Tag Archives: everything is

#636: Nine Black Alps – Intermission

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‘Intermission’ is the second of two mainly acoustic numbers on Nine Black Alps’ debut Everything Is from 2005. An album that is a proper onslaught of heavy guitars, thrashing drums and Sam Forrest’s growling vocals, ‘Intermission’ and fellow acoustic track ‘Behind Your Eyes’ arrive at points when the momentum has to be brought down a little before picking back up with a rapid change on the next song.

Because I was so into the intensity of the other ten tracks, it took me a while to get into ‘Intermission’. Anything with an acoustic guitar in I just switched off for. This was when I was eleven. But it didn’t take long to realise how good a song it was. The only track on the album not to be recorded in a proper studio – it was instead recorded in Sam Forrest’s flat in Manchester – ‘Intermission’ is a real downer. The main refrain or hook or whatever you want to call it is led by forlorn slide guitars that weep in both headphones. Like a lot of other songs on the album, the lyrics evokes imagery of war and weaponry with a cynical twist to them. ‘Intermission’ is very much anti-war. It details people who carelessly laugh at it when the misery is going down.

The album could easily have ended here. But the band reel you back in again with a raging closer. That’s for another time.

My iPod #498: Nine Black Alps – Headlights

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“Unsatisfied” has barely faded to silence before the crashing cymbals, drum rolls and minor chord guitar vamps begin the frantic “Headlights”, the fifth song on Nine Black Alps’ debut Everything Is.

The track is another one of Nine Black Alps where the lyrics are focused on a person who the narrator always sees or notices and how people react around them. In this case, this character is one who thinks too highly of themselves and thinks they are indestrictible; the narrator knows that he/she isn’t all that but can’t help but notice the dim-witted people who would want do the most tedious of things “stare into static” to gain a piece of this person’s confidence. The narrator has to put their body on the line for…. something that isn’t really revealed or explicitly stated which reinforces the worrying undertone set in the song’s music.

As for the music. Well it’s typical Nine Black Alps stuff. Full throttle guitars and rhythm to the wall and feedback which closes the track off after being buried in the mix for the last chorus.

Very fond of this one.

My iPod #414: Nine Black Alps – Get Your Guns

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I know mostly all of the lyrics…. I could hum every tune, note and screech the guitar feedback if you indeed wanted me to recite all of “Everything Is” to you. “Everything Is” being the first album by Nine Black Alps, which was released in 2005. I know that album like the back of my hand. IT’S TOO GOOD. Even today, I still feel the same excitement and thrill as I did when I opened that case, inserted the disc and heard that crunching guitar introduction for the very first time.

“Get Your Guns” is the track of which that introduction belongs to, and it is after a commanding cymbal count-in that the song erupts like a dog at the races with a bellowing atmosphere of bending guitar strings and a powerful rhythm section. From then on, the album never lets up. It is track after track of aggressive rock music. No momentum is lost. That is until you get to the first acoustic based track six songs in.

A song to punch a wall, scream in someone’s face, and generally get pumped to, “Get Your Guns” does the perfect job of establishing the tone which the rest of the album follows which any worthy album opener should do. Just because I like the song that much I’ve never pondered in depth about what it’s meaning is; if it’s good, I don’t see a reason too. Though there was a point that I did think “Everything Is” was a concept album about a war and various relationships between people while this war is happening. It probably isn’t. Though actually witnessing the lyrics might make you see why I got that idea.

So, yeah. Have a listen to it. Has a line from a Radiohead song in there too. That’s besides the point. If this doesn’t float your boat… you have no soul. But that’s just my opinion.

My iPod #335: Nine Black Alps – Everybody Is

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Here’s another one by Nine Black Alps. Just when you started to think they were never coming, you get two on the trot.

This time though, it’s the almost-title-track “Everybody Is” from the band’s debut album “Everything Is“. I believe that it is not available on some editions of the 2005 release, maybe it wasn’t on the American edition or something, but I was lucky enough to get the limited edition which did have it. It is also on the “Shot Down” single if anyone has that.

The track arrives near the back end of the album coming after you have experienced the pulsating energy that pours into your ears from listening to “Just Friends”. Looking back now, I don’t think it took me that long to get into “Everybody Is”. There’s something that’s very reassuring and comforting about it. Even though the song clearly states that people are liars and hypocrites, the track is the expression of someone’s acceptance of this situation. It’s probably one of the most happier songs on the album, actually.

Like every other song on “Everything Is” (bar two), it’s loud. Very big sounding guitars, and quite a busy bass line too.

If you have the version of the album that doesn’t have this, you’re missing out bruh.

My iPod #210: Nine Black Alps – Cosmopolitan

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“Cosmopolitan” is the second track from Nine Black Alps’ first album “Everything Is”. It was one of the first tracks to be recorded for it too. It was the first single by the band, and was released a year earlier in 2004.

Now I had known of Nine Black Alps when their videos for “Unsatisfied” and “Just Friends” started appearing on MTV2. I never really gave “Unsatisfied” a chance because every time the video started and Sam Forrest had such a glum look on his face, I was never sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for what would come next. “Just Friends”, I liked but it was a little too short. YouTube didn’t exist and I wanted to hear more of their material. How could I? When would the next opportunity arrive when I would another one of their tunes?

Christmas 2005 when I got FIFA 06, that’s when. “Cosmopolitan” was one of the tracks that EA had selected to be in their yearly football release. Something that’s quite strange looking at the tracks they have for FIFA 14. They would never choose something as hard-hitting as this again.

I love FIFA. Been getting it since 2002. So if an artist’s song is in there, if it is good, I will be able to decipher the lyrics and sing along to it all the time. “Cosmopolitan” was no exception.

With a lone guitar playing the riff for the first few seconds, the track then explodes into life. Brilliant guitar playing in the left and right channels while Sam Forrest really sings from the stomach – it’s almost like melodic shouting. It’s cool.

It’s very dark. But that’s no surprise. I say ‘dark’ all the time when I talk about this band but I can’t help it. They write dark stuff. “Everything Is”, lyrically, is especially dark. That album’s great.

P.S. Um… hello Hatch Records. If you see this, thank you for following me on Twitter. If you like this post could you comment below…. or favourite my tweet. It’s really awesome to know that one of my most liked band’s label has noticed me.