Nine Black Alps- Everything Is
Release Date: 9/12/05 (UK)
First off this is my first album review so go easy!
First off NBA are a new band on the scene who offer a lot more than their grunge/Indie tag gives them. This is not another boring retro band; this is better, well worth checking out!
I first heard the band on MTV2 hearing ‘Not Everyone’ and thought they were worth a go. I hoped they would be better than the run of distinctly average retro bands that are currently out, overall the album shows they are. If you are a retro fan you will also like this album, it is a blend of loud grungy material and quiet Indie efforts.
The bands originate from Manchester, North England. Consisting of:
Guitar/ Vocals- Sam Forrest
Guitar/ Bass- David Jones
Bass/ Guitar- Martin Cohen
Drums- James Galley
1. The album kicks off with ‘Get Your Guns’. It starts with a catchy guitar riff, which kicks in with the drum and bass quickly afterwards. The song has a strong hint of ‘Jet’ (band if you weren’t sure!) with a popular riff. The song then goes through a series of verses and interlude’s. Keeping at a generally fast tempo. This is good start to the album with the band showing some of what they have to offer. 7/10
2. The next song ‘Cosmopolitan’ starts of with a basic retro guitar riff, but then comes to life as the song progresses. The song goes through a few stages of elaboration of the first guitar riff, turning it into a verse. The highlight of the song is the chorus which turns heavier with some grungy vocals and guitar work from Sam Forrest, ‘Someone Shot Me!’ which is great to rock out to. This song is perhaps heard best live. Nevertheless I give it 7.5/10.
3. On to ‘Not Everyone’ which is my favourite track on the album. It starts with a standard drumbeat then kicks in with a thunderous guitar and bass note, then strait into the catchy verse. The song has a classic Nirvana quiet catchy verse, then loud chorus feel to it. The song shows some great shouting vocals from Forrest, which reminds me of Cobain. Overall this track is a must have, especially for fans of early 90’s grunge scene. 9/10
4. It’s hard to keep the standard of the previous song, but Nine Black Alps give it a good go. ‘Unsatisfied’ starts with melodic guitars then picks up the pace into a nice chorus. You can see where the grunge/indie tag comes from; the contrast of sounds and pace on the song represent this. Notably at 2:17 when the song takes on a grungy feel, then back to melodic. This song is very well balanced, and a good follow up to ‘Not Everyone’ 8/10
5. ‘Headlights’ is the next on the bill, and starts brightly but then dulls down a bit. The song contains some average guitar and bass work, not there best song but has its moments, average. 6/10
6. Next is ‘Behind your eyes’, the song takes a little to get into but, but is a nice relaxing break to the album. It consists of various acoustic guitars and vocals. Not a lot else to comment on other than it relaxes you ready for the next song. 6.5/10
7. Arguably the best song on the album, ‘Ironside’ wakes you up with a bang and kicks strait into a powerful riff, which will have you air guitaring and moshing happily. The song has a hint of ‘The Vines’ to it, a great catchy riff and chorus with good guitar and bass work from Jones and Cohen. Then towards the middle, the song goes briefly quiet, then onto a nice guitar solo on top of a great riff. The album really gets started here. 8.5/10
8. This time ‘Nine Black Alps’ keep up the pace rather than add a slow song as previously, with ‘Shot Down’. It starts with a strange single note jamming, dare I say it a little retro. Don’t be off though, the song kicks starts into a fast verse with some good drum work from James Galley. The song goes through the same sort of single note strumming then verse, until on 1:49 there is a really catchy solo where the song reaches its peek, then back to verse. Overall a great effort! 8/10
9. Next NBA keep up the relentless pace with ‘Just Friends’, which has just been released in the U.K. It starts with a catchy sort of thrashy guitar riff, with some aggressive drum work. It then goes into a slow verse which darts off into a catchy chorus, “It’s too late, I’m never around when your heart breaks”, which is the best part of the song. The song then carries on until the intro riff re-appears and develops into a very basic guitar solo, which is a bit of a let down. It’s a good song, but your left thinking it could be better. 7/10
10. Then ‘Everybody Is’ arrives, which is my least favourite song on the album, a bit of a filler track. It starts with an irritating guitar riff, which gets better with neat bass work from Cohen, along with sturdy drumming. From then on the song gets worse. It stays at the same boring pitch and has the same glum feel to it throughout. Then at 1:40 there is some heavy guitar distortion, which leads to the un-spectacular chorus. This one I’m afraid NBA, haven’t pulled off. 5/10
11. After the disappointment of ‘Everybody Is’ you look for a catchy grungy riff which NBA are clearly capable off (see ‘Ironside’ and ‘Not Everyone’), but unfortunately you get an acoustic ballad, a lot like ‘Behind Your Eyes’ only not as good. It isn’t a bad song but you are expecting more after the previous effort, sadly ‘Intermission’ doesn’t deliver. They should have left this song as a bonus track or on an acoustic session. 6.5/10
12. After losing their way in the two previous songs, NBA end on a good note with ‘Southern Cross’. It starts with a dark guitar riff from Jones, then the rest of the band kick in. Then the song goes a little glum, almost a long interlude into the memorable guitar hook. This pattern continues until 2:00 when the guitar work gets heavier, which is a sharp contrast to the previous yawning of ‘Intermission’. The song then has a small guitar solo, if you can call it that, which is nice, and then the song unwinds in the outro. 8/10
After listening to the album, you are left with the feeling the album is good but has a number of filler tracks, which it could have done without. On the whole the musicianship is okay, they stand out mainly in ‘Not Everyone’ and ‘Ironside’. So I recommend purchasing this album when you have a couple of quid floating about, perhaps on Amazon or summit. Overall I give it 7.5/10
Thank you!
