Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Business as usual., 22 Aug 2007
That New Model Army should have reached studio album number ten and still only be liked by a small number of people in their native country is nothing short of scandalous, Justin Sullivan is right up there with the best when it comes to lyricists and "High" is no different. More of a band collaboration than ever before, it fair rattles along with the guitars and keyboards coupled with the crisp rhythm section, providing a comforting sound to long term fans of the band. The production dips slightly in places with the vocals sounding somewhat muffled but this is small beer when faced with a set of a dozen songs which hark back in some ways to the mid-eighties, when they were regulars in the Top 40, with "All Consuming Fire" utilising the same guitar effects as "Master Race" from "The Ghost of Cain" and others echoing the style of the classic "Thunder and Consolation". While in no way as good as the aforementioned albums "High" is just another very worthy album from a band that are underappreciated at the expense of the current shower of dross that will almost certainly not still be with us twenty plus years down the line.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still no real recognition. Why?, 4 Oct 2007
Ten studio albums in, and New Model Army still remain unloved and undiscovered by the masses. To those that know their work, this has to be one of life's great mysteries. For well over twenty years, they have been producing their own unique brand of folk/punk/rock, far superior to any of their peers (The Levellers, anyone? Good God, no), and yet hardly anyone seems to know. Sure, there is a large army of dedicated followers, but this is mostly made up of fans who have been there since the 80s, when they flirted with the charts with 'No Rest', amongst others.
As said, High is their tenth studio offering, and shows that the band have lost none of their passion, aggression or fire. Opening track Wired has a more full-on rock sound than most previous work (this is no bad thing), but the album then settles in to more familiar NMA territory. One Of The Chosen could have come from any of their earlier albums, and All Consuming Fire is up there with their best. If I had to say one thing against the album, it would be that Sky In Your Eyes is perhaps more akin to Justin Sullivan's solo work on Navigating By The Stars than an all-out NMA song, but it is an excellent song nonetheless, and not really worthy of criticism.
I haven't always agreed with the band's political stance (I served in the Falklands, and vehemently disagreed with their 'Spirit Of....'), and it is perhaps this that has seen outright success and acceptance elude them, but that doesn't prevent them from being an exceptional musical force, with a catalogue that puts most other artists of their generation (and others) to shame.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
STILL GOT IT, 28 Aug 2007
Most definately New Model Army. Previous album Carnival took a few listens to grow on you but this one gets into your head straight away. "No mirror no shadow" is a cracker and the rest of the songs aren't half bad either. It's back to the sing along anthems they do so well.
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