“Ant From Up There” by Black Country, New Road: Album Review

BCNR’S LAUDED 2022 LP OFFERS A MASTERFUL LYRICAL COMPOSITION FROM START TO FINISH

I didn’t pay a lot of attention to Black Country, New Road’s album Ants From Up There when they released it last February. Besides a song or two whose hooks caught my attention, I remember thinking it was a little too out-of-bounds from what I normally enjoyed—almost like the music was a bit out of my league. 

I don’t remember what spurred me to revisit it, but I’m thankful for it, whatever it was. Because Ants From Up There is not only one of the most innovative collections of musical arrangements of the last twenty years, as it’s been deservedly deemed by critics, it also features a masterful lyrical composition from start to finish.

Ants covers a wide range of topics that I’m confident I haven’t completely uncovered during dozens of listens. Whether it’s isolation, longing, abandonment, or nostalgia, former band member Isaac Wood’s songwriting is simultaneously daring and timeless. 

The climax of the album, “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade,” blew me away unlike anything else on the record. “I’ll praise the Lord, burn my house / I get lost, I freak out / You come home and hold me tight / As if it never happened at all,” Wood sings. His phrasing and diction borrow from epic poetry and fantastical storytelling while tapping into the universal vulnerability of someone caring for you during an inevitable spiral. The line “You come home and hold me tight” sounds like something Elton John or Billy Joel would scream from a stadium stage.

“Blade” isn’t the only song where Wood uses precise songwriting to illustrate an ultra-relatable feeling everyone’s thought before. In the song “Good Will Hunting,” Wood fantasizes about a potential future spent with the person he’s smitten by: “It’s just been a weekend / But in my mind / We summer in France / With our genius daughters now / And you teach me to play the piano,” he croons. These daydreamed, intimate, detailed moments are something we’ve all experienced in a blossoming relationship. Wood covers timeless themes with a uniquely refreshing lyrical clarity.

Even though Ants From Up There may be Black Country, New Road’s best record, it appears to be Wood’s last with the band. BCNR announced Wood’s departure shortly before the album’s release, citing mental health concerns as a primary reason. Wood’s choice takes courage and self-awareness, and, at the end of the day, should be respected by fans. The least we can do is thank him for the short-but-profound body of work he’s gifted us.