Nine Black Alps - 'Bitter End'
They call it 'progress', and it used to be the bare minimum of what was expected of a rock band. You get together, get your sound together, find your audience, tour, record, tour, promote, get the hits, and then EVOLVE into something newer and often worse more exciting. Pop bands would pick up loud guitars, loud guitar bands would bring in drum machines and samplers, dance acts would go hip hop, rap acts would go rock, Radiohead would become funky, all sorts...
It doesn't tend to happen so much any more, partly because there are careers to be tended to and therefore boats to be left unrocked.
(Speaking of which, if you were to talk to Slayer about why they've not really changed their signature sound over the past 20 years, do you think they would say something along the lines of "dude, rockers don't rock the boat. We rock halls, arenas, festivals and enormodomes, But NEVER the boat, man!"? I do.)
Now, Nine Black Alps are a band whose career to date has been untroubled by startling amazingness. They rock in a grungy kinda style, their singer has the pouty, simian lips which look amazing on a young man and ridiculous as he gets older, and they've never been involved on whatever scene is going on whenever they've got a record out. So far, so meh...
BUT 'Bitter End' is the definite sound of a band who've found a secret stash of high quality prettytunes, and want to get them out to the world in as simple and direct manner as possible. It's not complicated music, nor is it breaking any musical boundaries, but it's going to last longer in your head than any amount of atonal scree.
Course, whether you WANT a tune this perky biffing around in your skull is a whole other question. Especially now the nights are drawing in, S.A.D. and all that...
Download: Out now
CD Released: October 14th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
Or;
It's actually got to a point now where every time an overenthusiastic indie kid runs up to me, eyes a-gleaming with missionary fervour, clutching a CD, that I can pretty much guess what's going to end up coming out of the speakers. This one was wearing an 'old' Manic Street Preachers T-shirt (reprint, natch), so I assumed quasi-anthemic music with lyrics that think they're smarter than they actually are. And I was close enough as yet another dirge with Nirvana influenced guitars made me twitch with mild pain. Utterly forgettable.
Oh, and Slayer have changed their sound several times over the years;
1983 - 1986 saw them going from fairly generic thrash metallers and Mercyful Fate / NWOBHM soundalikes into defining an entire genre on "Reign In Blood", one of the greatest metal album of all time.
1983 Show No Mercy
1984 Haunting The Chapel EP
1985 Hell Awaits
1985 Live Undead EP
1986 Reign In Blood
1988 - 1990 saw them going for a more, streamlined metal sound, and actually writing proper songs with melodies and everything on two of the most underrated metal albums of all time.
1988 South Of Heaven
1990 Seasons In The Abyss
After the obligatory live album, the punk years were taken care of in 1994 - 1996
1994 Divine Intervention
1996 Undisputed Attitude
1998 - 2001 are universally known as the crap years when Slayer decided to be their own poor tribute band
1998 Diabolus In Musica
2001 God Hates Us All
2006, however, saw a remarkable return to form coinciding with the return of drummer Dave Lombardo and with it, the original lineup.
2006 Christ Illusion
And I would avoid telling Kerry King that they haven't changed their sound over the years. Have you seen him! Sheesh.
[Ah yes, but have you seen ME? I rest my case. Plus they haven't exactly gone techno at any point, have they? - Fraser]
But to those of who live and die by the power of the RAWK, these are big changes.
After all, I'm still waiting for the legendary missing Manic Street Preachers thrash album, Coldplays hip-hop direction or the ever elusive Snow Patrol good song.
[Exactly my point. It doesn't happen any more (although the end of 'You Love Us' is kind of thrashy), and yet it should. The benchmark for excessive change is still the Beatles, really. But if the Slayer gag causes offense, put the Ramones or AC-DC in instead. - Fraser]
Well even I can't argue about AC/DC despite them releasing one of the greatest albums. EVER. And no it's not bloody "Back In Black", it is, of course, "Powerage".
But I'm sure there's an Acca Dacca fanatic out there, who will point out an E where there used to be a D midway through 'Bedlam In Belgium'.
Say what you like about the Ramones - they always sucked the big one.
[I'm a 'Highway To Hell' man myself. Particularly 'If You Want Blood...' (the song, not the live album). My favourite AC-DC quote about their stylistic non-variation was from Malcolm Young, who pointed out that the Beatles changed their sound so many times, they ended up back where they started, so why bother changing in the first place? Annoyingly good logic! - Fraser]
Ah! He's heard all about you! Run!
Slayer’s Kerry King is coming to Music Live 2007 at the Birmingham NEC between November 2-4.
Make sure you're nowhere near the Midlands in November.
Or anytime, really.
[He doesn't scare me. I've met Geri Halliwell, y'know... - Fraser]
Who touched the Ramones??! Who did it??! I want some answers, people!!!