'Unsatisfied'?; anything but.... (Everything Is - Nine Black Alps)

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	Everything Is - Nine Black Alps
Date:	30/11/05 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lyrics, vocals, hell.... the songs.

Disadvantages: n/a

"I like things that are vaguely crap and ramshackle" - singer/guitarist Sam Forrest.

You'd think British music was on the up. You'd think British music, just maybe, was producing decent music. You'd think British music was, and don't quote me on this, good. Unfortunately, British music as a whole is in the same shambolic state it's been in for many years. Bands such as The Editors, Bloc Party and Hard-Fi are, despite supposedly being fresh young talent, nothing more than utter garbage (hey, it's my review and it's my opinion).

With the first two in particular complying to the sudden indie surge, one scene which out-bores all others, it's miserable to think of the fact that this country just can't produce a band that gives something 'interesting' to today's music scene; well, that was until now.

Manchester's Nine Black Alps are that something fresh, that something interesting, that something 'decent' that British music badly needed. Whilst it's nigh-on impossible to talk of them without mentioning the 'N' word; that being Nirvana, it's a comparison that if anything, detracts from their own quality and focuses to much attention on who they sound like.

Granted, singer/guitarist Sam Forrest could easily win first prize at a Cobain look-alike contest, but that says nothing for his own talent; he's an exceptional songwriter and a damn fine musician. Besides, a few spins of their debut album 'Everything Is' will pretty much convince the half-assed listener that in terms of sound, there's very little comparison to be found.

In truth, 'Everything Is' nods toward several differing artist, all of which could crack a wry smile at the quality on offer here. 'Not Everyone' comes right from the Sonic Youth page book, and in the words of Forrest is "a big f*ck you to bullies" ; whilst 'Headlights' is the song the Pixies never wrote ("You think that your perfect for this, That you can survive when it suddenly hits. And all that I have to resist, The blood in my body, the bones in my wrist").

The one Cobain trait that becomes all to obvious as regards singer/guitarist Forrest, is his penchant for self-loathing. 'Cosmopolitan', a track written upon seeing all the 'pretty people' in one of his girlfriends magazines, sees Forrest openly condemning himself for not being alike the airbrushed individuals for whom he'd just perused ("You're not pretty enough, You're not skinny enough, You're not healthy enough"), whilst 'Shot Down'- the albums finest track I might add - shows his jealousy toward those better off.

Another noticeable element to Nine Black Alps as a whole, is rather surprisingly the album artwork. Upon inspection, it's hauntingly alike the manner of drawing technique used by Cobain, in that it's a non-descript mish-mash of rather 'odd' pictures. Naked babies, lame ducks and crying women; it's all a bit 'seen before' for my liking.

Anyway, the albums current single 'Just Friends' - an absolute dream of a pop/rock song - talks from the perspective of a broken down relationship, of one that'd run it's course in the eyes of one party, and of an apology from said person. It's a theme that remains important to NBA's music; relationships. Forrest himself is quoted as saying a couple of tracks were written straight off the reel after experiences with his girlfriend, and that a couple also serve as messages to her personally, from him.

On the flipside, 'Southern Cross' is about nothing, absolutely nothing. "the words are totally freeform, they mean nothing" say's Forrest of one of the albums undeniably hardest tracks ("So what do I do-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo, Yeah what do I do-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo"), whilst 'Intermission', a soothing somewhat out-of-place acoustic song speaks of Forrest' thoughts on the current war situation ("War brought us together, Blew the world apart. You handed me the dagger, Aimed towards your heart").

Many bands have tried to relive the nineties through their own music, and Nine Black Alps are no exception. Their evident nod to the grunge scene is more down to the fact that it's the music Forrest and Co were brought up on, the era they lived through as teens, thusly it's relatively natural to use your own inspirations in your own music.

A lot of their debut record screams 'Bleach', reliving the scratchy sounds of Nirvana's coincidental own debut through tracks such as 'Not Everyone' and 'Shot Down', two of the albums respective highlights. The rest, despite the occasionally blatant Cobain-ism, is flat out good rock music, from a band that could easily become the driving force for British music in the near future.

Recommended - Yes

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Repeat - Get Your Guns, Cosmopolitan, Not Everyone, Unsatisfied, Headlights, Ironside, Shot Down, Just Friends, Everybody Is, Intermission, Southern Cross.

Skip - Behind Your Eyes.

Summary: Nine Black Alps provide something of a grunge revival on fantastic debut.