What Ever Happened? (Part One)

Not about the first song on The Strokes album ‘Room On Fire’ but about bands that you loved that have disappeared or ultimately split up.

First up is Nine Black Alps, who in summer of 2005 brought out one of my favourite albums of the year. Obviously influenced by the grunge era and definitely Nirvana Nine Black Alps had a Manchester grunge sound like no other at the time. Since that brilliant debut album the band did bring out a second album titled ‘Love/Hate’ however the album did not live up to the first album and was critically shunned by most publications and websites. Hardcore Nine Black Alps fans will claim the album is as good if not better than the first album but in my opinion I think ‘Everything Is’ is a great debut album. Any album which has such singles as ‘Just Friends’, ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Shot Down’, ‘Not Everyone’ and ‘Unsatisfied’ is always going to be a fantastic album. Not forgetting my favourite track from the record ‘Headlights’ which could easily have been another single. What was so great was that unlike many other bands Nine Black Alps never re-released any of their singles they just brought out new ones which can only be admired. The word is that the band are currently working on a third album so fingers crossed the album will be a step back in the direction of the first.

Despite much criticism The Others did manage to record a fantastic debut album and however much you hate lead singer Dominic Masters he did have plenty of charisma to be a front man. I really loved that album and live The Others were terrific too, but unfortunately that first album was their peak and a peak they will probably never ever manage to reach to again. The second album ‘Inward Parts’ was terrible and even die hard Others fans cannot argue with that. Even though a third album is talked about for later on this year I think The Others have had their day and should call it a day and be proud of that first debut album.

Art Brut are a great band and Eddie Argos is a much loved lead singer who has plenty of charisma and charm about him. So much so that you know that he’ll be around in music for a long time to come yet, even if Art Brut won’t be. ‘Bang Bang Rock & Roll’ is full of great songs; ‘Formed A Band’, ‘Emily Kane’, ‘Modern Art’, ‘Good Weekend’, ‘Bang Bang Rock & Roll’, ‘Rusted Guns Of Milan’ and I could list pretty much the whole album. Art Brut did record a second album titled ‘It’s a Bit Complicated’ but like so many other bands it could not match up to the fantastic first album. ‘Nag Nag Nag Nag’ and ‘Pump Up the Volume’ were high points on the album, earlier on this year the band left EMI and Eddie Argos has got other avenues open to him in the music scene. So who knows what will happen to the much adored Art Brut.