Number Nine – Under Current (2000)
Dutch duo (Gert-Jan van der Hout and Boudewijn van der Lecq, if you really need to know their names) Number Nine make no bones about admitting that their poison is ’60s rawk/pop. And they do it with a great deal of flare (sorry, flair). There’s a real vibrant energy at work here, which seems to have more than little to do with the great live feel involved when guest drummer Ton Schijvens gets his oar in. What these guys have that so many lack is a sense of the whole song, as opposed to how high their own favourite part is in the mix. Welcome relief, that. Although the 60’s ethos is out in force on some cuts, there’s a songwriting sensibility that could easily work in a contemporary context (‘I’ll Be Gone’ could nearly be Suede, and ‘John’s Dead’ nods in the general direction of Lightning Seeds). Both the guys sing on the tracks and this be their one possible failing. This music is crying for a distinct voice to carry it. Apart from that, it’s top stuff.
Verdict: Their time ain’t up