New Model Army: From Here

Holed up on a remote Norwegian island New Model Army have crafted From Here, an album that as much maps outs where this band is headed as it does ask the question of what happens next for all of us. Back in the day when, arguably, NMA were going through their most successful period in commercial terms, they were an angry band; forceful and brimming with animosity. New Model Army were railing against the system, standing up to the man, shining spotlights on injustices and taking up the cause, whatever that cause may have been. As years pass, so we all mellow, experience blunting the blade of ire, slowly putting us all back in our boxes and gradually extinguishing the flame that burns with the hope of seeing a fairer, more just world laid out in front of us.

And in many ways that’s the journey New Model Army seem to be on. This band are still angry, still dismayed by the corruption we call politics but more importantly, how that bent system impacts the real people and our average every day lives. What has seemingly changed however, is the belief that if we all shout loud enough and confront the twisted sense of self importance we’re faced with, that somehow we’ll change it, make it better and finally win the fight. There’s a sense of scornful resignation about songs like “Never Arriving� or “End Of Days� but that doesn’t stop them being rallying calls, acts of defiance and a message to stay strong and stay true. There maybe isn’t a “51st State Of America� on From Here, or a “Stupid Questions�, the anthems of old replaced with sprawling atmospherics and heady swirls of drums and reality. It’s engaging stuff, the burning clean guitar and powering drums of “Maps� still somehow otherworldly and shimmering even as it pierces through its intended targets. “Setting Sun� picks up where that previous track left off, a thump that verges on upbeat offset by an almost mumble of words, which at volume attack the senses before Justin Sullivan’s unmistakable vocals once more stand tall and proud.

“Watch And Learn� is possibly as close as this latest counter attack from the Army gets to full force rocking machine; bass thrumming, guitars vibrating and gang shouts blaring out their warnings, but for the large part it’s the patience and reflection of the likes of “Passing Through� or “Great Disguise� which build the foundations of an album that isn’t necessarily about making an instant mark. Instead, From Here, grows, evolves and matures, becoming all the more powerful as you let its message and music seep into your mind.

Track Listing
1. Passing Through
2. Never Arriving
3. The Weather
4. End Of Days
5. Great Disguise
6. Conversation
7. Where I Am
8. Hard Way
9. Watch and Learn
10. Maps
11. Setting Sun
12. From Here

Added: September 19th 2019
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: New Model Army online
Hits: 1005
Language: english

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