NEW MODEL ARMY / B-Sides and Abandoned Tracks (1995)

NMA don't skimp when it comes to their B-Sides. They give you real value for money, which is something that a single rarely does. Quite often the tracks from the flip side are as good as the title track they're supposed to be supporting; in some cases they're actually better. B-Sides and Abandoned Tracks collects together eighteen such gems, from 1985 to 1993; the rights to their début are owned by someone else, so there's nothing from it. What that produces is a disc that's as strong and kicks as much ass as any of the 'proper' albums.

Songs of Note: Heroin; Drummy B (Billy McCann Version)

4 ambitious bright eyes out of 5

NEW MODEL ARMY / Today is a Good Day (2009)

NMA gave us yet another top-class album with hard hitting lyrics and heartfelt emotion attached; it's every bit as good as they've ever been in the previous twenty-nine years. The bitter-sweet odes to life and things lost, the anti-capitalist anthems, the stories of brotherhood… they;re all here and they're all conveyed with the same sense of conviction and passion. Today is a Good Day never once feels like treading old ground, but it always sounds like NMA.

Songs of Note: Autumn; Disappeared

4½ dreams of the ocean (rising) out of 5

NEW MODEL ARMY / No Rest for the Wicked (1985)

If you're new to New Model Army, then I'd recommend Thunder and Consolation, (1989), because the sound on their early albums may seem dated to new fans, then work your way forward through their discography. If you want to explore further, then work back. No Rest for the Wicked is their second album. It has the inimitable NMA style, and the usual lyrical themes. The biggest difference is Stuart Morrow's aggressive bass style, which gives the music a belligerent tone, something that was lessened on later works without him.

Songs of Note: Better Than Them; No Rest

4 voices of history that echo all around of 5

NEW MODEL ARMY / Raw Melody Men (1991)

There are dozens of NMA bootlegs around; the band doesn't seem to mind, but Raw Melody Men is the first of the official live releases. The reason you want to get it above all the others is because of the excellent sound quality. For years I suspected some overdubs, but in the end I conceded they probably really are that good live. They deliver their own brand of folk-punk rock with conviction and passion, the kind that puts lesser acts to shame. The disc includes some of their finest songs, played in an environment that invigorated them.

Songs of Note: White Coats; Get Me Out *

5 it's an anagram out of 5

*Studio versions. The Raw Melody Men version wasn't available.

NEW MODEL ARMY / Thunder and Consolation (1989)

Thunder and Consolation was the release that brought NMA to the masses, and saw the beginnings of the folk elements enter into their sound. It still has the same basic punk attitude and classic rock sensibilities as before, but is less reliant on the bass. It instead presents a more traditional song structure. Most artists are lucky to get one perfect album in their career; NMA have three or four of them, of which T+C is one. Let it wash over you and it'll maybe stir you to action, break you out of apathy and encourage you to look at the world in a less passive way.

Songs of Note: Stupid Questions; Green and Grey

5 enough is enough is enough out of 5

NEW MODEL ARMY / Impurity (1990)

Violins, spoken word by Joolz, electric and acoustic guitars belted-out in a traditional folk rock style made Impurity stand out from the rest of the crap released the same year. NMA never succumbed to trends, so their output never seems overly dated, because it was never actually in style.
Much of the album is sure to make it onto a NMA Best of.. compilation, it's that good. The remaster improves the sound a lot, so seek it if you can. I find it really hard to describe their sound, so it's best to just listen to the links:

Songs of Note: Marrakesh; Innocence

5 buried hatchets out of 5

NEW MODEL ARMY / The Love of Hopeless Causes (1993)

NMA have trundled on for twenty years without great success. They've been accused of being post-punk, folk-rock, alternative, etc, convenient labels that I've used myself from time to time, but it really doesn't matter about labels, they're NMA and that's all I really care about. The Hopeless Causes album is the band by-numbers; it's competent but not essential. Expect the usual guitar-driven slices of poetic musings about life, people, war and friendship. Don't waste your time watching the videos linked below, just put the music on another tab.

Songs of Note: Here Comes the War; Living in the Rose

3 thick black nights out of 5