Nine Black Alps - Nine Black Alps (US-only EP)

The US-only EP I got my hands on by the band Nine Black Alps is the perfect taster. It’s short, sweet and can be savored over and over…oh, and it definitely makes you hungry for more. (The full-length will be delivered this autumn) Just the latest big buzz band to come from the über-musical town of Manchester, these four Mancunians deliver guitar and melody-driven rock’n’roll but not always the way you might expect. I was immediately thrown into the sparse rock frenzy that is “Cosmopolitan” with its banging guitar riffs, hard driving drum beats and spat out vocals. Then came “Over the Ocean,” which surprised me with some vocal harmonies and a really nice melody in the chorus. Hmmm, depth… nice touch. “Shot Down” could almost sound like something from Sum 41 or other bands of that teen pop-punk ilk, but it’s just still too good to fall in that category. Great chorus too: “Shot down, spun round, strung out / Still around somehow.” With “Ilana Song,” we get a little feedback with our rock, calling to mind something from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, which isn’t a bad thing in my book. There is even that one song that doesn’t fit with the rest of what a band is putting out on the EP. “Attraction” is a cool, acoustic song that’s a lot more down-tempo than the rest of the tracks. Fortunately, however, it’s still just as good as everything else. I have to quote the press release to tell you about the intangible thing was that I couldn’t quite identify that makes Nine Black Alps so good to me. It says that the band “…tread down a path of desperation, death, love and desire, giving each of their songs a ferocious urgency.” That’s it…ferocious urgency! When I listen to it, my stomach gets a little tight, like when you’re anticipating something, and you’re not sure if it’s going to go the way you want, but you want it so badly anyway. Pretty exciting, don’t you think? [www.nineblackalps.net]