First things first – this album is not perfect, but then again nothings perfect, and it was recorded and mastered in a band members bedroom so I reckon that with this the band have really done a remarkable job. It takes a lot to go out of your way to make an album without being signed to any label at all, and also shows guts and determination to succeed on the bands behalf. Nine Pound Note have almost certainly got a good future ahead of them as a band as they are all obviously very hard working musicians aiming for bigger things. The band actually organised a ‘Go National’ UK tour all by themselves, which again shows their hard work and determination to succeed in this industry. Its very hard for bands to organise a UK tour by themselves so Nine Pound Note need to be congratulated for this.
Ok, now onto the most important matter of all and what I’m sure you’re all dying to read – my views on the album. The CD kicks off with the amazingly catchy ‘Go National.’ This is one of those Ska Pop anthems that you can just visualise a bunch of kids going mad to at the front, skanking their arses off as this track is played. It is an amazingly catchy little number and contains some sublime horn action, as well as some blinding vocals, and perfectly placed backing vocals. It is a great track, but is by no means what the band are renowned for on this CD – whereas this is a leave your brain at home, crazy, fun filled, Ska anthem, a lot of their stuff is extremely intelligently written music that is great to listen to and you can really take in. A lot of their songs have a harder hitting edge, and this sounds great! However, at times the horn section doesn’t sound too pretty and could probably do with some fine tuning, but I’m sure that the band can easily sort this and develop in to a fine UK band. A problem that a lot of bands have when they start is having a horn section that is a bit inexperienced – but with hard touring the players soon improve creating a much more polished sound that is easier on the ears. Most of the time the horn section sounds great, but it is just little mistakes and non fluency in places that spoils it a bit.
There are 12 great tracks on display hear, showing off an array of different sounds – but every one is packed with juicy Ska goodness. The vocals show signs of genius; there are many a fine bass line, some seriously strong guitar riffs, superb drumming, and some definite talent to be worked with in the horn section of the band. Nine Pound Note are a young band, yet they are showing some great maturity here in this music and they definitely have the determination to get themselves to the top, so there is no reason why they can’t achieve this some day in the not too distant future. I expect to see a lot more from this band over the coming year – and if they carry on with this much effort and determination it won’t be long before the band get signed. If you remain unconvinced, then check out some of their tracks on the MP3 page of this site.
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
