Black Country, New Road pick a selection of their favourite records
Black Country, New Road are part of a movement in which the lines between genres are being blurred more than ever to create an exciting and unique sound. There is an element of serendipity within the band. With so many people contributing to their music, plus so many influences at play, there are ample opportunities for conflict. Still, they come together to make genre-defying innovative music every time.
A passion for sound is undoubtedly at the forefront of everything they do in writing and deciding who they work with. It was an apparent passion in the form of a love letter that their record label, Ninja Tune, showed for the band that sealed the deal on them working together. As such, every time Black Country, New Road set out to create anything or draw from any influence, they do so with an absolute love and obsession with what they are involved in. It doesn’t happen overnight; instead, it is a deep-rooted love for music that will have been present for years. So, what artists initially triggered that interest?
In a recent episode of the YouTube series ‘What’s In My Bag?’, band members went record shopping and picked out some of their favourite LPs. The result is a diverse mix of genres, which is only to be expected.
It’s no surprise that jazz records appear in the lineup, given it’s such a massive part of the sound Black Country, New Road achieves. Lewis Evans, the band’s saxophonist, starts things off with the 1985 jazz album Out Of The Blue, not because of the record itself but because of the appearance of Kenny Garret. “It’s got Kenny Garret on it, who’s a favourite sax player of mine,” he said, “Quite inspiring to me when I was learning to play the saxophone. I like his sound a lot. I wanna sound like him wherever possible.”
Band drummer Charlie Wayne opts for the new Joanna Sternberg album I’ve Got Me, a charming and humble record stripped back but packed full of heart. “I really liked their first EP, or record, I’m not sure which one it is,” he said, “And this one is just as good, if not better. It’s… erm… sad, but good.”
Keyboardist May Kershaw goes down more of a classic route, picking up a Ravel and Debussy string quartet album. “These are bangers,” she says before moving on to Schumann’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor.
“The first I have is The Unicorns, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone,” says guitarist Luke Mark, holding up a copy of the album. This was the band’s last studio album. It contains some new songs but rearranged versions of previous album tracks, too. “I really like the songwriting on it. They use really classic chord progressions, but then there’s always like one surprising extra thing that happens. Every song has got so many moments, and they’ll move on to the next section and then another one and another one without being over three or four minutes long, which is pretty cool, I think.”
Tyler Hyde starts by flicking through a selection of Nina Simone records, “Nina Simone is one of my favourites… ‘I Love To Love’ was one my favourite songs on the album.” She also holds up Wild Is The Wind and talks about the song ‘What More Can I Say?’ “It made me think of my other half; it’s very romantic and sad and beautiful.”
The rest of the albums picked by the band are as eclectic as you might imagine. Rock, pop, rap and all things in between make appearances. Throughout the video, members look at each other intently, as if finding out about the record for the first time and are excited by them. Having such a broad range of listening in five different band members truly sets up Black Country, New Road to achieve the far-reaching sound that they put out. Any fans of theirs should check out their favourite records to better understand how they create the kind of albums that they do.
The complete list of albums picked out by the band is below:
- OTB – Out Of The Blue
- Joanna Sternberg – I’ve Got Me
- Maurice Ravel – String Quartet in F Major
- Claude Debussy – String Quartet in G Major OP. 10
- Schumann – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor
- The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
- Nina Simone – Forbidden Fruit
- Nina Simone – Wild Is The Wind
- Rosalía – El Mal Querer
- Modest Mouse – This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
- Joanna Newsom – Divers
- Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
- Van Dyke Parks – Jump!
- The Roaches – Keep On Doing
- King Crimson – Red
- King Crimson – Uncertain Times
- Daniel Rossen – You Belong There
- Arthur Russell – Instrumentals
- Robert Burns, Jean Redpath & Serge Hovey – The Songs Of Robert Burns
- Various Artists – Persian Underground
- The Vienna Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble & Vinzenz Hladky – Music For Mandolin And Guitar Ensemble
- Judee Sill – Heart Food
- Beyoncé – Prayer Candle
- Eminem – Mugshot Poster
- The Beatles & Cassius Clay – The Beatles Meet Cassius Clay Miami 1964
