CD: 400574
RELEASED: 2000
LABEL: Attack Attack

01. Flying Through The Smoke
02. You Weren't There
03. Orange Tree Roads
04. Someone Like Jesus
05. Stranger
06. R&R
07. Snelsmore Wood
08. Paekakariki Beach
09. Leeds Road 3am
10. Mixam
11. WipeOut

New Model Army cannot be discussed without mention of 1988's "Thunder & Consolation", which remains the most unsung masterpiece in rock history. Everything that they have done since has been compared to it, to the detriment of those releases. It's human nature to say "this is not as good as that", and comparisons of "Eight" to T&C are bound to occur. Set those comparisons aside for the moment. Purge "Vagabonds" and "Stupid Questions" from your mind and listen to "Eight" on its own merits. Some of Justin's best material ever is here. "Flying Through The Smoke", with its tribal drumming and layered percussion, sounds like the club that Justin is describing. The drum breaks and sudden attack of the guitar add a fantastic tension and drama. "You Weren't There" should be required listening for all television news employees the world over -- a logial follow-up to the brilliant "Deadeye" (the b-side to "Vagabonds", and a classic all its own). "Paekakariki Beach" is wonderfully serene; "Leeds Road 3AM" shivers and quakes its way into your mind; "Mixam" is the sound of youthful defiance tempered by the experience of encroaching middle age. Please don't compare this to "Thunder & Consolation". Nothing at all compares to "Thunder & Consolation". This album is as good, and in some cases better, than anything else they have done, and this is saying a great deal. "Eight" is a truly wonderful album - do not miss out on this one.