Call it hyperbole, but I could comfortably argue that March 2023 has been the greatest month for music in my life so far (with only February 2022 acting as any competition). Never before have I heard so many newly released albums within a single month that I’ve loved so much, with some of the most triumphant and big music I’ve listened to since before the pandemic. I wish I could speak more on so many albums this month, but, alas, I must choose one (though I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a strong recommendation to go check out Yves Tumor’s psychedelic post-punk on Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) and the angry U.K. hip hop of slowthai’s UGLY)! However, as impressive as these records are, none hold a candle to the magnum opus (so far) of the self-proclaimed “greatest band in the world”: Black Country, New Road’s Live at Bush Hall.
The first time I heard BC,NR refer to themselves as the “greatest band in the world,” I was slightly turned off by their apparent propensity for self-mythologization. But now? I think I might agree with them. God, I love this band so much. Ever since their debut album, For the first time, was released in 2021, I’ve been thoroughly addicted to their unique brand of rock music, even as it rapidly evolved from klezmer-tinged post-rock (FTFT) to art rock with chamber music influences (their beautiful sophomore album Ants From Up There) to prog pop straight out of Sufjan Steven’s lushest, most grandiose dreams (now, on Live at Bush Hall). While I absolutely love all three records from BC,NR, I can confidently say that Live at Bush Hall is easily my favorite.
Live at Bush Hall is everything I love about music. Before I sat down to write this, I thought about how to structure this review and came up completely blank. Usually, I tend to have a reasonably clear vision of what point I want to get across to the reader before I begin; sometimes, it’s something related to the cultural or personal context of the album, sometimes it’s something more ambitious, introducing a new framework to music criticism, and sometimes it’s as simple as trying to get you, the reader, to listen to the album I’m writing about. I can’t do any of that here. This album is just. too. much. When something moves you to such great heights as these songs do for me, it can be challenging to come back down to the paper and explain how you’re feeling, not to mention the more important question of why you feel that way. I have some ideas on why this album has become so important and cathartic to me in such a short time, but those thoughts are not for here nor now.
Instead, I want to try something different. Every single song on this album has multiple moments that I would consider perfect – as in, they serve as profound, ineffable reminders of why music has remained humanity’s most democratic, universal art medium for millennia. For each song, I chose a single moment or passage that best exemplifies why I love Live at Bush Hall, Black Country, New Road, music, and, most importantly, why music is such a universally cathartic medium. I’d highly recommend pulling up the album on your streaming service of choice to listen to these sections, if not the album as a whole.
Up Song (2:04) – The unmatched power of group vocals shouting in victory after a year of change.
The Boy (5:09-5:51) – A restrained climax of natural yearning for escape.
I Won’t Always Love You (2:39-2:57) – Rising tension leading to nowhere, resulting in the tension being the product itself.
Across The Pond Friend (1:54-2:07) – Baroque nostalgia for a fairy tale non-existence.
Laughing Song (3:52-4:17) – A self-referential black hole of endless creative labor.
The Wrong Trousers (2:55-3:15) – Rekindling the Great American Songbook in an outpouring of distinctly British ennui.
Turbines/Pigs (6:13-7:54) – Reckoning with collective and individual past in the most grandiose way possible.
Dancers (3:19-4:49) – The 3 AM burst of energy after the worst night of your life.
Up Song (Reprise) (3:18-3:45) – Sincere gratitude to be alive.
Please, listen to Live at Bush Hall. You may not come out of it loving it to the extent that I do, and that’s okay. Music is just as personal as it is universal, and no one will react similarly to everything. But the important part is giving it a chance. Give all music a chance to speak to you, to make a home in your ears, mind, and heart. Listen to each instrument’s individual notes and the vocalist’s strains as they reach for the high notes, and listen to the overarching themes of songs and albums. Let the most universal art form find a place in your life, and the world will be a better place for it. If you listen to nothing or no one else, just listen to music.
