Conceived after Wood saw Steve Riech’s ‘Music for 18 Musicians’ live, ‘Bread Song’ continues the belief I harbour that Black Country, New Road are the band we don’t deserve but fortunately have. Their newest offering here sounds like a jam performed on planet x; spending it’s first three minutes in a freefall trance, before its plates connect. That being in the form of floating sax, violin, keys, guitar and piano looking for the flotsam of drums, that kick in in the second half, where Wayne’s well chosen rimshot hits provide an aesthetically pleasing climax. From the get go, these floroushes of improvisation are dropped into the mix while Wood’s stream of concious narrative rides its waves. Like any great narrative, it’s focus on peculiar, heartbreaking details makes it especially human.
Wood, as conductor, explains the meaning behind this choice as follows: “We wanted to do the first chorus with no time signature. I went to see Steve Reich do Music for 18 Musicians and there’s a piece where a bar length is determined by the breadth of the clarinet player, they just play until they run out of breath. I wanted to try that with the whole band, where we don’t look at each other, we don’t make too many cues, we just try and play without time – but together.”
Hear the track below
