What's so great about new New model army?

[Intothewind]

So I've been thinking. Whilst there is continuity between the different phases and line ups of NMA, things have changed in recent(ish) years. By recent I'm going to arbitrarily choose Strange brotherhood as the 1st modern NMA album and so point of change. You may have a different view on this point to me, or see no change at all!
 
I'm not going to say for better or worse, just difference and also necessary change - things just can't stay the same!

But I was wondering what main differences (if any?) there are. Here are my thoughts:

To me there is more maturity and subtly to the new work in terms of music and lyrics. The more obvious political and social standpoints have often been replaced by ambiguity. Whilst I think we may have lost some (but not all: see Good day) sonic attack with this we have gained a more diverse instrumentation, subtly affecting lyrics. This is the only way for a band to go, the more obvious polemics of 51st State or Western dream have been replaced by Storm clouds.

Don't get me wrong I really love the more obvious and less subtle lyrics, nothing wrong with that, but it is nice to be able to read into lyrics that may not have an obvious 'message'. For me the main thing I love about the New NMA is the references to nature: In to the wind, Autumn and Storm clouds etc.

[Space]

Main difference: Justin's lyrics no longer touch on the everyday life we all live.

Look at "Dog And Wolf." The lyrics are about broad topics, create feelings, go for imagery, ambiguity, bigger canvas... Take the title track, "Knievel," "Horsemen"....do they speak about our everyday life, people we know?

Now compare to the classic NMA lineup and what they were covering lyrically. "Better Than Them," "Smalltown England," "Frightened," "I Wish," "Notice Me," "Great Expectations," "Young Gifted and Skint"....the lyrics were about ourselves and people we know! That was part of the attraction to the band. Justin's lyrics were about our lives and how we lived them. The characters in his songs I knew. Maybe we were one of the characters in those songs. No better example is "Better Than Them." That song is so real in depicting how we live.

That's not the case anymore. He has shifted his lyrics to more esoteric stuff. I miss the stuff about us and our lives.

[Intothewind]

Got to admit I love the Better than them, Small town in England stuff, but I'm really glad he's not still writing that way. The new more ambiguous/esoteric/vague lyrics feel more universal and so more personal to me now: there is more room for me in them, if you know what I mean.

Wouldn't have it any other way, love that the old stuff is still there but really glad the writing has moved on.

[Space]

He could have moved on with us lyrically. Is there anything wrong in writing about middle age and the lives we live? Just as Justin perfectly captured the lives of twenty-somethings, why couldn't he do it with the lives of the middle-aged? Our social lives, family lives, political lives, desires, needs, anger, loves....

Yes, I do enjoy his stretching out lyrically to embrace the bigger canvas, but when a song speaks directly to you and your life, man, there is nothing better in music. Sorry, but "Qasr El Nil Bridge" is no way going to connect with us in the way that "Green and Grey" or "Family" does.

[Space]

But to answer what's great about the new NMA....

Well, they no longer operate off the basic framework of guitar/bass/drum that was the way of the early years. Unless you are AC/DC or The Ramones, you eventually have to expand musically. NMA have done that and though the music has lost much of its rawness and energy, it is still real great music to listen to. Love the different instrumentation and the musicianship behind it.

[Intothewind]

I think it's a case of winning some and loosing some, you loose a bit of youthful vigor - not many bands don't! And you gain depth, experience and most of all subtly - so important!

And anyway they can also still kick ass - Today is a good day, Arm yourselves and run etc attest to this.

[Intothewind]

I also think that a song like 'Stormclouds' cuts deeper into me than most other songs can.

[Shush]

The fact that they are still here after such a long carrier, and still not predicable. All of the last few albums have different and individual sounds. Many bands of such age stick to a known and accepted format knowing their fan base will welcome such. This band has the dare to make what they like.

Also, new NMA has such vast experience of playing live, they are one of the best bands to see. The professionalism and experience they have as a live act makes them worth seeing again and again.

[Pol]

I think one thing sums it up more than anything else - Passion - they always give 100 % every gig
Totally amazing songwriting and tunes , brilliant musicianship and a friendly crowd of course all add to it. The fact that they have never stood still and always creative.

[rick a.]

Agree totally with the "passion" comment. What makes the band special to me and has since "the hunt" is the intensity they bring to every song. The songs on "dog & wolf" are just as intense as those from "ghost of cain" even if separated by quite a few years. songs don't have to be fast to be intense in my book. I don't think that will ever change.

[Anna Woman von NRW]

First off, obviously Strange Brotherhood was the last album Mr Heaton was involved with so after that, out of the "Classic" line up only 1 remained and since that album there has been a new guitarist, new bass player and new drummer plus new writing partnerships. Evolution and change seems pretty inevitable. Whether or not you think that's good or bad depends on your own taste. For me personally it's a pretty important part of why the new NMA is so great. It's not the same stuff again and again.

And the ageing thing/broader subject matter is important too. For me, as I age far too bloody quickly, experience gets longer, the world gets bigger and seems to continually get wider in scope. And what comes out the speakers every time a new album is released reflects that back at me.  I don't want to just hear about one part of life - it's bigger than that. Me at 45 is far removed from me at 18. Don't get me wrong there's still a place for Vengeance, Drag It Down, My Country etc. But there's shitloads more to sing about too.

I don't think NMA have ever really prescribed how to feel, what they've done is present a truth about how something feels and what that's like to live. It's up to you what you make of that and how to react. In the same way there's always 2 sides to a story and more than 1 way of feeling about something and you can get quite contradictory songs though the years.

Equally the honesty and passion in the songs means it's possible to connect right into the heart of how something "feels" and you don't need to be able to directly relate to the actual "story" in order to "get" the message.

That's why I think they're great - they're ageing like a fine red wine 

For all my wordy dribble it basically boils down to the fact they are a ******* awesome live band. 

[Master Ray]

IMO, five simple words.  They never let me down.

No matter what mood I'm in, there is an NMA song to match my mood.  No matter how happy or sad or anxious or furious or just fucked off with the general state of the world, there's a song right there, plugging right into my brain and with lyrics that put it better than I ever could.  And it never fails to make me feel better.

And that's without getting into the whole 'live experience'... I must be coming up to 100 NMA gigs since about 1990... there hasn't been a bad one yet.  Still waiting for a duff one... I won't hold my breath.

[Ron B]

 I would say that the music keeps up with the times. Even with the line up changes . The music still has that bite and energy. That is amazing in itself that I can look back on Decades of NMA music and say man that stuff kicks ass and rocks. Plus I have to say the nicest bunch of guys. True Professionals in their craft    

[Amandistan]

I am getting tired of hearing people speak as if all NMA fans are middle aged. I continuously hear that. No, they are not. I see many fan my age or a lot younger.

It is art. Art does not belong to one specific generation. It just connects somehow with the people that do like it.
Plus  a lot of the newer stuff is relatable to my everyday life. It is more about nature which speaks I find more relatable than killing yourself with a crap job and living in a city.  Songs such as High gives me a sense of reassurances.   The fact that this is how the world is terrifies me. Therefore music about nature and the ocean is very comforting. Nature is the one thing that comforts me and makes me feel less empty and angry.

I use music for comfort. If I did not have that the world would be to frightening and angry. Then the only comfort i would have would be jumping off of a mountain or poisoning myself.


I guess the comforting thing is what appeals to me.

[Space]

I use music for comfort. If I did not have that the world would be to frightening and angry. Then the only comfort i would have would be jumping off of a mountain or poisoning myself.

What about reading a book?

Dude, so the only choices in your life are music, jumping off a mountain, or poison?