Review: All That Glue - Sleaford Mods

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and begin by saying that I think Sleaford Mods are the most exciting thing happening in British music right now. With their ingenious fusion of punk rock, hip hop, techno, and avant-garde minimalism, they’re one of the few acts who can genuinely claim to sound completely original, as no other act even approaches their totally unique style. And yet, I can totally understand why one might not get this act at all. I must confess that the first time I heard them, I was quite dumbfounded, and didn’t quite know what to make of them. It wasn’t until I first saw them perform live at Boomtown 2018 that I first really understood the act, and they’ve since grown to become one of my favourite bands. This new release, All That Glue – with its excellent parody of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain featured on the cover – promises “an array of crowd pleasers, B sides, unheard tracks and rarities”, stretching from 2013-2019.

The compilation opens with ‘McFlurry’, first released on the Austerity Dogs album. It’s a good choice for an opener, as it introduces the Sleaford Mods’ sound perfectly. The bassline has a solid groove, and there are some really unusual synths halfway through that come off just as wild and disorderly as the vocals. The first rarity, ‘Snake It’ features a particularly strong minimalistic influence, but despite sounding this repetitive melodically, demonstrates some genuine musicality in Andrew Fearn’s loops. ‘Fizzy’, whilst not quite a classic, is certainly a fan-favourite, and features one of Jason Williamson’s best vocal performances – the anger is palpable. There are some nice little melodic lines towards the end of this one which add so much, whilst adding so little. Another new track then follows with ‘Rich List’, one of the most bleak lyrically, and the low tones of the music reflect these themes. The vocals however are almost anthemic, and I can certainly imagine a crowd chanting along with the chorus. ‘Jobseeker’ then represents one of the major selling points of the compilation – as despite being a firm fan-favourite for years, this is its first official release. One of their best-known songs, ‘Jobseeker’ features really quite clever lyrics, with internal rhyming reminiscent of some classic hip hop songs; and a very strong rhythm that remains active throughout the whole thing. Whilst the production value is fairly low on this one, I feel that it’s actually an artistic choice, that accurately reflects the themes of the piece. The anger then continues into ‘Jolly Fucker’, another fan-favourite which feels a bit like an extension of ‘Jobseeker’, both tonally and in mood. There’s a serious increase in energy however, and the vocals just seem to keep going, never once stopping for a breath.

Another rarity, ‘Routine Dean’ demonstrates some classic punk rock energy; the bassline could easily have come from a ’70s garage punk act. This is reflected in the energetic vocals too, and a track such as this displays flawlessly the benefits of having a vocalist with such a broad accent as Williamson’s. Definitely the most punk rock of the release. ‘Tied Up in Nottz’ is probably the band’s most well-known song, the lyrics of which present a perfect snapshot of working-class life in Midlands England. Particularly explicit, this track is one of the best examples of how the band may fall victim to the marmite effect: I imagine listeners will either love or hate it. Another new track is ‘Big Dream’ – the shortest of the release, which again features a strong punk influence. There’s a great loop in this one, although there’s no variation whatsoever – so it’s no surprise that the song is so short. Whilst I do think more could have been done musically, I recognise that maybe leaving it so condensed is a deliberate move to reflect the pessimism that contrasts the ambition of the song’s title. We then have ‘Blog Maggot’ – also unreleased – which is a bit more laidback than the rest so far, although the lyrics are still just as angry as ever; also featuring some of Williamson’s more eccentric and erratic vocal effects. And then there’s ‘Tweet Tweet Tweet’, originally featured on Divide and Exit – one of my favourites, and the song that really made me fall in love with them at Boomtown (captured excellently on this recording). Every aspect of this track is brilliant: the musical layers, the melodies, the lyrics – which sum up the feelings of the song perfectly. I definitely appreciated the inclusion of this one.

Another fan-favourite, ‘Tarantula Deadly Cargo’ begins quite curiously with some jazzy samples, which signal something a bit different, and indeed – this song does stand out as rather subdued compared with what we’ve heard so far. It’s almost relaxing – at least, as relaxing as one could ever call this band – and the most classically minimalistic of the release. ‘Fat Tax’ then has a bit of a bluesy feel to it; again, pretty chilled out – at least instrumentally – although the vocals still show a fair amount of outrage, demonstrating a strong contrast. There are some good internal rhymes in this one too. ‘Slow One’s Bothered’ is the third slow one in a row, with a bassline that reminds me a little bit of the Gorillaz. Vocally, the melodic lines are similar to the previous ‘Rich List’, in being very easy to sing along with – it’s simplistic but effective. And continuing this comparatively sluggish feeling over the second half of the release so far, ‘Revenue’’s lyrics stand out as being rather desperate, hopeless, or despondent – rather than impassioned; and the bleak and barren feel of the music reflects this mood as well. After these four quite lethargic songs, the energy begins to return again through ‘Rochester’, in which the remnants of rage build all the way throughout, with the lyrics calling out some of the grimmest aspects of society. There are some creative uses of samples towards the end, before ‘TCR’ brings us back to an absolute classic. Another of my favourites – I love the musical subtleties throughout, that really make this one what it is. The lyrics are fantastic too, witty and sharp, and showcasing Williamson at his best.

Previously unreleased, ‘Reef of Grief’ is catchy from the off, and again features some pretty amusing lyrics. It’s a decent track, and although it doesn’t stand out too much amongst the rest, it remains a solid tune. ‘B.H.S.’ then follows – one of their best-known tracks – originally featured on English Tapas, and it’s just brilliant. I’ve nothing bad to say at all. It epitomises what’s so great about their sound perfectly, and is honestly just a great song in general – even despite the band’s abnormalities. ‘Second’ is the band’s latest single, only recently released in advance of the compilation. It’s possibly my favourite video of theirs, and shows that the band are going from strength to strength. They have such an excellent formula, and each song demonstrates this, whilst never getting stale. At the end of the release, All That Glue features two tracks from their latest album, Eton Alive. ‘OBCT’ is pretty unusual-sounding for the band, with much more of a whole, all-encompassing sound, whilst Williamson’s vocal line is almost standard singing. I’m reminded of ‘I Feel So Wrong’ off of English Tapas, and it’s nice to hear the band going out of their comfort zone. There’s even a kazoo solo. And then, ‘When You Come Up to Me’ demonstrates this to the extreme. It begins with some futuristic, alien-esque sounds that persist throughout, and Williamson’s singing is even more different here, to the point that he’s even hiding his distinctive accent somewhat. It’s very unusual, but a completely appropriate place to end: with one of the band’s newest songs showing their potential future possibilities.

Whilst I see Sleaford Mods as a spectacular band, I’ll reiterate the point that some people, undoubtedly, will completely dismiss them. And I don’t think those people are wrong – they’re certainly an acquired taste, they’re not for everyone, and a lot of their music is really quite challenging. But for those who are lucky enough to understand and appreciate what makes this band so special, All That Glue is a fine collection of some of the best examples of their sound. There isn’t a bad song here, and the release exhibits some of the most characteristic examples of what makes the band so enthralling. Whilst I would maintain the position that the finest way to experience Sleaford Mods is through their live shows, All That Glue comes as close as one can probably get to demonstrating the best of the band’s strengths on record. An excellent compilation, and one to which I will return.