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Nectarine No.9, I Love Total Destruction

reviewed by anna battista

Think about how miserable life would be without things like chocolate, strawberries or champagne. But, think about how miserable life would be without The Nectarine No.9. Formed by Davey Henderson from the ashes of Fire Engines and Win, Edinburgh's finest band has been going on for more than a decade and their music still sounds absolutely mind blowing. I Love Total Destruction, released on Beggar Banquet, is Nectarine No.9's eighth album. It is the follow up to their 2001 Received, Transgressed & Transmitted, and it surely sounds more aggressive and sonic than the previous album. The opening track that gives the name to the album is an anthemic "heavy gothic funky groove", to quote what Davey Henderson says in it, with a sensual and razor sharp guitar riff; "The End of Definition" is a very apt tribute to Vic Godard's band, the Subway Sect (check out the lyrics "I slept with the Subway Sect/the Subway Sect slept with me…"), while "On Fire Stickers" and "Fat Mafia" are simply infectious tracks thanks to their reggae/dub rhythms.

In the album there is also space for the Nectarine No 9's typical soundscapes with tracks such as "Leonard's Foam/Kremola Cone" and "The Unfunkadelic", both long instrumental pieces of refined beauty, and for a pop gem "Hanging Around" (which namechecks the Fire Engines). The album, which displays on the cover typical Nectarine No.9 cut-and-paste art, was recorded in Edinburgh with a little help from ex-Josef K Malcolm Ross (who plays the guitar on "End of Definition") and from The Pop's Group Gareth Sager.

What else can we say about Nectarine No.9? We can only add that they will be playing in Glasgow in May, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of record label Creeping Bent. It would be a crime to miss them.

{www.beggars.com}

Issue 21, March 2004


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