When I described Nine Days as an otherwise terrible band who miraculously managed to create one classic song, I was incorrect, and I apologize. But in my defense, that seemed like a natural conclusion when all I had heard was the rest of their major-label debut, The Madding Crowd, which consisted largely of insipid Soft Rock pandering. The difference, I eventually learned, is that unlike the rest of the album, their smash hit “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” was written before they were signed to a major label…indeed, it’s what got them signed to one. And there is indeed more where that song came from, but you’d have to listen to their early self-released albums to hear it. This was one of several potential hits from their unjustly obscure early work, a piece of explosive quintessentially Nineties Power-Pop not especially different from “Absolutely”, albeit slightly harder-rocking and not quite as relentlessly catchy. Ironically, the entire subject of this song is that the outside world is trying to scrub away the honesty and individuality from the band’s music, which makes it rather a bittersweet listen today given that the record company did just that after they were signed. These early albums can be a bit difficult to acquire these days, but if you loved “Absolutely”, it’s worth going to the trouble to hear the rest of the band’s real peak output.
Verdict: Good