Following the success of ‘Locked Out From The Inside’ and a plethora of critically acclaimed live shows, Nine Black Alps were tipped to be the next British band to dominate the world market. However, after a series of contract disputes and a number of internal band issues, the band decided to step away from the spotlight
and take a moment to recharge their creative juices.
Now, almost three years later to the day, the northern rockers return with their fourth studio album ‘Sirens’ bringing with it not only a change in lineup (in the guise of guitarist David Jones and former The Witches bassist Karl Astbury) but also a distinctive new attitude that may leave longtime fans bewildered as to what happened to the once ominous brood that sang tales of paranoia and suicide.
Whilst it’s nothing new for a band to alter their style and explore new musical avenues, ‘Sirens’ appears more a regression than a progression in regards to the Alps creativity and inspiration.
The band’s new direction was first established with the release of their new single ‘Living In A Dream’, a less than two-minute blast of indie-punk that did little to entice interest in the forthcoming album. Sure, it’s loud and easily one of the albums more aggressive tunes (which isn’t really saying much) but it is significantly lacking in a solid riff and chorus that fans can get behind and help drive up the charts. In hindsight, it does well at inadvertently preparing the listener for a further dose of uninspiring material.
As odd a choice it was to make this song the first single, even stranger was the decision to open the album with ‘Be My Girl’, a highly forgettable nod to 70’s pop-punk acts such as The Buzzcocks that falls short at grabbing the listener by the scruff of the neck and making its presence known.
This is only supported by the second track, ‘Don’t Forget to Breath’, something of a return to form for the Alps that does a far superior job at capturing the listener’s attention. Slimy distorted vocals and a wiry guitar riff make this song
one of the few highlights of an otherwise flagging album that will leave many wondering as to why it wasn’t on first.
Despite the Alps apparent relapse into primitive song structures and unimaginative lyrics, ‘Sirens’ does boast a few tracks that reaffirm the bands ability to put together a well-formulated tune. ‘Phosphorescence’ is a haunting grunge ballad and arguably the albums strongest track whilst ‘Waiting Room’ is a charming lullaby that will no doubt become familiar among college bar acoustic nights sessions.
Conversely, the rest of the album falls into a series of somewhat insipid indie driven choruses and diluted punk riffs with songs such as ‘Away From Me’ and ‘What You Wanted.’ These tracks sound less like offerings from an established band’s fourth studio recording and more like the background music of a mobile phone commercial.
What’s more is that the average running time for each track is well under three minutes, which only encourages the belief that the Alps were content with accomplishing the bare minimum.
Overall, for a band with several critically acclaimed albums under their belt to present such lackluster material, is a little disheartening to say the least.
Encouragingly there were, buried within this hollow attempt of pop-punk album, the seeds of a much darker attitude towards songwriting; something that the Nine Black Alps should explore further come their next venture.
[Rating:2]
