When reviewing an album of a band unknown, I like to do my homework – read up on the group’s history, listen to past albums, get an overall feel of the band. Before listening to High, I (like many Americans) was completely unaware of New Model Army. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they’ve been making music for nearly 30 years to a fierce cult following. Although I can’t help but feel like an outsider to New Model Army and their fans, perhaps it’s an outsider’s point of view that can prove most reliable in such matters as album reviews.

Baffling to a New Model Army newbie is the seeming absence in this album of any real folk or punk leanings for which the band is renowned. If straight-ahead rock and roll is your thing, though, High has plenty of material to sink your teeth into. Wired kicks the album off properly with heavy guitar riffs, thumping bass and Justin Sullivan’s bordering-on-angry vocals. Expect much more of the same from the following 11 tracks; what High delivers in unaffected rock it lacks in diversity. One could argue, however, that the uniformity of the tracks is simply evidence of a band who has mastered their craft, and New Model Army are good at what they do. This is not to say there aren’t a few deviations from the rock and roll standard – you’ll hear some strings in the title track, and until it really kicks in at the 0:49 mark, Into The Wind smacks of an anthemic folk song. Sullivan’s lyrics are the high point of the album, weaving words into stories about religious cult fanaticism, corporate media takeover, the widening social class gap, horrors of war, and general disillusionment to name a few.

High does not break any barriers or explore any new ground, but there is still much to be gleaned from this deceptively simplistic album. Just as there is a place for experimental indie music, so is there a place for good old fashioned rock and roll.
70%

Links
New Model Army [official site] [myspace]