There is a quote that stands out in the press release accompanying this ten track LP release, which really sums up the bands attitude… “A genuine dislike of the cut and paste, lowest common denominator rock shite that is prevalent in the current music scene keeps The9ine separate from the packâ€. Usually you may dismiss such ramblings, as you do tend to hear them quite a lot. Surprisingly though, the four piece stick to their word, and this album is like nothing I have previously heard in a long time. Completely and utterly original, without being too up its own arse at the same time.
Ranging from melody-laden tenderness to blistering heaviness, with some extremely quirky lyrics thrown in for good measure, The9ine aren’t for the casual listener. Indeed opener ‘The ballad of Addled Samuel and Jerusalem John’ throws in all of the aforementioned and the instant mixture proves to be eye opening to say the least. ‘All that I know’ is a more conformist follow up that is extremely mellow while keeping the energy levels up high, ‘Survive’ proves a slight disappointment as it chunders into dull obscurity while ‘Midweek Crisis’ opens with a splendid riff which leans heavily towards stoner music, which if I am led to believe what I have been told is a heavy part of their repertoire. ‘Icarus Jones’ is a superbly crafted uplifting number, with the acoustic guitar working well in a very much indie-orientated manner.
The second half of the album begins with ‘Strange Design’, another slow burner which proves relaxing in the face of all the noise you can be faced with on most albums, while ‘Days of Disgrace’ reminds me of Muse as the swirling music cascades into another flurry of originality. ‘Flight of the Hypnopotamus’ is even more eclectic, while we close with ‘Travelling Show’, a deep and thoughtful five minutes of music to make you reflect a little and finally ‘Antiblues’ which features an opening riff to die for and is arguably the standout of them all.
The 9ine manage to feature jazz, blues, rock, alternative and metal pretty damn easily and it is all the credit to them they pull it off with minimum of fuss and effort. The vocals of front man Nay are strong throughout, and the albums only real disclaimer is that it wont be to everyone’s tastes and at times songs can labour a little, but the key is they are not afraid to be different, and for that, I commend them.
Jay