Nine Black Alps- 'Burn Faster'

A short and snappy number, ‘Burn Faster’ doesn’t even breach the three minute threshold. That doesn’t actually matter, for the whole song zooms by like someone has dropped a brick on the accelerator, pushing the Nine Blacks Alps vehicle onwards with no time to waste. It’s the sort of rock/power pop hybrid that the likes of Ash normally do so well, with a lessening on the grunge influence that previously cropped up in the Manchester quartet’s work. There’s still time for Nine Black Alps to fit in plenty though, from a towering chorus to a massive skyscraper of a guitar solo before an explosive instrumental ending that suggests the band simply thought “to Hell with this” and clattered in a conclusion.

It isn’t perfect and the sheer roughness and rapid pace do mean that, while fun, there’s a something a bit too straightforward about ‘Burn Faster’, with nothing thrown in that causes a surprise. After 30 seconds you’ve got a pretty good idea where the rest of the song is going. Still, this is a powerful salvo that does the job efficiently.

Released 23/07/07 on Island Records.