The U.K. Invasion Continues...

Call Rumsfeld! The United Kingdom is exporting weapons of mass distortion to the U.S.! [Insert laugh-track]

Hovering between #7 and #10 on the Sonic Boom Top Seller lists is the debut album, “Everything Is,” by Nine Black Alps.

(Easy Street is nearly a week late in posting their list, so who knows what’s going on over there.)

Hailing from Manchester, England, Nine Black Alps traveled to Los Angeles to record with producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Guided by Voices, Elliott Smith). The result? A solid rock album that has been a favorite of British music-mag, NME, and with any luck, a fresh crop to stock the discriminating kitchens of our local airwaves.

With today’s onslaught of dancey pop-rock (Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat…) a void now exists where lowdown, aggressive rock once stood. Seattlest loves the dance hooks as much as anyone else, but sometimes we want to get the blood boiling. Sometimes we want to crush some skulls.

“Everything Is” plays like a mix tape peppered with tracks that unearth the sounds of the mid-to-late ‘90s and early 2000’s. From the crunchy guitar anthem, “Get Your Guns,” to acoustic gems, “Behind Your Eyes” and “Intermission,” Nine Black Alps have succeeded in reanimating the sound of bands like The Vines, while certainly putting their own stamp on it. The singing smacks of Seattle band The Divorce in its clarity and candor, while big guitar rhythms remind us of early Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction.

Seattlest Declaration: A stellar rock album, and only $8.99 at Sonic Boom.

Not convinced? Nine Black Alps play a free, live, in-store performance tonight at 7:30 at the Ballard Sonic Boom.

[Nine Black Alps also play Neumo’s tonight]