Under its original circumstances of release, or at least what we assumed would be the original circumstances of release, Black Country, New Road’s Ants From Up There would be considered a breakup album. To an extent it still is, the songs in this collection speak of relationships; some happy, some sad, all melancholic in one way or another. Yet with the sudden departure of frontman Isaac Wood and announcement of the bands plans of a new vocalist and to no longer play the material Wood wrote out of respect to him Ants From Up There instead more resembles a swansong for what has come before it.The album itself is in many ways a minor epic, clocking in at just over an hour and exploring a far wider range of soundscapes than the bands jagged slint inspired post-punk debut of For The First Time. Ants From Up There feels like an immediate and impressive step forward for the group of seven young virtuosos’. Gone are the creeping baselines and anxious spoken word lyrics detailing the kitch