There Is Nothing To Fear by The North Country (Album)

The North Country – are not frightened of letting you know where they stand

The North Country have taken their bitterness at the American Dream turned sour and transformed it into a magical cacophony

he North Country’s lead singer Andrew Grossman has said that his band’s new album There Is Nothing To Fear came from a disillusionment with the American Dream and the realisation that “everybody’s broke and no one knows where to go or what to go”. Listening to the record in all its passion it is clear that this message comes across through the music.

Opener The Cross We Bear begins with a dreamlike sequence, a momentary point of calm before the bands blend of rock and folk comes crashing in. Layers of instrumentation build as the protest gathers momentum. Violin punctuates the music throughout the album and is equally effective whether adding enchantment as on Sharing Our Alone or creating a sense of peril on November Criminals.

The band’s message is a strong one and they are not frightened of letting you know where they stand. The duo of 21st Century and Apocrypha (Bag Of Lies) are vitriolic assaults on the modern world and on the former Grossman cries “Where are you going what is your plan? / Those Wall Street fuckers don’t understand”. A cacophony of noise manages to echo the suspicious and sceptical lyrics.

But all hope is not lost no matter, album closer Still In Love With The World may be filled with sarcasm but it is still the sound of a band understanding that it’s okay to be an outsider, looking on as the rat race shuffles along below. With There Is Nothing To Fear, The North Country deserve to be the soundtrack to your resentment.

Verdict: Outsider music that can be appreciated by all.

Duncan Haskell

Watch the video for The Cross We Bear, the opening track on the album…

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