The Alarm

Some people just won't lie down. Mike Peters numbers one of this contingent now back with ‘The Alarm MMVI' and offering up a new album ‘Under Attack'. Having been diagnosed with leukemia during the recording of ‘Under Attack', a factor which may or may not have affected the album title, some may have expected a somewhat sombre affair.

However the resultant album kicks off with ‘Superchannel' a crisp no nonsense piece of rock n' roll, which gets the heart and mind pulsating. Second track ‘Without A Fight' though starts with a series of lyrics that could make you bite your lip from the outside, a tad too egotistical to my ears. ‘My Town' harks back to vintage Peters with a twist of early Weller thrown in for free. The choruses are rousing and anthemic, the vibe extremely positive and once again I can't wait to see this live. ‘Raindown' delivers a slightly more mused melancholic vibe reminiscent of ‘The Eye Of The Hurricane' period, which sits well in the overall stream of ‘Under Fire'. The production throughout deserves applause, always immediate, sharp and intelligent making full use of all the instruments and as always the backing. ‘It's Alright/It's Ok' starts off with a pensive Bonoesque vocal style (as does ‘Be Still'), which then naturally grows into what is another simple upbeat track to get feet tapping. ‘Cease And Desist' is good old basic veteran punk rock with a hit of Clash in the same vein as last years surprise scam hit ‘45 RPM' of which a Hollywood film is in production. Other stand out tracks are the raucous ‘Few And Far Between' and the vintage Alarm sounding ‘Something's Got To Give'. The album closes with ‘This Is The Way We Are', which is immediately reminiscent of ‘The Spirit Of 76' with acoustic and harmonica, which build into an emotional rousing sing-a-long Alarm style.

There are some exquisite guitars; drum and bass work on show along with a singer still able to deliver much more than just a line. ‘Under Fire' is a great album from one of Britain's most under-rated singer-songwriters. If you want my advice get down and see them live, they certainly won't disappoint and nor will this.