All That Glue

混乱の世界に闘魂注入!!労働者階級の代弁者
スリーフォード・モッズによるレア音源多数収録
キャリア凝縮アルティメット・コレクションを発売!

イングランド出身のジェイソン・ウィリアムソンとアンドリュー・フェーンによって2012年に結成され、イギリスの労働者階級や社会に対する不満や怒りをDIYなロックンロール/パンク・サウンドと、メッセージ性の強い歌詞と共に表現する代弁者として本国でカルト的な人気を誇る2人組バンド、スリーフォード・モッズ。

2019年にリリースされたオリジナル作『Eton Alive』で完全自主レーベルへと移籍した彼らが再び古巣〈Rough Trade〉へ帰還して放つ本作は、過去7年間のキャリアにおいてファンから特に人気の高い楽曲を中心に、シングルのBサイド楽曲やレアな未発表音源を収録したアルティメット・コレクションとなる1枚。

これまで初期作品やシングルのみに収録されていた入手困難音源でファンからも待望されていた楽曲「Jobseeker」をはじめ、極限まで無駄を削ぎ落としたソリッドなサウンドと、イースト・ミッドランド訛りのヴォーカルとテンポの良いリズムで展開される疾走感満載の楽曲など、22曲のフル・ヴォリュームで構成されている。

熱狂的ファンが満足するのはもちろん、これをきっかけに彼らの魅力にハマっていくきっかけともなる入門編としても最適!

Since their breakthrough in the mid-2010s, Sleaford Mods have remained as prolific as they are angry. Along with releasing a slew of albums, they issued enough singles, EPs, and rarities to fill out their own ample compilation. All That Glue, a roughly chronological set of album tracks, B-sides, and more that spans seven years of the Mods career, isnt a greatest hits or odds n sods collection in the strictest sense of either, but it does speak to the consistency of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearns music. The better-known tracks here still brim with the fury and humor that propelled the duo out of obscurity. McFlurry -- which comes from 2014s Austerity Dogs, one of two breakthrough albums Sleaford Mods released that year -- is a potent reminder of how prescient they were, with Williamson railing against Boris Johnson over the gritty, low-slung beats and bass that became their trademark. Tweet Tweet Tweet, taken from their other brilliant 2014 full-length Divide and Exit, remains one of the duos most musical and relevant songs in its spooky evocation of social media paranoia and loathing. All That Glue ably balances the more colorful, playful side of Sleaford Mods music -- exemplified by songs like 2016s anti-nostalgia rant TCR and Jobseeker, where Williamson and Fearn channel their rage into a gleefully snarky anthem -- as well as its starker, darker side with tracks such as Key Markets lumbering Tarantula Deadly Cargo, a harbinger of the numbed, narcotic feel that dominated the duos late-2010s releases. The collections more obscure songs are just as potent. Second, a previously unreleased, bare-bones takedown of consumerism, and Snake It, which uses a police whistle as one of its few melodic elements, are great examples of how Fearn and Williamson pare down their music to its leanest and meanest essence. Fizzy, a 2014 single full of cathartic vitriol that borders on the poetic (I worked my dreams off for two bits of ravioli), is as vital as anything that appeared on Divide and Exit or Austerity Dogs. On Blog Maggot, Williamson communicates as much scorn with the furious gibberish in the songs chorus as he does with his jabs at Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin. A fine showcase for how Sleaford Mods boil down punk and hip-hops frustration into eloquent outrage and anger, All That Glue helps the converted and newcomers alike play catch-up. ~ Heather Phares