Alps have not peaked yet
Daniel, Sam and Dave are 'Alps', a band which won band of the week in the XFM unsigned exposure competition and were pipped to the top spot of the Karma download chart only by Franz Ferdinand. Their influences include: Elvis Costello and The Jam and their debut single 'World At War' is, apparently, a call to arms for a loved one, whilst everything else crashes down outside your door. A blood shot London sky is the setting for what the band's PR people call: 'A recognisably British debut single'. In fact, Alps sound like Athlete. The song's good. You're not sure quite what it's about and there's a constant nagging thought in your head that it is actually just a copy of about five thousand indie singles which have gone before it. There's a guitar, some men, a singer. Alps are a good band but 'World At War' passes you by in minutes because it's indistinguishable from a dozen other songs played ad nausea for the delight of the NME.
The rhythm has a foot-tapping quality to it and you have to admire the skill of the musicians. For once in indie music, someone has actually bothered to use more than just one guitar in a song. 'Glum-Rock' leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the listener and 'World At War' is actually worse than the second track on this single release. You can understand the sentiment in the song for one thing. 'Alps' are destined for 'The Bands 06' compilation CD where women rarely feature and other male indie bands talk about their torturous relationships with women, life and people in the pub. Yet, never has 'satisfactory' summed up a new single so elegantly. This is one band with a lot more to prove.