Sometimes it takes me a while to warm to a new favourite band, and other times you Just Know. Alphabeat certainly fit the latter category. Within seconds of clicking the little triangle on their Fascination video on #1 Hits on Another Planet, I knew that even if this was their only good song I would love this band. A visit to their MySpace revealed that their follow-up single, 10,000 Nights of Thunder, was even better! A couple of months later I’ve interviewed them for this site, posted about them on Into The Groove and at long last I have my copy of their album.
Alphabeat’s music or singing could never be called technically perfect, but they have a charm that overcomes that – they are absolutely exploding with enthusiasm and joy for life. The female singer, Stine, comes close to shouting at many times, but she never falls off the ledge of fearless open-heartedness. She sings with personality, ferocity and most of all she means it. The lyrics are cheesy but in a comforting way which makes me smile wider than Sanjaya from American Idol. Their image, in photos and videos, is bursting with colour and happy, groovy vibes. Really, what more could a cheery pop fan like me want from a band?
It’s impossible to pick out favourites, as the album is ace all the way through, but I would still send everyone in the direction of 10,000 Nights of Thunder for an introductory Alphabeat experience. The best songs seem to be the ones where Stine takes the lead, but the dual vocal responsibilities mean the group can tackle a number of sounds, although luckily they never stray too far from the ecstatic pop sound they are clearly best at. Visit their MySpace for a taster, then order their album from CDON.