is obviously about people not being able to see his eyes so he doesn’t have to worry about that.
@@Matthew-zv8qe the father is the one wearing the sunglasses
"Sunglasses" blew me away the first time I heard it.
SAME. That ending!
it blows me away everytime i hear it
Same although I prefer the single version over the album version
@@FeNIIXX96 A friend of mine was saying the same thing yesterday! Because I didn’t hear this version first, it’s tough for me to be bummed about the differing versions, but I’ll admit the single version is way more raw and goes a little harder
LEAVE KANYE OUT OF THIS
Honestly listening to that, I'm genuinely surprised he didn't give it a 9. It is a great album that I think is totally worthy of a 9.
And his review was totally going for it, i'm surprised too
I'm expecting that this will land very highly on his end year list. It has to be lmfao
An 8 is when he's afraid to give it a 9. It's all calculated
He's gotta leave room on the scale, cause he's already looking forward to an even better follow up album :p
Yeah, but I can still see it ending up on his top 10 or even top 5 this year, kinda like what happened with Veteran by JPEGMAFIA
This band and Black MIDI are the most interesting post-rock/noise-rock groups out right now very excited to see what their futures hold
And Squid
@@wyntresnephew8552 yes agreed fully
I like Squid and this.and this band but I can’t see what’s so great about Black MIDI
@@brianjones2583 what’s great about black MIDI is black MIDI
honestly, I'm not quite sure what Black Country put on the table that Black Midi haven't already in a more nuanced manner
The horns in Opus add an insane depth
thanks for adding a good comment about the album and not one of four unfunny jokes
@@Princeps32 no problem, gotta appreciate this work of art.
I could not stop banging my head repeatedly throughout most of this track
@@mcgot2good this essay is literally the Greta Van Fleet of UA-cam comments
@Ivory_ Lagiacrus_YT The comments section is to host comments, some of which will be opinions. Sorry to see you so upset.
Opus is the best song released in 2021. The moment I finished the album I immediately bought it on vinyl and tickets to their live gig in Newcastle.
How do covid gigs even work
Whos " we " and if the country you mean is the UK I live there im just asking how it works you knobhead
@@ashspike5232 seated, distended
BCNR not the sort of band you'd wanna sit to, kinda disappointed
@@ashspike5232 yeah I had tickets to see them right when the first lockdown came in and it's just been delayed indefinitely sadly. Did get to see them back in 2019 though and they were great.
I think he gave it an 8 to say, "keep up the good work, we want to hear more."
Yeah I think that's a good point, like he said the beginning I think they are still trying to figure out who they are as well so I feel like their best is yet to come
Challenge accepted
and what do you know, they actually did better :0
Solid 9 for me. One of the most inventine, cool and musically sound debuts of a rock album in SO long. It's refreshing and breathtaking.
This and Black Midi's are, hands down, the best debuts in the last (at least) 5 years
golgi instantly thought of black midi heading into this review and thinking about band debuts
This album was insane. Sunglasses was such a good song to hear and like you said, the whole album is a breath of fresh air
@@AwakeyJoe69 I've never even heard of this band ...and im from the UK "black country"
It's not inventive whatsoever.
I viscerally dislike this. Whenever there's a great instrumental moment, like the roaring guitars on "Opus", the vocalist comes in and drolly says some monotone, self-impressed shit about dating or pop culture, and the energy is immediately drained.
People compare this to Slint, and that's downright embarrassing. The instrumentals lack the atmosphere and masterful pacing that Slint offered. Spiderland's entire appeal is how in control the band is about their dynamics, every loud crescendo feels genuinely earned after an entire song of tense build-up. This lacks a lot of originality. It's like these guys listened to Spiderland once, and decided to make a Zerwee-type album thinking they were actually doing something interesting. "Athens, France" is a perfect example of this.
Also not afraid to hide the influence from fellow form-obsessed neo-yuppie outlet Black Midi, the vocalist sounds like the guy in creative writing class that thinks he's smarter than everyone else because he uses pop cultural references in his oldtimey postmodern poems that never really say anything. If this music was made in the 70's it would still be obsolete in its avant-garde pretensions. The lyrics are utterly uninspired, but it's like a bunch of artsy misdirection to trick people that it's saying more than it really is. Give a vague metaphor here, stream-of-consciousness lyric there, and it's a song... I guess?
Here, especially in the middle of the record, crescendos and dynamic changes aren't earned, the lad just reads from his journal, sounding like he's about to bust a nut, and suddenly there's some Klezmer horns from out of nowhere! Whoa, how neat! It truly is like being stuck with some random dude talking about boring shit at a Black Midi concert. It's so corny it manages to suck out everything that could be actually fun about this. I like some Black Midi for sure, but a great deal of these modern post-punk outfits are either unoriginal and repetitive or just vastly middle-of-the-road. This one is an exception though, it's the first one where I truly felt like I just wanted to throw up.
This band is like a middle-class art student shouting at you all the time: "Look at me, check out how different I am!!" But they are actually really boring.
If you take your boring song ideas and stretch them to over 6 minutes and add some random horn instruments and boring/cringe lyrics, it doesn't make them any better and doesn't magically transform them into good music. Play 6 minutes of a 7/8 guitar riff and say shit like “I remember when we fucked against my Sonic Youth poster. Your father stood in line at Tesco for a toaster” and then start blaring every horn instrument you can find around the 4 minute mark and people will lap it up like it's Shakespeare and Beethoven.
This whole album is a fundamental misunderstanding of generic tropes. They're the type of losers who look at a piece of music and say "oh, this song is just based a single augmented chord repeated with syncopated rhythms and spoken word vocals that build to a climax... so if I do that I have a good song." The wry, ironic post-punkisms they're trying to hit on just don't work over tortured Slint rip-off guitar riffs. Some of the instrumentation is cool but the way the album is structured lacks cohesion, flow and meanders into self-indulgence. The build ups and loud/quiet dynamic happen for no reason seemingly, as they diffuse before exploding into anything interesting.
Many of the lyrics on this album would be near the top of my Least Favorite Lyrics list if I ever made one, but the one that takes the cake is "Leave my daddy's job out of this." Are they speaking from the first person? As in they want people to not talk about how they have rich parents or something? Which is how they are able to have such a following even though they suck? Or are they speaking as a character of someone who has a rich dad and got where they got in life through their parent's influence? Which is totally not how we, Black Country, New Road, got to where we are in life.
Also, if we're talking about the rambling, pretentious lyrics, there's one in particular that I want to bring up: "I am the modern Scott Walker". I know that it's supposed to be partially tongue-in-cheek, but the singer's vocal style is clearly influenced by Walker, so since they brought up the name, I have to say: step the fuck off it, man. Scott Walker is the modern Scott Walker. Bisch Bosch isn't even a decade old, he released material less than half a decade ago, and he died less than a couple years ago. To think that we need a new Scott Walker, a one-of-a-kind visionary, merely two years after he's passed, and that it will come in the form of something as derivative as this is laughable at best and outright offensive at worst.
Black Country, New Road are the Greta Van Fleet of 'experimental' post-rock.
I think Anthony feels invincible in those round glasses.
Yuh this is a wild sequel to Good kid, MAAD city
Track X: "elegant, enhanting and lovely"
Also Track X: "Least favourite"
Bruh
also, it's not "one of the few instrumentals" as he says, but maybe at a first listening it could seem weaker than the rest of the songs.
it was his least favourite...
His least favorite of six tracks that he liked. You know this is just his opinion right?
This is the only song I liked from this album
sarah bonito looks like she's waiting to give a certificate to bc, nr
She is
I only clicked for KKB.
you accidentally said 8 instead of 10. just letting you know
Yea wut de heck antonee
Hey melon, you know there are more numbers after 8 right?
Thats being saved for slowthai
@@andrew1769 nope lol
@@andrew1769 uhhhhh
didnt age well
Lowkey thought this was gonna be a 10
Dude same. I thought 9, maybe 8.
Opus is the most insane closer I've ever heard
It's post-punk, what did you expect
bleep bloop fitter happier
Guys an 8 minute long review is not gonna be a 10 lol. It's gotta be at least like 12 minutes long
As someone who doesn't typically prefer instrumental tracks, the opener might be my favorite. Like what a perfect arrangement of sound
When the album you put out as basically throwaways gets an 8 you’re doing pretty good
It's basically a compilation album of singles released within the last year combined with like two new ones
Agreed. The crazy thing is they can reach some higher heights than this album. I expect a 10 from them one day, maybe their 3rd or 4th album.
pokernmusic 2nd
@@CaratGlobbins i'm predicting 2nd too
@@hackerdackers8832 the 2nd was a ten for me 🙈
Track X is gorgeous you silly goose
Weird because he says that in the video but puts it in his least favorites
@@nick-kd2yx yeah I know that’s what I thought. Silly Tony
The way he was talking about this, I really really thought he would give it more than an 8.
"Science Fair" has some great lyrics:
Okay, today, I hide away
But tomorrow, I take the reins!!
Still living with my mother....
"second-best Slint tribute act"
First = black midi?
God fucking damn that lyric hit me hard. Too real
@@th3giv3r Black Midi may be the best Soft Machine tribute act. I'm still trying to wrap my head (and ears) around 'Cavalcade'.
BTW, i did get a chuckle from that line in 'Science Fair' as well. Where the heck did they pull that one from? Slint only had two albums.
the second best slint tribute act
the best
who's first?
Finally listened to this. Very, very good. I was engaged from beginning to end. The Slint influence is obvious, but this feels like a natural progression from where they left off and has plenty of twists and turns throughout. I never knew quite what would happen next. Amazing for a debut. I look forward to hearing more from them for sure.
>literally doesn't say any negative thing about the album
>8
ok
an 8 is a very positive score stop bitching
Fans complaining about the score is the most bitch shit of all time, he thinks the album is great. An album can still have very little to no flaws and not be perfect, it just means it's consistently really good but not 10/10 amazing
every day i wait for another 10/10 review
This is basically in all but the number lmao. He said like no negative things and honestly I agree
I love this album don’t get me wrong but the singing really reminds me of Paul Dano performing an exorcism in There Will Be Blood lol
You absolutely hit the nail on the head. The whole time I was listening to this I was thinking hmmm I swear I’ve heard this before somewhere
Bruh. You nailed it. I thought I was reminded of the more explosive moments of Paul Dano's performance in Love and Mercy, but it's definitely more There Will Be Blood-esque.
Lmao that's my favorite movie and I never thought of that. He totally does sound like him 😭😂
I thought it sounded like Jamie Stwesrt from Xiu Xiu. 🤣
3:33 Evidently Not 😔😭
What happened
Just listened to this after the news of Issacs departure. Absolute Stunning, wild and riveting, and the finish is so beautiful my goodness, looking forward to the new album which I guess may be the grand finale.
I've got "Instrumental" on repeat ever since I heard it for the first time
Same bro
I actually really like that Melon is stingy with his 10 gives them more meaning when he finally does rate something a 10
Done reading the description. See you later.
Same
fr
:(
See you space cowboy
I'm such a Slint snob that before I heard this album I was offended by everyone making the comparison and wanted to hate this. I'm both proud and ashamed to report that this album is excellent.
well they pulled a Slint and broke up after 2 albums.
@@CerdurTV 😫
Well it's just the front man that's left, the band isn't entirely officially broken up yet. I could see them having a King Crimson type career where they put out a lot of interesting stuff which is always overshadowed by their debut but still ok.
@@CerdurTV LMAO I JUST REALISED
@@jayr.3720 Impossible since their sophomore is better than the debut
@@jayr.3720 or a Pink Floyd move where the lead singer left due to mental illness, while the band members looking for new sounds and eventually outshined their og sound
Always read the drama at the heart of Sunglasses to be class anxiety, of feeling out of place with his girlfriend's more snobbish family (especially with the original "big pharma" line). I suppose the feeling of not being smart enough, or interesting enough, plays into this, but at the heart of it was not feeling like he belonged due to the particular affectations of the family as laid out in the first verse. The titular sunglasses then referring to the ways he hides that anxiety, which of course eventually break down
This review has been out for 9 minutes and I've already seen 3 "white country" jokes. Y'all are so unoriginal
Hurts
I actually can't get over how accurate your impression of the vocalist is jfjfjfjf
ugh, you only like this because rock debuts as daring as For the First Time are a rarity.
Or he just likes the music
@@ashspike5232 read the desc
coming back to this vid because im so excited for him to review the new album
So, he praised the whole thing, had virtually no criticisms to speak of in the review, and still only gave it an 8?
I feel like an album has to surpass simply having no faults to be a 10
Yeah it felt like he was describing a 9 the entire video
why would he need to give this forced bloated pile of shit a higher rating? he already did that with YWGWYW
@@willpowerbroken i would like to know what u listen to
@@brench2236 do u need something pRoFoUnD & eXpErImEnTaL for an anwser so i can be truly validated or can i get away with that i listen to lady sovereign and kreayshawn??
Can't believe they turned 'The Catcher In The Rye' into an album.
LEAVE KANYE OUT OF THIS!
context pls?
@@kamikaizer001 sunglasses
It’s a lyric on Sunglasses
I'm more than adequate
Second half of Sunglasses is truly invincible.
One of the best records I've heard in years. YEARS.
@@heckicusdoomicuswizardus1382 Listen to yourself sometime and ask yourself if you sound like someone God will let into heaven.
@@heckicusdoomicuswizardus1382 what a shit comment. Soo goddamn unnecessary
@@hguiohoiasdsad120 aight
@@camerondailey2627 what did he say
@@mathiasjrs2878 he told me to listen to more albums. Lol.
why do you you edge me for a 10 everytime you wear that goddamn flannel
Anthony's a tease
Lol the band members look like they're straight out of a teen sitcom, yet make doomer music
Bands like Black Country, new road and Black Midi are solidifying how important This Heat truly is.
VERY good comment
Any recommendations from their discography for a first time listener?
@@mileslemon Can't go wrong starting with Deceit, imo
@@mileslemon This heat deceit, it’s a classic
@@mileslemon Yeah Deceit is Goat status go with that, there's really no way to not fall into the deep with This Heat
Incredible album. Loved it.
6/10
Black Country New Road is a great band, so refreshing to hear modern music that’s actually really good and pretty original. This album is very good it’s a solid listen. The jazz instruments mixed with the post punk and the vocal delivery is incredibly well done. The instrumental parts alone are totally emotional. I think Opus might be the best song on the album
I think Sunglasses makes a bit more sense if you're British because it makes so much more sense if you understand the sub-set of British culture he is referencing. I think the lyrics are meant as the experience of an alienated observer and at some points inhabiter of the culture of the upper-middle class - particularly their pretensions ('6-part Danish Crime Drama...') and vacuousness; the sunglasses section I believe is him speaking from the perspective of the "father", and his anxieties and coping mechanisms. Lyrically it's an example of cultural critique as well as a chance for Isaac to play a linguistic and narrative game and inhabit other voices - he states that he feels as if he is "becoming her father" and then literally does in the next lyrical section - which makes the critique all the more biting. It's pretty great.
Honestly the Pinnacle of British Engineering
anthony you're invincible in that yellow flannel
The original Sunglasses is vastly superior. I’ll go back to the single 10/10 🤷🏽♂️
If the album had the OG Sunglasses, it'd be a 10 for me.
This is literally my only negative thought on the album
i think instrumentally its much better, but vocally its a huge downgrade. it didn't need a sing-songy revision imo
That horn/guitar crescendo thumped harder on the single, too.
I was disappointed by the change of lyrics, losing the vitriol that was apparent on the original version.
I discovered this band because of this review. It’s a phenomenal album! I’d give it a 9 In part because this album does what great albums do, keep you wanting more
Fantano: *gives an album a good score*
MFs: "Not a 10? CRINGE"
Thank you. Like he gave some criticism but people look past it because he prasied it so much. Like the dude can say any number and people would be pressed
Sometimes I feel crazy for being lukewarm on bands like BCNR that get universal praise and hype. They’re great, but the heights they were lifted to confused me. Again, I really like it, but I don’t see what differentiates them from any other great current band to the degree that they’ve been deified.
There are just so many great bands putting out new music or debuting every other month… I don’t know how some people keep up with it all, while also listening to a new release enough to form an attachment or strong opinions about it.
I have a close friend who is constantly on top of new releases, while also having deep knowledge and experience with post-rock, slowcore, post-hardcore, emo, etc. It seems like he must only listen to a new album he likes for a few weeks before moving on to other things to be able to keep up with it all. But he somehow manages to always have impeccable taste.
Some bands you immediately know are up your alley, but others take some time to reveal themselves to you. I find myself sitting with a new album I like for months, and sometimes I’m just into the same handful of new albums I’m discovering, often because they were recommended to me. It surprises me how some people have an ear for immediately recognizing an emerging band as exceptional among other up-and-coming bands or artists in the same genre.
I’m 3am schizo posting, but this is something I’ve been confused and vaguely frustrated about that’s hard to put into words.
Wow, dude
You successfully put into words what I have been feeling about this cycle of new music discovery for a long time. I also have a friend with an immaculate taste and a good grasp at what is up in any individual genre, releases and such. I've never been able to keep up with him, my listening habits are much more fit to vibe with the same music for like a season and than have that period of my life be captured on that music for quick access to the memories of future me. And now I just stopped bothering. Listening to music is not a competition, you don't owe anyone to listen to whatever Antony ranks a 10 or what RYM defines as a genre defining classic. Life is not enough to listen to all the good music in all its variety, there's that much great music. And that's good, that means that whenever you need some new music you can just stretch your hand and grab some. This summer I stretched my hand and it returned with BCNR, and I listened to it for two months, I've seen sunset over the mountains with the final part of Basketball shoes on, I've walked through a night city over the first track off this record here on repeat. I came to terms with my approach to listening to music and don't really want anything else. Well maybe a bit more willingness to take risks when picking new music, but it's our brain's feature to find familiar stuff comforting and generally preferable. I only hope it doesn't get too bad in old age
It's more like 4am for me, but I get the vibe
He's probably just the second internet's busiest music nerd
what I came for: the rating itself
what I am rewatching for: fantano's impression of the lead singer's voice
C'mon melon man, they're more than adequate, leave Kanye out of this 😡
This and the Moor Mother x Billy Woods collab are the two best albums in 2021 so far imo
the moor mother and billy woods came out in 2020
n8 good point, hadn’t listened to it until this year so I honestly forgot
“Fantano: it’s amazing, I absolutely love it, strong 8” bitch what do you need from an album in order to score it a 9??
Gotta be a pop album with progressive themes apparently
Could’ve sworn he gave dope body or someone a 9 recently though
@Death Hand Studios Yeah I'm a big fan of cicierega and mostly agreed with that score. I just think Fantano overrates a lot of pop type albums and gives too much extra credit for political themes he agrees with; however I suppose that's only natural
@Death Hand Studios Yeah, I just don't have another decent outlet for video reviews on experimental music (besides deep cuts) right now so I stick with Fantano, even if most the stuff he reviews nowadays doesn't appeal to me.
@Death Hand Studios Fair enough. I've been browsing soundcloud lately personally as it's pretty good for finding music that's unique but doesn't fit under the usual umbrellas. It seems like artists that do get big enough to be reviewed by Fantano and others tend to be more homogenized.
THE ABSOLUTE PINNACLE OF BRITISH ENGINEERING
Love this album. It's an artistic emotional breakdown with chaotic instrumentals that sound just as disturbed and distressed as the vocals, along with lots of jazzy mixes that remind me of In the Court of the Crimson King
3:37 no, unfortunately he is not...
Whyy
@@ankitchauhancr7 he left the band because of his depression
Nice review, but taking points away for the band not being “White Country, New Road” seemed extra
Bro we commented something extremely similar at the same time
@@MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy6 no you didn’t
@@redshift912 fu
HOLY SHIT... months ago, i was browsing the back catalogs on UA-cam of smaller twitter musicians, and it autoplayed into Black Country, New Road's Science Fair. It blew my mind but i totally forgot about it after that night. .. wow isn't sooo cool i knew a thing sort of before i heard it from fantano?? also love the video for SunGlasses
I need a whole remix of this album with the same instrumentals but Anthony’s impression of the vocals.
isaac scream on Opus SHOOK me to my core. best song on the album hands down
they way you reacted on stream i honestly thought this was gonna get a 10 or at least 9. still though, amazing album. definitely yellow flannel tier
Though I actually really enjoyed this review, and feel like Anthony really likes the album and gets it, this review will not age well. There is a lot of instances where what he's actually doing is laughing at a person who is having a public airing of the baggage associated with his mental episode. It kind of serves as a very great reminder that there's probably no good time to be referring to somebody as insane and laughing about it. Still love you anthony.
Great review! And I absolutely loved your impressions of the vocalist 😂
The old versions of Athen's, France and Sunglasses are better tho... Not only are the original, more personal and crude lyrics better, so is Isaac's performance really, he kinda lost it in the new Sunglasses
And both Sunglasses and Athen's France are connected. The description of the girl is brilliant! Every influencer is like this!
They cite changing it due to altered feelings Issac has towards “the girl”, as they don’t feel comfortable being that crude or nonchalant about the person they’re referring to. The new version also has a more caged tension, with Isaac sounding like he’s about to pull himself out of a pile of chains that he’s attached to.
I first fell in love with Sunglasses 2019 and i didnt need a new one. But I’ll give it a few more listens.
did fantano just say “sending me” at 3:14? 😭
He literally had no complaints and gave it a 8. Explain yourself
Maybe the album didn't have big flaws, but wasn't good enough to be a 10 or I don't know, that's the explanation I tell myself every time he fucking does this.
Think of it like a grilled cheese it can be really good and have nothing wrong with it but at the end of the day that shit is a grilled cheese not a lobster
These replys are the best
Ngl it does get a bit formulaic
@@mammothpool For sure, I personally didn't love it. it just seems like a weird review 🤷♂️
The album cover in the back is gonna get a LOT of recognition from this…
Good
Bonito generation deserves more recognition anyways
KKB's pretty popular already
what are you saying?
Putting track x in least favourite is so pretentious. Like “oh, this song is pretty and not experimental and cerebral so it sucks” whatever its the best song on the album
The Guest version is incredible and hits different today
No its not, the best its opus fr
@@Canela33 WHAT WE BUILT
MUST FAAAAAALLO
You know its his opinion, right?
Also BC,NR is like the best new band, haven’t been this excited about an outfit since saturation was released
Melon didn't gave it a 9 or a 10 because he knows they shouldn't have changed Sunglasses lyrics.
Was just about to search if you'd done anything on their EP or anything. Sunglasses has been one of my favourite songs over the past couple of years, and the sound that they create live is phenomenal.
I actually think this is a 10, best album in like five years
AGREEEEE
this is my favourite review in a long while- some great voice work
This album is a 10 for me, kicks fucking ASS
I guess it makes sense the eager commenters are already BC,NR fans. They're from my home town can't believe the extent they blowing up
I've been waiting so long for this album
FLORAL SHOPPE REDUX REVIEW (please and thank you, i really wanna know your thoughts on how vaporwave has really blossomed and withered since your review)
3:32 : This has not aged well... 😐
Why?
@@ankitchauhancr7 Because it turned out that he is not well. Personal and mental health issues forced him to leave the band just before the release of the second album. But Anthony's question about his state of mind sounds ironic to me, which is why I think, the comment has not aged well.
First pass I picked up hints of Slint and Xiu Xiu with some Black Midi and Squid on the tail end. Overall good mouth feel.
3:33 aged like fine milk
Why
The sequencing and pacing of the album is pretty good. Track X didn't do much for me when I listened to it alone as a single, but it makes a lot of sense in the context of the full record. It makes for a nice little soft track in the middle of Sunglasses and Opus
Pitchfork gave this album a 7.4 and called it “cringy”
You fucking serious? Pitchfork- NOOOO. illegitimate child of Ulysses.
Based
@@antimaterijaYT nothing says based like a big well known establishment using the word cringey
Pitchfork is a meme.
I don't like pitchfork, but u gotta admit, some of the lyrics arrreee quite cringe - the lyrics feel a bit "it's not my fault I'm a bad person, I'm just too clever." That said, I love it!
“Are you okay dude, are you alright?”
*he wasn’t*
He didn’t say one bad thing about it but only gave an 8
I know, I was preparing myself for at least a 9
That's just what Melon does dude
@@ohwow9870 9s or 10s are usually longer than 8 min videos though
He was meh on track x and on a 6 track album that’s gonna bring down the album more than an album with 10-15 songs
@@BigOwl51 good point. Track X is definitely the most meh track on the album
That yellow shirt causes a Pavlov-reflex in me
Sorry Anthony, but calling them “the world’s second best Slint tribute act” repeatedly for 8 minutes doesn’t count as a review.
Who's the worlds first best Slint tribute act?
@@fabianunrau4256 dawg you gotta listen to this album
If we dont get a flowers for vases review next. We riot.
Sunglasses is probably the best song I've ever heard
I realise this comment is 2 years old but I have to agree, I'm floored every time I listen to it
I was listening to this album as you uploaded this. Thank you for forming my opinion for me Melon!
what do ya'll think he'll give ants from up there? 9/10?
most likely. Its such an improvement from the first album.
I honestly think this is a 5 and that's like a 7 so all I'm saying is...
I think a 9, but I’m hoping for a 10.
Definitely a heater for me. One of the better rock records I have heard in a minute.